When I travel across the state and speak to groups of people, I often will ask, “How many of you are involved in agriculture?” Usually only few hands go up. I then ask, “How many of you are planning to eat today?” That’s when it starts to set in and people begin to understand agriculture is part of their everyday lives.
Today is National Agriculture Day, a time to celebrate our farmers, ranchers and other food producers. American farmers are more productive and efficient than ever before. According to the Texas Farm Bureau, each producer feeds 155 people in the U.S. and abroad. In 1960, the average farmer fed 46 people.
Our farmers and ranchers are responsible for providing us with the most abundant, most affordable and safest food supply in the world. The Texas agriculture industry employs one in seven working Texans and brings in, on average, more than $100 billion each year to the economy of our great state. I ask all Texans to take time and thank our farmers and ranchers by buying products from right here in the Lone Star State, and choosing those with the GO TEXAN mark.
It can be easy to take agriculture for granted in America, because our food is readily accessible and safe. For this, we are extremely fortunate, which gives us even more reason to recognize those who make it possible.
To our Texas farming and ranching families, I send my thanks and salute you for the hard work and commitment you put in each and every day to ensure we have food available whenever it’s time to eat.
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