March is one of those months that is, plain and simple, unpredictable. The time change throws everyone off at the beginning of the month, and the weather doesn’t know what it wants to do. The old saying, “March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb,” typically holds true every year. We usually start with a bitter cold beginning and work our way toward a beautiful, warm ending. March gives us time to get our thoughts together, get equipment ready, start prepping fields, and everything else we need to start planting crops in April. Yes, March is a wonderfully unpredictable month, but it also holds some amazing national agriculture holidays as well as being proclaimed National Women’s History Month.
As we begin to get excited and anxious to start planting and all other crop work, we take a step back to celebrate the amazing industry we live and provide for each day. National Ag Literacy week is usually the middle of March, and it provides us with the opportunity to read to youth and showcase the amazing world of agriculture. National Ag Week falls the week after. It allows us to promote the wonderful world of agriculture in our own way. Through videos, pictures, newspaper articles, social media posts, and more, we raise awareness of the industry that feeds and clothes the world.
On top of both National Ag Literacy week and National Ag week, March is National Women’s History Month. As we celebrate the great women in history like Rosa Parks, Susan B. Anthony, Eleanor Roosevelt, and so many more, we need to take a step back and celebrate the women working every single day to provide food, clothing, and shelter for all. The agricultural field is male dominated, consisting of 64% males and 36% females. Do not take the 36% of us for granted, though. We are strong, determined, passionate women who work day in and day out doing what we love and providing for all.
March is an eccentric month full of change and celebration. It provides us with a platform to truly promote and appreciate the great world of agriculture. As the month roars to the end, let’s take a second to appreciate all that we are able to accomplish. Well wishes to all as field work begins, and thank you to the men and women working hard to provide for the world!
The author is a sixth-generation farmer and fifth-generation dairy producer in southwest Virginia, where she and her family own and operate a 145-head Holstein dairy. Courtney is involved in agriculture organizations throughout her community and is a graduate of Virginia Tech.