I can’t believe it’s already spring! To be honest, I didn’t think it would ever get here. Winter is having a pretty tough time saying goodbye this year, at least in Oklahoma. With the start of spring comes one of my favorite “National” days;
It’s National Ag Day!
So what! What is National Ag Day?
National Ag Day is a program started by the Agriculture Council of American (ACA). The ACA is an organizations composed of leaders in the agriculture, food and fiber communities dedicated to increasing public awareness of agriculture’s vital role in today’s society. There are a few core values behind the program. The ACA believes that every American should;
- Understand how food and fiber products are produced.
- Appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products.
- Value the essential role or agriculture in maintaining a strong economy.
- Acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food and fiber industry.
In addition to National Ag Day, Easter is also right around the corner which reminds me of how hard America’s egg farmers work to provide a wholesome and nutritious product for one of our favorite holidays. Not only do these farmers work around the clock to ensure the welfare of their animals, but egg farmers are continually increasing efficiency while working together to reduce their carbon footprint. In fact, in 2010 the total environmental footprint was 54% which was 64% lower than the environmental footprint in 1960. If America’s egg farmers used 1960 technology to produce the 2010 egg supply, they would have required 78 million more hens, 1.3 million more acres of corn and 1.8 million more acres of soybeans.
Compared with 1960, 2010 egg production has:
- 71% lower greenhouse gas emissions or carbon footprint.
- 65% lower acidifying emissions (nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and ammonia).
- 71% lower eutrophying emissions (the introduction of nitrogen and phosphorus into the environment).
- 31% lower cumulative energy demand (the direct and indirect energy need for the entire egg production process).
- 32% less water use per dozen eggs produced.
You can find more egg production info on the Incredible Egg web page.
Along with this I wanted to share a few egg facts that many people probably didn’t know;
Did you know the top 5 egg producing states are Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana and California? These 5 states represent about 50% of all laying hens in the United States. In the United States there are 179 companies producing eggs with flocks of 75,000 or more hens that represent 95% of all laying hen in the country.
I challenge you to take the time to meet some of America’s egg farmers from all over the country by following this link.
In addition to advancements made in egg production, nutrition advancements have also been made. Did you know that a single egg has only 70 calories and average only $0.15 each? Eggs also play an important role in weight management, muscle strength and brain function! Eggs supply the body with 6 grams of protein per serving (appx 1.76 oz), this makes eggs a very competitive source of viable protein. I’m sure there are a few of you at this point scream cholesterol, but recent studies have shown that the consumption of whole eggs actually increase both ldl and hdl cholesterol therefore lowering the risk of heart attack and stroke. (More information can be found here)