EARTH: Tomorrow is her special day

When I’ve asked Idaho farmers and ranchers about Earth Day, the humble and honest reply I usually get is: “Every day is Earth Day.” Where asphalt and pavement turns to gravel and dirt, you will find rural men and women rising early, greeting the day and working the earth.

Their office space is outdoors in the sun, wind, rain and snow. They are doing hard work that needs to be done to feed a hungry world. To eat and live it means that someone tills the soil, plants the fields, fertilizes, feeds, prunes, irrigates, picks, packs and ships.

Still, there is further to go. The soil and our fresh-water supply need our attention. The world’s population continues to grow so there is constant pressure to produce higher yields and better nutritional value in what we grow. Adequate food and fiber supplies in the future will happen only when we have a healthy earth to supply them.

So, Earth Day is a good day to celebrate. It’s a good day to value our contributions as farmers and ranchers; a good day to be thankful. It’s a great state with great people and a great place to be involved in agriculture.

For more information about the Earth Day initiative, visit: www.earthday.org.

DICK RUSH

Executive Director

Idaho USDA Farm Service Agency