Farmers Share a Desire for Healthy, Affordable Food

Many of us started off the new year by crafting resolutions, with “new year, new me” a frequent theme. Online polls reveal most adults typically plan to save money, be more physically fit or eat healthier at the start of each year. I found this to be interesting, especially given society’s recent focus on the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, which has generated a lot of interest in how our food is produced, what is healthy and how accessible healthy food is to everyone.

So much of what we do as a society revolves around food. Besides being a necessity, food provides us with opportunities for connection and enjoyment. We can’t have a conversation about food without talking about farmers. Farmers and ranchers welcome conversations about how our produce and meats are grown. We share a common goal of providing our families and our neighbors’ families with safe and affordable food.

I often hear concerns about the high cost of groceries and how that money trickles back to our farmers. Frankly, our North Carolina farmers have been suffering through some of the worst natural and economic disasters in decades, and they take home just under 16 cents per dollar for their products after paying out all other costs. They are facing difficult financial decisions just like many other American families. Every time a farmer puts a seed in the ground or buys a young animal to raise, they’re taking a leap of faith and just hope they can afford to keep doing what they love and what feeds us all.

Americans are fortunate to have many options when it comes to food, and there is plenty of fact-based research to help people make the best decisions for themselves and their families. Whether they choose organic, local, grass-fed or grain-finished, there are plenty of market opportunities and a great need for all different types of small-scale and large-scale farms. We can proudly say that all U.S. farmers are growing excellent products based on sound scientific advancements. Regardless of how large or small farms are, they continually work to be good stewards of the land and natural resources they depend on to do their jobs.

As a farmer myself, spring has always been my favorite season. It’s a time to look ahead and celebrate growth and renewal. All states have creative farmers who want to welcome you to their farms and share the fruits of their labor, as well as enjoy the beauty of their land. Please visit afarmer and enjoy the fresh vibes of the season!

Shawn Harding is president of North Carolina Farm Bureau. This column was originally published in NCFB’s North Carolina Field & Family magazine and is reshared with permission.