March 13-19 was National Ag Week. Since many of us no longer have family or friends farming, a quick look at modern agriculture may be helpful.
• Farmers are families and job creators. Two percent of Americans operate 2.2 million farms; 90 percent are family owned. Twenty-one million people, 15 percent of our workforce, produce, process and market this nation's food and fiber.
• Farmers are efficient. They produce 2.7 times as much as 60 years ago using the same inputs; produce America's largest export, over $150 billion per year; receive only 20 percent of food dollars versus 31 percent in 1980; help us spend only 10 percent of income for food compared to 17 percent in Japan and 51 percent in India. Each farmer now provides food and fiber for 144 people, up from 26 in 1960.
• Farmers are environmentalists. Since 1980 they've reduced topsoil erosion by 50 percent; begun minimum tilling 60 percent of fields; reduced planted acres by 26 million; enrolled 30 million acres in conservation programs, saving 600 million tons of topsoil; restored 2 million wetland acres and planted 1.5 million miles of field edge grass strips to protect water quality while providing 75 percent of all wildlife habitat.
• Farmers are health minded. Compared to 1985, farmers produce 20 percent leaner meat cuts while growing fruits and vegetables virtually free of pesticide residue. They regularly test soils and plant tissues while continually monitoring weed, insect and disease threats to minimize fertilizer and chemical usage which protects the water, beneficial insects, soil micro-organisms and consumers expecting safe food.
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While agriculture still faces many challenges and questions, please, the next time you are buying groceries, take a moment to look at the shelves and coolers filled with incredibly diverse and reasonably priced food products and remember they began their journey to you on a farm.
Bruce Thompson
Brainerd
