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Ag plays a key role in rural prosperity

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Photos of diverse agriculture operations, including tractors, grapes, horses, dairy, honey, apples, hay, wheat, blueberries and a cute baby calf.

Today is National Agriculture Day in the US. I’m proud to be in agriculture as a rancher here in Oklahoma.

I’m also proud of the role that agribusiness plays in small towns all over the world. Agriculture is a key part of rural prosperity.

Ag-based businesses in the US are almost unbelievably diverse.

  • farms
  • ranches
  • you-pick places
  • community supported agriculture
  • orchards
  • dairies
  • organics
  • tiny homesteads
  • fish farms
  • huge operations
  • hay mazes
  • dude ranches
  • rodeos
  • equipment dealers
  • ag lenders

The list goes on from there.

Local foods, food hubs and food tourism all rely on your agriculture base. And tourism is linked to agriculture through many agri-tourism ventures.

Ag is also center of opportunity for green, or environmentally friendly, business. The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute issued a Green jobs in food production report for Minnesota that is eye-opening. Had you really thought about the number and diversity of entrepreneurial opportunities just around green jobs in agriculture, production and processing?

If all that isn’t enough, remember that your locally-owned ag businesses return more of their income directly into your local economy.

That’s plenty of reason to be AgProud, whether you’re in the US or anywhere in the world.

See what other folks are sharing by following #AgDay2015 and #AgProud.

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About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.

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