Celebrating agriculture in a big way

<p>EARLY MORNING: This photo, taking on National Ag Day, captures the dynamic of being on the National Mall for National Ag Day. The Washington Monument is lit up overnight, while farm equipment on the mall awaits visitors.</p>

<p>HOW TALL IS THAT? It's a common photo to stand in a certain way and put your hand on the Washington Monument. John Deere kind of had it's own way of doing that with the X9 combine on hand for the event. The two popular questions – what does it do, how much does it cost – were common. Explaining how it captures grain but leaves plant material behind was part of the challenge. Deere also had the See &amp; Spray Ultimate on hand which involved not only explaining what a sprayer does, but that this particular model shoots only the weeds.</p>

<p>SHARING THE BIOTECH STORY: The folks from Alliance for Science, which works with the Boyce Thompson Institute at Cornell University, promoted GMO crops with the story of the papaya. Ringspot virus was wiping out the papaya industry until a biotech was applied to the problem. Most of the papaya you consume today is biotech, and while there might have been some detractors on hand during National Ag Day, it turns out all of them wanted to taste the papaya. The group also showed off the pink pineapple Del Monte developed. And yes, the papaya was quite tasty.</p>

<p>ROBOT ON DISPLAY: Automation was showcased in different ways. This is Xaver, a single-row planting machine being developed by Agco. This unit was run with a remote control but is in development for future use in the field. A range of visitors from EPA and USDA got a look at this new machine and learned about its potential use in agriculture.</p>

<p>BEYOND THE MALL: Gathering equipment and displays on the National Mall was a great way to tell the farm story to the public. John Deere went one better and arranged for satellite interviews from the event to television and ratio stations around the country. Chad Passman, public and industry relations manager, conducted 21 interviews over a four-hour period during National Ag Day to stations across the country. This approach builds on ways to share agriculture's story from the Mall and beyond.</p>

<p>BIODIESEL ON DISPLAY: The Clean Fuels Alliance America showed off trucks that run on B100 using technology from a Optimus Technologies. The field-installed system overcomes worries about winter performance of the biofuel and is used in garbage trucks in more across the country, including in the District of Columbia. The organization was also sharing facts about the sustainability of the biofuel along with news of its reduced carbon footprint.</p>

<p>TESTING KNOWLEDGE: One of the fun displays on the Mall came from the American Seed Trade Association showing the value of plant breeding. The tiles here are "before" tiles asking if you can identify the food you eat that started as these early crops. It's an interesting display that gets participants to think about where modern food started and shows how plant breeding improves food and commercial crops.</p>

<p>PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Who doesn't like to climb on equipment? Apparently, that's not only true for farm kids at a big show, but for city kids who find out the cabs are open. One exhibitor shared that he'd spent a lot of time taking pictures of visitors with their phones. This Fendt Rogator sprayer was a popular spot on the Mall.</p>

<p>DIGNITARIES ON HAND: Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack stopped by to speak to the crowd and shared his perspective on 160 years of USDA, the importance of Ag Day and looked to the future. He evoked Abe Lincoln in his speech, and noted he thought Lincoln would be proud of how agriculture has progressed since he started the ag agency in 1862.&nbsp;<strong>Related:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.farmprogress.com/farm-policy/vilsack-shares-thoughts-during-... target="_blank">Vilsack shares thoughts during National Ag Day</a></p>

<p>IN CONVERSATION: Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., talks with Viren Popli, head of North American for Mahindra. She visited a number of exhibits to discuss agriculture topics during her visit to the Mall. Stabenow chairs the Senate Ag Committee.</p>

<p>TALKING AG TECH: John Boozman, R-Ark., was talking agtech on the Mall during a visit to an AEM exhibit where tech groups and companies including the Ag Electronics Foundation, AgGateway, Topcon, Microsoft and Arva Technologies shared insights. Boozman is ranking member of the Senate Ag Committee.</p>

<p>USDA ON SITE: Beyond Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack, USDA staffers from different departments were on hand. Marcia Bunger, administrator, USDAs Risk Management Agency, made several stops. We caught up with her talking with Kubota folks.</p>

