National Agriculture Week – March 21-27, 2023
Every year, the Agricultural Council of America announces the dates in March when National Agriculture Week is celebrated, and this year, the week begins on March 21st and ends on March 27th. This week acknowledges the agricultural industry and celebrates its role in stabilizing the economy. It also focuses on appreciating agriculture entirely as a source of an abundance of food, fiber, and renewable products and also for providing millions with stable careers and jobs. Moreover, the week also emphasizes the efforts made by players in agriculture to provide us with necessities that most usually take for granted.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL AGRICULTURE WEEK
America is a net exporter of food, and Agriculture is her largest food contributor making the industry a source of food and health. The rich history of agriculture in the United States attracted European colonists whose styles of cultivation and production were also influenced by Europe. Moreover, these colonists carried a large amount of livestock to the U.S., making significant changes in the natural landscape of America.
With the growing population, settlements moved west from the east as farms expanded, causing the agricultural industry to grow exponentially, rooting a large variety of produce. A wheat frontier was formed once the west was populated and cultivated, while the east was firmly set on cattle and livestock with very little small-scale crop production. The northern side was dominated by people who planted what could satisfy their needs, and any extra harvest was sold to the market, and the south was largely tobacco and cotton.
The agricultural system became centralized during the Civil War and the Second World War, thus introducing a proper agricultural system. Formed in 1973, the Agricultural Council of America has since supported farmers and agricultural developments in farming techniques and methods in the United States. This council consists of influential leaders in agriculture, food, and farming who work together as a not-for-profit organization focused on educating the world on why agriculture is important in American Society.
At the same time the council was formed, the first National Agriculture Day was introduced, which soon became a week-long celebration. Since then, the week has been celebrated enthusiastically to support agricultural activities and create awareness about its potential and vitality.
FIVE INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT AGRICULTURE THAT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW
The agricultural sector has employed over 22 million people
In the 1960s, one farmer could feed 25 people, but that has grown to 144 today
It is estimated that a farm operator spends 58.3 years on a farm in his lifetime
On average, the size of farms in the U.S. is estimated at 434 acres
The number of those who served in the army previously makes up 11% of all the farmers in the U.S.
