By Robin Beal
As posted and broadcasted on KXII, March 20, 2008.

Well you probably knew Monday was St. Patrick's Day, and tomorrow is Good Friday. But did you know that - in addition to the first day of spring, today is 'National Agriculture Day'?

One dairy cow consumes more than 35 gallons of water, and 20 pounds of grain and feed in just one day, according to the Agriculture Council of America. They are the ones behind National Ag Day.

They say too few people actually take note of the impact agriculture has on our daily lives. From the food we eat to the clothes we wear, in some way, agriculture plays a part. Don't forget about the technological advancement agriculture has seen in the past century.

"I speculate that things are only going to get brighter but with all the new technologies that we have, we feel that we can produce better quantity, improve the profitability of farmers and ranchers in this community. So I think the future's looking bright," says Dr. Twain Butler, with the Noble Foundation.

Dr. Butler is one of the people at the Noble Foundation working on new technologies farmers and ranchers can use to take us into the next era of Agriculture. One example is grass which can sustain and replenish itself for years and still be nutritious and tasty for beef and dairy cattle.

This article and broadcast appeared on KXII, www.kxii.com, on March 20, 2008.