Have you hugged your farmer today?

I have.  I mean it.  Have you hugged your farmer today?  Have you eaten today?  Then you had better hug your farmer.  Despite the fact that our farmers are farming on less ground today, we are producing more bushels/acre than ever before.  Did you know that 98% of the farms in the USA are family farms?  So, perhaps you are in that group of people who thinks that farmers are abusing the land.  Did you know that small family farms comprise 81.8% of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) members? See this link to a USDA publication to see how important your farmers really are.  http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib24/eib24b.pdf 

Alright, so who cares, right?  Anyone care about feeding the hungry?  Did you know that the US exported 3.7 million metric tons of soybeans to China this week????  And overall this week, we exported 8 million metric tons of soybeans!!!!  It's just soybeans, right?  Nope.  Soy is used as a meat protein substitute throughout the world.  In countries where meat is not readily available, soy can provide the protein necessary to maintain higher health standards and feed hungry people.  Visit http://www.wishh.org/ for more information on how soy is solving the hunger problem.

And then there is the issue of sustainability.  By 2050, our world population will have grown to over 9 BILLION people.  Who is faced with the responsibility of feeding that many people?  Farmers.  More importantly, AMERICAN farmers.  Our farmers are focused not only on producing more, but also on being good stewards of the land.  We have to be conservationists in order to help our land thrive for the next generation.  Overall, producers of corn and soybeans have decreased their use of resources and emissions by up to 20% since 2000. 

Overall, the message here is that our farmers are doing all that they can to help us all.  I ask you again.  Have you hugged your farmer today?  I have.