It may sound silly, but magic and agriculture have a lot in common. To audiences, a woman mysteriously appears in the box. To many consumers, seedless grapes are something conjured up at the grocery store. Both can best described as "amazing!" There is one big difference, though; farming is not an illusion. Instead of smoke and mirrors, agriculture has reached its "amazing" feats by first making food abundant and affordable for Americans. McHenry County Farm Bureau is exploring this magical formula during National Agriculture Week, March 14-20.
Abracadabra, food is abundant!
Abracadabra is an ancient phrase meaning "I will create with words." For most of us, that's exactly how we make our food appear ¬- by simply speaking an order at the meat counter or at a restaurant. Poof! The food materializes before our eyes. That wasn't always the case. At one time, 90% of Americans were farmers. We needed that many farmers just to produce enough food to survive.
Over the generations, farmers have improved their practices. They select plant and livestock genetics that produce more food. They fight for better transportation to get their products to consumers. They become early adopters of technology. As the result, today, farmers make up about 2% of the U.S. population, yet they grow enough food to feed our nation plus much of the world.
Alakazam, food is affordable!
How do you top a feat of wonder like making food always available? Easy, you make it affordable, too. From horse-drawn plows to GPS-guided tractors, farmers have always used innovations to become the most efficient farmers in the world, producing more food with less land, labor, and energy. That efficiency put money back into the pocket of all Americans. In 1930, the average family spent 24% of their disposable income on food. Today, families spend less than 10%.
When we Americans spend less on the staples, we can afford to indulge. Today, our grocery bills are made up of convenience foods like microwave macaroni and cheese or rare treats like out-of-season mangos.
Agriculture is amazing!
Because our food has become abundant and affordable, agriculture has become much more than just food production. It's almost like today's farmers have waved a magic wand over their fields and changed food into smart solutions.
We need clean energy and more of it. Presto-chango! Corn and soybeans are turned into greener, homegrown fuels... making foreign oil disappear. We need to address health and nutrition concerns in the United States. Presto-chango! Livestock has become leaner and their byproducts are turned into medicines. We need to address healthcare around the world, too. Presto-chango! Biotechnology turns ordinary rice into blindness-combating nutrition.
National Agriculture Week is a great time to remember that farming isn't hocus pocus. It's a combination of hard work, common sense and caring. It's a commitment to transform getting-by to getting-ahead. Keep that in mind and before you know it, you'll be saying, "Hey, watch me pull a TV dinner out of my hat."