AGvocacy in the limelight...

When most people from outside California think of the sunshine state, they like to imagine the "Hollywood lifestyle." In fact, I have had a couple people here in Kansas ask me if I know any famous people. All that I can tell them is that my hometown has produced some famous people, including Star Wars creator George Lucas, Justified Star Timothy Olyphant and Jeremy Renner, who you will see in the Avengers next summer. I have never actually met any movie stars personally. In fact, I have respect for hardly any film or television stars, the same goes with musicians. A lot of them sell out their values and beliefs for fame and fortune.

I have, however, met celebrities of a different kind. These people are the ones who I respect on a much higher level. The people I am talking about are people in the agricultural community promoting and defending the industry. People that risk being personally attacked for supporting an industry that feeds the world. Some of the real celebrities I have met include: Past CA Secretary of Agriculture A.G. Kawamura, Past US Secretary of Ag Anne Veneman, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, and the young lady I met yesterday evening.

I'm talking about Teresa Scanlan, but you may know her as Miss America. She is the youngest Miss America ever at only 18 years old, although if you spoke to her you would think that she was much older. Her platform she chose to advocate for during her reign is the promotion of farmers and agriculture, as well as educating about eating disorders, and this woman knows her stuff. She came to give a lecture here on campus about production agriculture and the challenges that we will face in my generation.

Yes, I know I'm blinking. I think when you stand next to Miss America, you look less attractive by comparison.

Here's a better picture.

While she was not raised on a farm, her parents taught her the importance for agriculture. She has a deep respect for farmers and everything they go through day-to-day. I am glad we have someone like her who can intelligently describe our position to mainstream audiences. Her motto for her platform is "Not everyone farms, but everyone has to eat."

I'd like to thank Ms. Teresa Scanlan for coming to Kansas State and even more thanks for her choosing agriculture as her platform and working with farming organizations and charities.