Have you ever heard someone speak that you feel secondhand embarrassment for? You know that moment—that moment when you are listening to someone who is definitely not an expert try to give an expert opinion. Politics, child-rearing, fashion, whatever the topic, there is a cringe-inducing comment that was just not thought through.
It’s not that they say something you don’t agree with the stance. It’s that they say something that is missing logic. It’s factually wrong and they don’t understand that.
As consumers become further removed from their food, these comments appear from those who aren’t seeing the big picture. After all, have you ever stopped to consider how much you rely on the agricultural industry each day?
As people prepare their meals each night, the thought of where their food comes from stops at the grocery store, or perhaps even as far back as food being packaged. But what about the farmers? Sure, when people really think, it’s obvious—all food must be produced. When they don’t, however, a crucial role in food production is forgotten.
Taking our meals for granted means a group of hard workers don’t receive the recognition they deserve, and that realization is humbling. It is farmers who produce the ingredients that go into a morning smoothie, a light salad, even a pizza thrown in the oven for an easy dinner. They work hard 365 days a year so you can enjoy affordable and safe meals through processes like pasteurization, continuously striving to make their production more sustainable, too. Today, to ensure we can enjoy meals together, over 3.75 million Americans are somehow employed full or part-time in the crucial agriculture industry.
Don’t be that person who forgetfully believes farmers aren’t necessary to your lifestyle. Mid-March is National Ag Week, which is the perfect opportunity to thank the farmers in your life for producing the food you enjoy each day. It’s easy. Share your thanks online with #nationalagweek or #thankafarmer. While we Southerners may not know the farmer that supplies our pineapples, dairy products come from someone close to home.
This is the time to celebrate American agriculture, including the agriculture around the Southeast region. Learn more about dairy farming through a virtual tour and then be sure to a thank a farmer for the meals and beverages like milk that you enjoy this National Ag Week.