Farmers have always needed support as they produce food for not only our nation, but the much of the world. At this time, they need support more than ever.

Today is National Ag Day, which is held in March each year to bring attention to and celebrate the important role agriculture plays in daily life. Every year, farmers, agricultural associations, corporations, universities, government agencies and countless others across America join together to recognize the contributions of agriculture.

I think this year this day takes on even more significance, as farmers and ranchers have been managing a dizzying array of challenges in the last couple of years.

First, row-crop prices started falling again. Then there were back-to-back hurricanes in the Southeast. Interest rates skyrocketed, input costs soared, and wildfires last week scorched acreage in the Central and Southern Plains.

To top it off, billions of dollars in economic aid and grants was held up early this year as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) began a sweeping review of programs inspectors felt had questionable purposes and didn’t focus on helping farmers.

Now tariffs and trade disputes are creating more global uncertainty. The U.S. agricultural trade deficit was $49 billion, the last I read, and the Farm Bill is still awaiting re-authorization from Congress. All this prompted USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to declare earlier this year the U.S. ag sector is in the poorest shape it’s been in 100 years.

Farmers continue trudge through these seemingly immovable challenges to plant their crops, feed livestock, raise children, go to church, serve on local boards and help hold up rural communities that so many in our country have forgotten about.

Here at No-Till Farmer, Strip-Till Farmer, Cover Crop Strategies and everyone at Lessiter Media, we earnestly wish all our readers a very happy National Ag Day – not just the farmers, but the agronomists, university researchers, corporations, equipment dealers and many others who work the make the industry successful.

We appreciate the sacrifices you make every day to keep our world fed and nourished – and especially to those who do it while protecting the soil and environment for future generations.

In honor of National Ag Day, you can save an extra 15% off every attendee when you register for the 2025 National Strip-Tillage Conference by Sunday, March 23. Register here with the code: AGDAY15.