The National Chicken Council this week joined nearly 250 regional, state and national farm, ranch and agribusiness organizations to send a heartfelt “thank you” to Chrysler Group Chair and CEO Sergio Marchionne–and his Ram Trucks team–for its outstanding  Super Bowl XLVII commercial “So God Made a Farmer.”

“We wanted you to know your commercial is very much appreciated, and provides a vital message to the millions who watched the game,” the letter said.  “The ad reminded viewers that farmers and ranchers–those who feed and clothe this country and much of the world–must not be taken for granted, but instead must be recognized and appreciated for what they do and how well they do it.”

The Animal Agriculture Alliance coordinated the letter with assistance from the Farm Animal Welfare Coalition, an ad hoc agriculture coalition coordinated by Steve Kopperud, executive vice president of Policy Directions Inc., a Washington, DC consulting firm.

The commercial kicks off a partnership with the National FFA Foundation to draw viewers to the www.ramtrucks.com/en/keepplowing site.  For every view, download or share of the two-minute spot, Ram trucks will make a donation to the FFA Foundation’s “Feeding the World–Starting at Home” hunger program. In addition to the advertisement being the third most popular Super Bowl commercial, according to USA Today’s “Ad Meter,” it has already received over six million online views to date.

“We sincerely thank you for recognizing us; we thank you even more for reminding the rest of the country–and a big part of the world–how vital our daily contribution is to their quality of life,” the letter concluded.

To read the thank you letter sent to the Chrysler Group and Dodge Ram Team and for a complete list of the letter’s signatories, click here.