Today the middle ground in what passes for national debate more closely resembles a free-fire zone than a place of moderation and thoughtful discourse. Everyone in this country suffers as a result of this "Crossfire" mentality. Volume and aggression are no substitute for substance. Agriculture in this country has a wonderful story that should be told. It's up to all of us in agriculture to tell that story in our communities. We can't do much about the cities, but we can provide much needed input close to home.

Other industries and political organizations spend millions each year marketing their positions. Agriculture is, has been and probably always will be too fragmented to respond in a cohesive manner. Still, several efforts have been made over the years. In fact, 10 years ago MFA offered a program that included a number of brochures we'd mail to any and all requesting them. The brochures contained basic, verifiable facts about agriculture. The Food and Fiber Information Package contained information on water quality, fertilizer, cropping practices, animal rights and crop protection products. We had a large number of requests.

Originally, we assembled the information to counter misinformation disseminated by special interest groups who profit by attacking industries and sowing confusion. Ten years ago, we put our information packet together with the intent of refuting the deceitful campaigns of three types of entities: 1) the activists posing under the guise of consumer protection groups, 2) the misinformed media who use environmental propaganda uncritically and 3) politically motivated special-interest groups that hide under an environmental cloak. Unfortunately, those groups are still there, still well funded and still active.

As has been said time and time again, agriculture spends too much time preaching to the choir. We need to make a commitment to spread the gospel outside the congregation. One of the limiting factors during the years has been the lack of formal training structures. Very few people had access to high-quality presentations. That just changed. I recently ran across a series of presentations (computer or overheads) developed by the Mid America Crop Protection Association. The organization, based out of St. Louis, represents manufacturers, wholesalers, dealers and retailers of crop protection products. MFA is a member.

The association has a service called the Ambassador Speakers Program. The program comprises a list of speakers and developed presentations ready-made for those who have the opportunity and inclination to use those resources. Several people here at MFA already give these presentations at community functions. But you, the farmer/owners of MFA, have more credibility than anyone. Surveys consistently show that farmers are well respected nationally. So when students and the general public are able to put your face and a name with a topic, they are less likely to believe the hysterical hype. Consumers need reassurance that agriculture has kept pace with the rest of society. They want to be sure we are watching out for their interests and the interests of the environment. We are. And we need to tell them. Right now there are more school requests than speakers.

That's where many of you come in. We in agriculture have to provide facts, uncolored by what's referred to today as spin. You need to tell your story, the story of modern agriculture, to as large an audience as possible. Farmers and ranchers armed with verifiable facts can counter the spin that passes for fact. But we need you in your local community to take advantage of these opportunities. Now you have a resource. By using the association's presentations, you can talk to your children's classes at school. By taking advantage of your local forum, you can use the program at your local clubs and civic groups.

These researched and scripted presentations come in a variety of formats whether you're speaking to the very young or to the more experienced. If you're speaking to elementary grades, presentations are available to cover everything from the Corn Belt to today's major crops to a bushel basket kids can see and touch. Best of all, facts are placed in context to help children comprehend the subject matter. For instance, the presentation provides children with a shopping list for one bag of groceries: a gallon of milk, five pounds of sugar, one pound of cheese, a pound of steak and a bag of apples. In the United States, that bag costs $18.79. In France, the price is $30.10. In China, $74.23. Citizens of India pay 64 percent of their income for food. It's 11 percent here.

For junior high students, high school students and the general public, presentations are more in-depth and technical and cover a variety of topics. Many of these topics need to be addressed outside of the contentious manner in which they are debated in the media.

As we have said before and continue to say, our farmer/owners are conservationists by vocation and ecologists by practice. You are the custodians of America's natural resources, and you have much to be proud of. You compose an agriculture second to none. You feed more people on fewer acres than the agriculture of any other nation. And you do it with less disruption to the environment than the agriculture of any other culture, despite the accusations of the well-fed activists. So do agriculture a favor today and check out these presentations online at www.macpa.com or call (800) 625-2767.