Thank a Farmer Week celebrates agriculture across the state

BENTON, Mo. – Farmers around the world provide consumers with food choices, clothing, transportation, shelter and much more. In Missouri, there are 99,171 farms on 28.5 million acres of land and they produce a wide variety of crops and livestock.

In order to celebrate the importance of agriculture and those farmers that are dedicated to stewardship of the land and animals that provide for all, the Missouri Farm Bureau and county Farm Bureau’s across the state are joining forces to for Celebrate Agriculture: Thank a Farmer Week. The week begins today and runs through Saturday.

According to the Missouri Farm Bureau, America’s farms and farmers are the most productive in the world. Each farm annually produces enough food and fiber for 165 people, 106 in the U.S. and 59 abroad. American consumers benefit from this bounty, and the many choices it offers, while spending less than 10 percent of their disposable income on food. With a projected growth in global population to 9.8 billion by 2050, farmers around the world will have to grow 70 percent more food than is now produced.

Farm and ranch families account for less than two percent of the U.S. population. Across the United States, there are 2.1 million farms with 3.2 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.

A 2016 study commissioned by the Missouri Department of Agriculture and Missouri Farm Bureau confirmed that agriculture is the top industry in our state with a contribution of some $88.4 billion to the economy. The study further revealed that 378,232 jobs, $2.2 billion in state/local taxes and $17.5 billion in labor income are derived from agriculture. Agriculture and the work of farmers impact our lives daily. In addition to food and clothing, agriculture provides fuel, medicine, entertainment, sports equipment, personal care products, school supplies and the list goes on.

“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,” Scott County Board President Elliot Maschmann says. “Celebrate Agriculture: Thank a Farmer Week is a great time to recognize the important contribution made by farmers.”