The week leading up to Thanksgiving is proclaimed by the President as being National Farm City Week. This week is set aside each year to celebrate and recognize the beneficial partnerships between rural and urban communities that make our food supply safe and plentiful. Farmers and ranchers are truly the backbone of our country and often are taken for granted.
I am fortunate that I get to work with a wide variety of farmers and producers in our county and have had the opportunity to work with others across Florida and the Southeast. I hear their challenges almost daily and have unfortunately heard of many family farms that have had to close their doors.
The American farmer and rancher is the only one who produces a commodity and is then told what the price will be. Their blood, sweat, and tears go into putting food on the tables of those who criticize them, those who heavily regulate them, and those who think they are trying to kill them.
Approximately 3.4 million farmers operate 2 million farms in the United States, directly supporting over 2.6 million jobs in farming and ranching, not to mention the jobs that are created as a result of agriculture. Grocery stores, restaurants, juice processors, paper mills are among other occupations that rely on a farmer and the products they produce. Losing the American farmer has a much larger impact on our country and economy than just the farm going out of business.
During this Farm City Week, I would like to encourage our community to be thankful for the farmers and ranchers in our county, state, and country. Our farmers are continuously seeking ways to improve farming methods while providing safe and healthy products. You can help support the American farmer and the American jobs that are a result of the labor of the American farmer with your buying purchases.
Here’s what you can do:
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