It’s time to celebrate the people who produce our food every day. It’s Agriculture Day and we should tip our hats to farmers who work hard to provide products we use daily.
As a Registered Dietitian, I think it’s very fitting Ag Day is during Nutrition Month. During National Nutrition Month we chat about eating healthy from all the food groups. Each one of those foods was grown and produced by a farmer. Farmers have made it so easy to acquire products we often do not think about where our food comes from, we just run to the grocery store. Each American farmer feeds more than 144 people which is a drastic increase from 25 people in the 1960’s.
I tend to think of just food when celebrating Ag Day but it’s so much more including fibers and things we enjoy in everyday living. Look down at the shirt you have on today. Your shoes. Socks. Farmers help to produce clothing and other abundant, affordable products.
Agriculture also contributes to the local economy. Dairy farming and processing contributes $810 million to the Hoosier economy every year and creates 8,220 Indiana jobs.
How can you celebrate Agriculture Day? The first thing you can do is thank a farmer and if you don’t know one, thank them in a post on Facebook or Twitter! Next, make plans to visit a farm to learn more about how your food gets to the grocery store. Each time I visit a farm I learn something new. There are 1200 dairy farmers in Indiana and we can help connect you with a dairy farmer to take a farm tour with your family.
