It’s National Ag Day, so here’s to celebrating the farmers and ranchers who feed us

Every March, sometime around the first day of spring, this nation sets aside a day to recognize the contributions of American farmers and ranchers. National Ag Day is a celebration of the agricultural community and an effort to show our fellow citizens the essential role that agriculture plays in their everyday lives, as well as provide them with a quality understanding of how food and fiber products are produced.

Though this call to action for farm and ranch appreciation is worthy, the day is rarely acknowledged by those outside rural communities. Even in this amazingly bountiful San Joaquin Valley, there is a disconnect for many people from the activities that take place out on the farm and the food and fiber that reaches grocery shelves, restaurant menus and fashion lines around the world.

That changed for many, however, in the past two weeks. Coronavirus, and the angst it has brought with it, emptied numerous grocery shelves from coast to coast. Someday, we may look back and reminisce about the nation’s great toilet paper buying spree of 2020, but the understandable desire to stock up on necessities, including food, is human nature.

Reassurance is difficult during this uncertain time, but one bit of certainty I can guarantee is that American farmers and ranchers, as well as our transportation and logistics colleagues, will refill those shelves quickly.

As California Farm Bureau President Jamie Johansson recently stated, “It’s in challenging times like these when farmers’ and ranchers’ true passion shines: feeding and contributing to the stability of our local communities, state and country. In fields, orchards, processing plants and down the line to farmers markets and grocery stores, California agriculture remains on the job.”

With extraordinarily few exceptions, this country has not seen empty grocery shelves and rationing since World War II. The behind-the-scenes efforts by people in agriculture are not noticed by most people, whose frequent visits to produce-stocked supermarkets and restaurants have come to be an expectation, without ever thinking twice about who grew or raised it.

As Californians, we should beam with pride that our state produces more than one-third of the vegetables, two-thirds of fruits and most of the nuts grown in the United States. The San Joaquin Valley is truly the food capital of the nation. What we have agriculturally in our backyard is not replicated anywhere else in the nation, nor few places in the world. None of it has happened by accident. Generations have built a food system that is bountiful, efficient and environmentally responsible. It’s very likely every American takes a bite out of this Valley every single day.

From seed to sow and bank to barn, our collective group of agriculturalists must be recognized for the tremendous job they do in feeding and clothing a growing population. Though farmers and ranchers appropriately should be front and center during this day, let us not forget others whose jobs depend upon agriculture, particularly our dedicated employees. They show up to work before the sun rises, ready to work during foggy winter mornings and through our warm summer. These skilled, tireless hands of our Valley neighbors work collectively in unison to bring in the safest, most wholesome and affordable food supply on the planet.

Farming and ranching is a lifestyle and a responsibility one takes on because he or she innately has the agricultural spirit. Though the only certainty about living off the land is the uncertainty it provides, those who are a part of the community appreciate the life it offers. The markets and the weather remain challenges one must face. However, the future of our livelihoods are now more influenced by policymakers who have never walked a furrow, yet determine the success, or in too many cases, the failure, of our agricultural enterprises. Finding collaborative solutions to our many obstacles, especially water, is essential to our long-term viability.

To that end, when you eat today, most likely socially distanced during this remarkable time in our nation’s history, take a moment to think of what it took to bring that food to your plate and who was involved in the process. Give thanks to those who tend our crops and livestock. And to the agricultural community, while you are part of a small segment of the American population, today is about celebrating you. Happy National Ag Day!

This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 5:00 AM.