Celebrating Agriculture

This week, March 14 - 20, we will be celebrating National Agriculture Week. I’m not sure if Hallmark has included cards for this celebration, but I think they should. Celebrating Agriculture is a big deal for everyone. We all eat; it’s a necessity of life.

Today, in the United States only 2% of our population farm or ranch. That means that fewer people have their hands in the dirt than ever before in our history. Through excellent land management and improved technologies, today’s farmers and ranchers are able to feed this nation.

As consumers, we are blessed to have grocery store shelves and meat counters full of food. We can pick and choose what we want to eat, while serving our families well balanced diets. Yet, we still have Americans that struggle to make ends meet and put food on their tables. We salute those who donate to the food banks and help their fellow man enjoy our bounty.

It breaks my heart when I hear some food “elitist” claim that farmers and ranchers don’t have a conscience when it comes to producing food. These “elitists” advocate to put burdensome regulations on agriculture that will limit our production and raise consumer costs. We take pride in the fact that America has the safest, most abundant, most affordable food in the world through good management skills of American farmers and ranchers.

I raise my cup of coffee and say, “Here’s to those who raise the food and here’s to those who eat the food. May our tables always be full of delicious foods.”