YOUR TEXAS AGRICULTURE MINUTE

Don’t forget the thanks in Thanksgiving

By Gene Hall

This is not my first time to complain that our commercialized approach to holidays gives Thanksgiving short shrift.

Two of the larger commercial holidays, dollar-wise, are Halloween and the heavyweight champ, Christmas. Visit your favorite big box store on Oct. 30 and note the supply of costumes, decorations and candy. Go back on Nov. 1, and it will be wall-to-wall Christmas.

Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, is often skipped because the marketing of it is mostly limited to food.

Our food is chief among the many reasons for being thankful. American farmers, ranchers and food production systems are so efficient, we rarely think about it. Compared to the rest of the world, our food is, frankly, cheap.

That doesn’t mean some folks don’t face food shortages, and in our thankfulness, we should remember to help them.

Thanksgiving is a national reminder to be thankful. In parts of the world, getting enough to eat is a daily struggle.

The preceding commentary is brought to you by Texas Farm Bureau, the “Voice of Texas Agriculture.” Called “Your Texas Agriculture Minute,” TFB will issue thought-provoking editorials each week—via print and audio—to spark understanding of agriculture in the Lone Star State and its impact on each and every Texan.

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