Ag needs a big celebrity

As we approach the dog days of summer, people turn to lighter entertainment. We go to the movies to see action films, comedies or dramas with the most well-known actors and actresses in show business. They help us escape the hot days or doldrums of our daily jobs. But many actors and actresses along with singers support organizations in their free time that have real-world consequences.

For example, Bono, U2, Green Day and Pink support Greenpeace, known for its widely publicized protests around the world against biotechnology, pollution and Big Oil. Alec Baldwin, Paul McCartney, Jessica Biel, Carrie Underwood and Kim Bassinger are just a few celebrities who support People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which supports vegetarianism and prefers no one raise livestock. Bonnie Hunt, Joe Mantegna, Pierce Brosnan, Melanie Griffith, and Terri Hatcher support The Humane Society of the United States, which has comparable goals to PETA.

All of these big celebrities and many more have thrown their support behind these organizations that are anti-production agriculture in the United States and abroad. Unfortunately, many of these celebrities don't see the full picture of the organizations they support.

Many in the agriculture industry argue that fighting these groups requires sharing information and facts. However, anti-farming activist groups often promote distorted facts and perpetuate false myths and warm fuzzies. These celebrities represent the emotional side of the battle against modern production agriculture. They perpetuate the myths of the organization and provide a raw idealism that consumers and celebrities tap into in order to feel good about themselves. That emotional tactic is winning the war against ag.

For example, many average housewives have bought into the myth that organic is better for their babies and children because daytime television celebrities and chefs have said so. Who doesn't believe them when they come into your living room everyday and "feel" like friends?

So, where is the ag industry's emotional support? Ag celebrities are few and hard to find. It's not hip to come out in favor of an established industry like agriculture. (See my April column, "Sugar tax is an attack on Big Agriculture")

So, who could represent agriculture? A few celebrities have been close to representing agriculture. For example, Willie Nelson is famous for his many songs and support of small farmers as an organizer of Farm Aid. Also, in 2004, Nelson and his wife, Annie, became partners with Bob and Kelly King in the building of two Pacific biodiesel plants. However, Nelson seems too extreme in other aspects of his activism. He is a co-chair of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) advisory board and worked with NORML for years for marijuana legalization.

Agriculture needs a celebrity who understands the hard work and long hours it takes to run agriculture operations. The celebrity that comes to my mind is Mike Rowe, star of the show "Dirty Jobs." He has taken on numerous farm jobs that included pigs, cows, sheep, coffee, walnuts and much more ag production.

He's given numerous speeches praising the hard work the men and women in agriculture do to feed this country and others around the world. He brings a respect for the jobs that he has learned about from many hours of shoulder-to-shoulder work with people in agriculture. So I nominate Mike Rowe to be agriculture's big celebrity.

Do you agree or would you nominate someone else and why? Feel free to send me an e-mail at cscherer@food360.com, I'd love to hear what you think.