<p>UNDERSTANDING AN INDUSTRY: The National Agricultural Aviation Association was on hand to show their technology and its role in sustainability. When Farm Progress stopped by we found this interested group asking insightful questions of Jim Perrin, president for 2022; and Andrew Moore, CEO, of NAAA. The group was from EPA and working to better understand how precision ag tools are used for aerial application.</p>

<p>RESOURCE TALK: Radhika Fox, assistant administrator, office of water, EPA (in the light-green jacket) talked with American Soybean Association members during her tour of the displays. Several farmer leaders for the organization were on hand. ASA, in conjunction with Ag Day, had its Conservation Champions on hand.</p>

<p>SENATE CONVERSATION: Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., right, talks farming, policy and technology with American Soybean Association members Andy Bensend, Dallas, Wis.; and Danny Murphy, Canton, Miss., who is also immediate past president of the association.</p>

<p>A FARM BUREAU CONFAB: Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., left, talks with Zippy Duvall, president, American Farm Bureau Federation, and Isabella Chism, chair, Women's Leadership Committee, during her visit to the Mall.</p>

<p>ETHANOL BURNER: A popular stop on the grounds was the ClearFlame tractor. This over-the-road truck is one of three test machines that have been outfitted with the ClearFlame engine technology to run on ethanol rather than diesel fuel (and it's still a diesel engine). Julie Blumreiter and B.J. Johnson, co-founders of the company, did their share of media interviews during the event. These trucks will be hitting the road soon to validate lab tests for the system.</p>

<p>SHARING THE CROP NUTRITION STORY: Aaron Abraham, senior product manager, livestock equipment, Kuhn talked to a visiting group about the value of the 4R's of nutrient stewardship. The company shared it's technology for precision application, and yes, they brought a manure spreader to Washington (add your own jokes here). The spreader has the latest technology for precision application of this key nutrient resource.</p>

<p>A DIFFERENT HARVEST STORY: The Claas Jaguar can harvest corn, but the story company folks on hand shared was different than what the John Deere folks told about the X9 combine. Those are the more detailed challenges that come with sharing agriculture's story. A forage harvester also cuts corn, but for a totally different use, which has to be explained.</p>

<p>THIS COMES FROM CORN? The Corn Refiners Association displayed a wide range of products that use corn-based inputs from baby powder to coffee cups. And yes, the big question here was: "This all comes from corn?" Perhaps the next question was: "Are those pens free?"</p>

<p>HEMP AT WORK: The National Hemp Association was on hand showing the many ways hemp can be used. The group even brought along its "hemp house" showing building material use for the crop.</p>

<p>GRINDING WHEAT: The National Association of Wheat Growers and the North American Millers Association shared the story of wheat. This small grinding demonstration was to show where flower comes from – if you look closely there's flour coming from the grinder. The organization also had a great bread display on hand.</p>

<p>PLANT-BASED PRODUCTS: The Plant Based Product Council, is an industry group formed to promote the benefits of a range of products for their sustainability and renewable nature. The exhibit included a range of examples of plant-based products. The demonstration shows the versatility of plant-based materials to replace petroleum-based products.</p>

<p>SHARING THE STORY: Kubota has been marketing tractors in the United States for 50 years. Emily McNerney, product manager for agriculture, talked about the company's products to visitors. The booth also shared the story of Farmer Veteran Coalition and its work to support veterans returning to the farm. Kubota partnered with that group several years ago.</p>

<p>PLANTER STORY: Visitors to see equipment got a look at an AFS Connect Magnum tractor from Case IH and this 12-row planter, which many thought was pretty big. That's part of the story to tell, that agriculture equipment has grown larger to boost farm efficiency.</p>

<p>ROBOT MILKER: Delaval had its V300 demonstration unit on hand, which is an advanced automated milking system. Visitors asked some interesting questions about the machine, like "does it hurt?" and "how does it see the teats?" The machine is more than a milker, gathering key data on cows as they enter and leave the system.</p>