Staff writer
Agricultural producers are repeatedly told that consumers want to know where their food comes from and how it is produced. However, the real question is, do consumers realize how much they need farmers?
As the exodus from the farm to towns and cities continues, more and more people are dependent on farmers for their sustenance.
Physical life begins and ends with the land. The Bible says, “From dust you are, and to dust you will return” (Gen. 3:18).
Farmers literally do feed the world. Without the land and what it produces, no one could survive. With cities growing worldwide and more and more land being taken out of production for urban development, it takes more and more production to keep everyone fed.
At the same time, there are forces out there that are trying to make it as difficult as they can for those in agriculture to do their work. In the name of animal rights, animal welfare, clean water, clean air, preserving endangered species, and other things, those forces continually work to impede food production. Some seem intent on destroying agriculture.
On top of that, government bureaucracies impose more and more rules and regulations.
If farm organizations really want to help farmers, they need to promote agriculture as a necessity, not as just one industry among others. They need to emphasize that agriculture is important to everyone’s livelihood. In other words, they need to say, “You need us! You can’t live without us!”
Even the big agri-businesses out there are dependent on the farmer. If he didn’t buy or use their products, they couldn’t stay in business.
Farmers make up less than 5 percent of the population, yet they have the responsibility of producing for the masses. They do the dirty work so that others can have an easier life while enjoying the food they need and want.
Farmers and ranchers work long hours and put up with all kinds of uncertainties — weather, markets, crop and livestock losses, and rising costs, to name a few. The next time you meet a farmer, thank him for the work he does to provide for your necessities.