BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Producers Cooperative held its annual business meeting last week, and the featured speaker discussed the importance of communication between the less than 2% of the population who are agricultural producers and the 98% who are consumers."We have the research and science to back everything we do, and yet here we are, having to answer some silly questions from some dumb city slicker that thinks his groceries come from the grocery store instead of having to grow it," said Amanda Radke, a South Dakota rancher."And, you know, it's frustrating, right? Or we laugh and we just, you know, 'Oh, hey, that's not, you know, you're so silly, you're so naive,' and we disregard it and make them feel stupid and dumb."Radke is a fifth-generation rancher and a strong advocate for agriculture."And both of those are not productive to what should be our overall mission, which of course, and again, and I can't repeat it enough, should be to keep as many families on the land as we can and to keep food on the dinner table," Radke said.

Radke urged agricultural producers to find their voices and tell their own stories."We have to do a better job of ensuring the 98% know what we do, who we are, what it takes to put that food on the dinner plate because we're quickly becoming a very, very small portion of society," Radke said.

Radke stressed that domestic food production is a matter of national security."What you do to keep this nation free and fed is critical. It's lifesaving. It keeps worlds from falling apart into chaos. It's worth fighting for, it's worth preserving, and it's worth celebrating. And the best way to celebrate agriculture isn't to count on a lobbyist or a group or anybody else to tell your story. Your voice, your story, your heritage matters," Radke said.