YOUR TEXAS AGRICULTURE MINUTE

We salute National Farmer’s Day

By Gary Joiner
Publisher

We call it National Farmer’s Day. Oct. 12 of every year is set-aside, so we can recognize the hard work that goes into feeding and supplying a nation.

Records point back to the 1800s for National Farmer’s Day events. We’re not really sure when the first celebrations of the day began.

Modern agriculture has come a long way in how farmers grow crops. New tools. New technologies. And we’ll need every bit of those advancements going forward.

By 2050, the global population will reach almost 10 billion people. Our current agricultural system stands won’t be able to produce enough food to feed everybody. Global food production must increase. Some say it needs to increase by as much as 70 percent to keep up with population growth demands.

U.S. farmers and ranchers will lead the way. There are about 2 million of them dotting the landscape. About 98 percent of U.S. farms are operated by families–individuals, family partnerships or family corporations.

They are good at what they do. One U.S. farm feeds 166 people annually in the U.S. and abroad.

So think about the farmers and ranchers the next time you pour a bowl of cereal, open a kitchen cabinet or grab a t-shirt to wear. It’s not possible without agriculture.

And that’s why farmers and ranchers are important every day. But on National Farmer’s Day, we pause to salute the blessing that is American agriculture and tip our hats to all farmers and ranchers.

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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