There seems to be a day of recognition for everyone and everything under the sun. For example, today is apparently National Dessert Day, while Oct. 4 was National Taco Day. Although we wouldn’t argue that every day is a day to appreciate desserts and tacos, Sunday was an occasion we should never take for granted — National Farmers Day.
It’s no secret that Sampson County was built on agriculture, and it continues to be a huge boon to the local economy. In fact, according to the NC Rural Center, Sampson County farmland takes up 292,000 acres, roughly the size of Los Angeles. That means we are home to the most farmland of any county in North Carolina.
Sampson also leads the state in agriculture sales, adding $2.2 billion to the economy through the production of turkeys, hogs, sweet potatoes, vegetables, melons, and more.
Here at The Sampson Independent, we’re keenly aware of just how much agriculture contributes to our county. After all, we feature an Agriculture section of the newspaper every Wednesday, and publish our Home Grown magazine twice a year. We strive not only to keep our local farmers informed, but also keep every citizen aware of what’s going on in the ag business because if they live here, it can affect their daily lives.
In fact, no matter where you live, agriculture has a very definite impact on your everyday life. Some have asserted that many people, especially those in more urban areas, think their food comes from the grocery store. While that may be true, in that most of us purchase our meat and produce from a grocery store, our food’s origins can easily be traced back to the fields, pastures and animal houses around us, which many of us probably drive past every day on our way to work.
It’s the people who tend to those crops, livestock, poultry and gardens that keep us all nourished. Without farmers putting in the work, day in and day out, no matter the weather or holidays, who knows where we’d be. We’d rather not think about it. We just count on these men and women to be there for us no matter what, whether or not we realize it.
And, whether there’s a drought or flooding, sunshine or rain, farmers have to do their jobs — not only for their own livelihoods but to keep up with the world’s food supply. We applaud those men and women who cultivate farms and help maintain Sampson County’s robust economy. We, quite literally, would not be here without you.
So, if you are a farmer, know that you are appreciated for the hard work you put in every day. If you know a farmer, make sure to thank him or her as often as possible. If you don’t know a farmer (hard to imagine, in this neck of the woods), thank God for them anyway, for helping to put food on your table.
And again, while it’s nice to have a day on the calendar marked to appreciate farmers, there’s no reason not to appreciate them every single day.