PERRYVILLE – Our changing economy illustrates how agriculture impacts our lives now more than ever. Thanks to Missouri farmers, consumers have many choices for the locally sourced food and goods they enjoy. Around the world, consumers value what our farmers and ranchers produce. Missouri Farm Bureau, Perry County Farm Bureau and county Farm Bureau’s across the state are joining forces to celebrate the importance of agriculture, March 5-11, during Celebrate Agriculture: Thank a Farmer Week!
In honor of Thank A Farmer Week, accurate agriculture books have been donated by Perry County Farm Bureau to the Riverside Regional Library in Perryville and the Perry County School District #32 library. Check out the book, “Hero for the Hungry, The Life & Work of Norman Borlaug” . It’s a moving and informative biography of the 20th century American agriculture scientist whose innovations in crop varieties founded the Green Revolution and fed hundreds of million of people around the world.
According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, the number of farms in Missouri declined 3,851 from 2012 to 95,320. Acreage also declined by just over a half-million acres. Despite the drop in farms and farm acreage, Missouri continues to rank among the top 10 states in production of major commodities and provides an $88.4 billion economic impact.
America’s farms and farmers are the most productive in the world. Each farm annually produces enough food and fiber for 172 people, 106 in the U.S. and 66 abroad. American consumers benefit from this bounty, yet spend less than 9 percent of their disposable income on food. By 2050 the global population is expected to increase by 9.1 billion people. Farmers will have to grow about 49 percent more food than is now produced.
With all that they produce, it is remarkable that farm and ranch families account for less than 2 percent of the U.S. population. Across the United States, there are 2 million farms with 3.4 million farm operators. This number includes owners, their families, hired workers, tenants and renters or sharecroppers. Many farms today find multiple generations working together to produce food and fiber.
“Agriculture is important to our daily lives and our community. Because 98 percent of the population doesn’t farm, it is easy to take for granted the importance of our farmers,” Dianna Koenig and June Ernst, Perry County Promotion & Education co-chairs say. “Celebrate Agriculture: Thank a Farmer Week is a great time to recognize the important contribution made by farmers!”
So, join Perry County Farm Bureau as we Celebrate agriculture and Thank a Farmer.