Editorial

UWRF students encouraged to attend first Ag Day

By Student Voice

April 18, 2013

For the first time ever, UW-River Falls will be hosting an Ag Day on campus.

The event will take place on Thursday, April 25, and will have various events, food and speakers throughout the day.

Frankly, all students should come to this event, if they have a chance, and not just because there is a free meal. Agriculture and farming is a very large dynamic on the UWRF campus, but a lot of people simply don’t understand what that entails.

One only need look at the UWRF Confessions page to see that there is a disconnect between the “farming culture” and the “city culture” on campus. Most, if not all of that, stems from lack of knowledge.

To be on campus and hear, every once and while, a person say that farming is not important because our food comes from the grocery store is simply appalling. Honestly, where do you think that food comes from? A wizard who sits in the back of the grocery store?

In addition, it is not uncommon to hear people, who do not have a farming background question the importance of farming. That is simply absurd.

Anyone who has driven I-94 in Wisconsin has no doubt noticed that outside of a few major cities, there is not much to see other than farms. Did it ever occur to you that just maybe there is a reason we have so many farms? It’s because they are important.

Ag. Day presents an opportunity for all students to be able to experience and learn more about the agriculture background, which many students on campus have.

From dairy production to poultry farming, Ag. Day will help to showcase where the food on our plates come from.

Remember, just because you may not come from a farming background, or because you don’t understand it, doesn’t mean it isn’t important.

Next time you are eating in Riverside Commons, or anywhere for that matter, take a look at your food and remember that most of it, if not all, has come from a farm somewhere. It was not produced magically in the grocery store.

Again, if the confessions page is any indication, there is a huge disconnect between two cultures on the UWRF campus. The biggest part of said disconnect is simply the lack of understanding. Ag. Day presents a great opportunity for everyone on campus to learn about the various aspects of agriculture and farming.