Today I spent my morning with an auditor from the packing facility which purchases our pork. The purpose of the audit is to ensure high quality and consistent pork products. We are part of a USDA Process Verified Program, which was initiated back in 1999. The program provides "Farm-to-Table" assurance for our pork.

The foundation of the Process Verififed Program is to ensure pigs are traceable to source farms in the Untied States. This means we have a trail of paperwork for every animal we sell. We trace each pig back to the sow that gives birth to it. Management on our farm is PQA (Pork Quality Assurance) certified to reduce risk of food borne residues. Our pigs are humanely handled, from farm to plant.

We do this because we know we provide great care for our animals and that we deliver a safe product to our consumer, and we want to have this information communicated to our consumers. By having good communication with the packing facility, and by being a part of this program, we can prove to our consumers that we know where and how their food was produced. This builds trust with our consumers.

"Why isn't there a Farmer's Day?" This question was asked of me last night by my six year old son and it caught me by surprise. I asked Conner what he meant by that question. He responded by explaining to me that since returning to school from Christmas break, his class has spent a lot of time learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. He wanted to know why our country celebrated this day, President's Day, and Veteran's Day but we didn't celebrate a day for the Farmer's who feed the country everyday.

I explained to Conner that farmers and ranchers don't need or want recognition, that we chose farming as a career because it is important to help feed this country; and because we want a safe food supply which comes from America.

My son pondered this response for quite a while. After much thought, he told me he thought we needed a day to honor the farmers because very few of his classmates know that a farmer makes food. BUT, he continued, it would have to fall on a Sunday because that is the only day farmers don't work all day.

Conner was right, we need to educate the public and remind them farmers provide food for this country. I think people forget the role farms play in society, and in some cases, people don't know what purpose a farm or ranch has. Education is necessary to ensure our children have a future in farming, we owe it to our kids!

Each New Year, resolutions are made to become healthier, become more involved in community activities, spend more time with families, the lists go on and on.

My resolution for the New Year is "Speaking Up for Agriculture." I began my year by talking to a local Rotary Club in a neighboring town about the importance of agriculture to all Americans.

I received numerous questions about the livestock industry. The audience was surprised to learn why family farmers use modern technology on their farms, including modern buildings to protect our animals from the weather and predators. This audience didn't know family farmers still own and raise livestock. They also didn't know how regulated agriculture is by the government, or that farmers have to absorb these costs which are not passed on to the consumer.

I had several people come up to me after the meeting and tell me I had changed their view of the livestock industry. They learned many important facts about the livestock industry and agriculture in general just by listening to my presentation, which took only 20 minutes from my day.

As a result of Speaking Up for Agriculture, I have been invited to speak to other groups and share our story with another new audience who otherwise would have no contact with a farmer or agriculture in general.