Not only is the fresh food you eat an Ag product, but Ag products can also be found in sports equipment, clothes, vehicles, computers, and school supplies…even the medicines and medical equipment used to save lives have a connection to Ag.
If this has never crossed your mind, you are not alone. Many people assume that their kitchen pantry will be stocked whenever they want a snack, or the grocery store will always have what they are looking for. And, for the most part this is true, but people don’t know how it all gets there. They don’t know that behind that apple or carrot or Saturday night BBQ there are countless men, women, hours and miles keeping an entire industry going 24/7.
From preparing the soil to planting the seeds to dealing with Mother Nature, farmer’s across California work 7-days a week, 365-days a year, regardless of weather conditions, family obligations, state or national politics, or the world stage, to bring a bounty of food to a hungry nation.
In 1965 every farmer grew enough food to feed 26 people. Today, they grow enough food to feed 155, on less land and with less water than ever before.
That’s an impressive statistic, until you realize that just 2% of the population grows the food we enjoy every day, and that the majority of those growers are over age 60, then the statistics are not just impressive, they are heroic.
So why talk about California Ag? Because Manna has a long connection with the agricultural community, that we rely on heavily.
Without this remarkable industry, and the advances they’ve made in increasing production, Manna would not be able to help our friends and neighbors in need to the extent that we do. Local growers donate fresh produce for our pantry; local children tend school gardens and bring the harvest to Manna; community gardens and gardeners donate excess produce, and grocery store retailers invite Manna to “rescue” products from their shelves so that every one of our families can have a good selection of fresh fruits and vegetables.
And, let’s not forget about the thousands of people who donate non-perishable items. Canned goods, pastas, rice and beans are all staples that our families rely on to make warm hearty main dishes to go along with all that fresh produce. Those are Ag products also.
So, the next time you pass a field being tilled, an orchard in bloom, or a truck loaded down with produce send out a small thank you to a group of hard working people making sure we all get enough to eat!
To learn more about how your life depends on Ag, visit the My Job Depends on Ag website.
http://www.myjobdependsonag.com/
To teach your children about the families dedicated to feeding yours, check out the great resources at Ag in the Classroom.
http://www.cfaitc.org/
