STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES MOUTH

Duane A. Lienemann
UNL Extension Educator

       As I write this week’s column I see all around me hearts, cupids with arrows and certainly a lot of advertisements for flowers and candy. I can only imagine how much money goes towards all of these things plus candlelight dinners or nights out.  Most people know that I am by nature a curious person who finds it necessary to study things that I am not sure of.  My mother told me that my very first words were not “mommy” or “daddy” as they would hope, but instead “What’s that?”  I guess I am like every other man, just dutifully get a card, perhaps some flowers or candy, or maybe offer a dinner out, but never really thought about what Valentine’s Day was all about. So I decided to do a little investigation and also as per my profession - link it to agriculture.  It is kind of interesting and perhaps I might look at this day a little differently.
     I did find out that the history of Valentine’s Day, and the story of its patron saint, is shrouded in mystery. I figured it had to be something to do with a religious figure as when I was a kid I remember it being called Saint Valentine’s Day, so surmised that a Saintly person was involved. Supposedly February has long been celebrated as a month of romance and Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?  Well, I did a little search and here is what I discovered.
     The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
     Of course there are other stories that suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. I kind of like that story and it seems logical and romantic.
     Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and–most importantly–romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France and of course this tradition spread across the world, including right here in America where it probably became more commercialized.  For example - approximately 150 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas.
     As I understand it, Pope Gelasius declared February 14th as Valentine’s Day around 500 A.D., and men like me have been getting into trouble ever since.  Women turn red with anger if their beloved ignores or forgets the day they are expected to express love by spending some green.  My “expert” advice is no matter if you buy into Valentine’s Day or not, buy her something for the occasion. When you do it actually involves agriculture, and in my book that is a good thing!
     When you treat your beloved to candy, flowers or dinner out, you are not only sending a message of caring to your sweetheart, but also to farmers. Consider the box of chocolates you buy is a farm product using ingredients of sweeteners, milk, nuts, fruits and other farm commodities. It is estimated 40% of the world’s almonds and 20 percent of the peanuts are used in creating candy for Valentine’s Day alone. You, and approximately 35 million other cupids, will purchase heart-shaped boxes of candy that contain the product of corn, soybeans, livestock and of course peanuts and almonds ---all raised by farmers. But agriculture’s input to Valentine’s Day does not end at the candy counter.  Whether you purchase a dozen roses or even a single rose for your honey, remember that roses are raised by farmers.  Over 100 million red roses are sold for Valentine’s Day with a wholesale value of $18 million.  Oh and think of the steak, potatoes, veggies at dinner.
     Whether you support your declaration of love with candy, flowers, wine or a nice steak, ham or chicken dinner, you are also supporting farmers and the much larger number of people employed by agriculture.  Nearly 40,000 Americans work for the manufacturers of chocolate and cocoa products alone, so the multiplying job factor in agriculture shows through again. All the ingredients used to generate the candies and multi-course dinners served on Valentine’s Day originate on farms and help keep farmers in business, but consider the number of people employed in the value-added production of foods and desserts using these farm commodities. Think about the number of people employed in the meat chain and other food processing industries – let alone the sales and service industry.
     Then consider the number of additional people employed in the wholesale and retail distribution and sale of these products – the truck drivers, storage and warehouse workers, supermarket and store employees, waiters, dishwashers – yes, agriculture is passionate about Valentine’s Day. From the chocolates to the dinner rolls to the steak and potatoes, basically everything you use in your life can be traced back to agriculture, and that fact is so often times over looked. So, thank a farmer for not only being able to give a token of your love, but especially when you go out to dinner for Valentine’s Day with that special someone, and if you stop to think about it--- for being able to go out and live every day!

   The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: http://www.webster.unl.edu/home