STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES MOUTH

Duane A. Lienemann
UNL Extension Educator

     Beginning with the American pilgrims, Thanksgiving has always focused on celebrating the harvest and the abundance of food we are able to share with our friends and family. This year is no different. We can celebrate a great harvest and harvest weather this year, and what better way than with fellowship and food? When you think of it, food in reality is a part of our lives every single day. We rely on it for nourishment. We look forward to it on holidays. And we share it with those we love most. It seems that it even becomes more important this time of year. The time of year that everyone loves…..
     Yes, it is Thanksgiving, so good food and company is always near the front of our minds. You see it in newspapers starting a few weeks ahead with all the tips on making your family happy with the best turkey and classic side-dishes. It takes a lot of planning and organization: Where are we going to have it? Who’s getting the turkey (and from where)? Who’s making pie and what kind? Sweet potatoes? Are you making it with marshmallows? Please do! Stuffing: soggy or crispy, or both; with raisons or without? All those details will work out one way or another and most of us leave the Thanksgiving table satisfied with a full belly – ready to watch the token NFL football game or perhaps take a nap. But how many of us think about who made the large meal in front of us possible? Sometimes we are more worried about “Black Friday”.
     I admit I mostly spend the day over-indulging in a lot of those things I should be grateful for. And Thanksgiving encourages me personally to think about all the things I am in deed grateful for. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to collectively show our appreciation for wholesome food and especially all those who provide it.  As you sit down to enjoy dinner with your family and friends, I encourage you to take a moment and thank those who did make it all possible. While we share laughter, memories, thanks, and thoughts, we should all try to take a moment and remember the importance of those hard working America’s farm families and their hard work growing the food we all enjoy. There is no better time to honor our farmers, ranchers, and producers.  Without them, the safe, abundant and affordable food we’ll put on our tables at Thanksgiving would not have been possible.  Generation after generation, their hard work and willingness to embrace new ideas has provided our nation with the food we need. They take huge risks and work hard to provide for all of us!
     Thank a Farmer! Without farmers, we wouldn’t have food or many of the products that we use on a daily basis. Sadly, most people don’t feel like agriculture affects them directly. Every day, we are surrounded by the things that farmers provide for us – from the cotton sheets that we wake up in to the toothpaste that we use each night. Yet, how many of us actually think about the farmers that made this possible? Many people don’t understand the impact that one farmer has on today’s society. In 1960, when I was still in grade school, one farmer would feed 26 people which may seem like a lot. Today, one farmer feeds and clothes 155 people. Without farmers, we would be one hungry planet! We all need to be more aware of how agriculture impacts our modern lives and be thankful we have the resourceful people engaged in it!
     I am proud to advocate on behalf of America’s farmers as they work tirelessly to provide plentiful food, clothing and energy for our country and the world. We should take stock of the fact that Agriculture is tied to 1 in 12 jobs in this nation and one out of three jobs in this great agricultural state – Nebraska.  We all should give thanks to the incredible productivity of our nation’s farmers and ranchers. U.S. farm programs typically cost each American just pennies per meal account for less than one-half of 1 percent of the total U.S. budget.  It gives us the freedom and the flexibility to spend on our families and invest in other parts of the economy. We often forget how good we really do have it here in the USA!!
     Did you know that farmers and ranchers receive only 15.8 cents of every food dollar that consumers spend on food at home and away from home? The rest goes for costs beyond the farm gate: wages and materials for production, processing, marketing, transportation and distribution. In 1980, farmers and ranchers received 31 cents. So when you think of it, our farmers have done an incredible job of providing the safest and most bountiful food at almost half the cost of 30 years ago. Americans spend, on average, only about 6 to 7 cents out of every dollar they earn on food, far less than around the world!  
     It may interest you that there are only 2.2 million farms that dot America’s rural landscape. But regardless of what you hear about “Factory Farms”, did you know that about 97 percent of those farms are operated by families, individuals, family partnerships or family corporations? Did you know that those farm and ranch families comprise just 2 percent of the U.S. population? Today’s farmers produce 262 percent more food with 2 percent fewer inputs (labor, seeds, feed, fertilizer, etc.), compared with 1950. Plus the United States sells more food and fiber to world markets than we import, creating a positive agricultural trade balance. In fact one in three U.S. farm acres is planted for export and more than 31 percent of the U.S. gross farm income comes directly from exports with about 23 percent of raw U.S. farm products being exported each year.
     Like millions of Americans, I will sit with my family this Thanksgiving to share a meal and I’ll express my thanks to those who produced the bounty that my family is about to receive.  I will also take a moment to think about those who may not know where their next meal will come from, and those without family this Thanksgiving – particularly those men and women in uniform serving our country overseas.  This Thanksgiving, as you gather around your dinner table and give thanks to our Creator for all his divine blessings, it is fitting that we thank Him for the men and women of agriculture who use all of the resources God provides to improve the quality of our lives!  Happy Thanksgiving!!!

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