Down on the Farm
Today is National Agriculture Day…a day set aside for Americans to thank our farmers, who feed the world quite literally.
Obviously, when that two percent of citizens provides food for themselves and the remaining 98 percent of us, you’d think we’d be thankful every day…but the farmers I know don’t do it for recognition…they do it because of the unique and satisfying way of life it provides. Certainly something most of us, me included, could never do.
And just to put a finer point on it…Iowa is the number one producer in the country of pork, corn, eggs, ethanol, and biodiesel. And we’re a strong second in soybeans, just behind Illinois.
But obviously these are challenging times down on the farm. It’s bad enough that your financial survival is based in great part on weather, something completely out of your control. It’s often either too dry, or too wet, in planting season; too dry, or too wet, at harvest; and even if it’s a great crop, it might be destroyed by wind before that bounty can be realized. Again, how many of us could handle pressure like that, which is by definition a major part of farming.
It doesn’t help when the government drops the ball…like being two years behind in crafting a federal five-year farm bill…or pushing forward with tariffs that will more quickly and more dramatically affect food producers, because those goods are perishable as opposed to wood or steel, and not suited for holding out while government plays a long game economically.
Putting all those challenges aside for the moment, national ag day is a time to appreciate the role agriculture plays in maintaining a strong economy, and in providing safe, abundant, and affordable food and fiber products.
So a tip of the seed cap today to Iowa’s agribusiness industry and the farm families that make all of it possible. Simply put, if you eat or wear clothing…thank a farmer, today and every day.
