local agriculture

Local agriculture is the heart of this great country. We all know how important farmers – and farming – is, but do you know some basic facts and history?

March 23 is National Ag Day, which means it’s a great time to talk about the importance of local agriculture.

Here are some things you need to know about local agriculture.

  1. There are about 2 million farms in the U.S. and most of them (about 90 percent) are owned by families or individuals
  2. The top three commodities grown by U.S. farmers are cattle, corn and soybeans
  3. One farm produces enough food to feed more than 160 people annually
  4. The average farmer is about 50 years old and has been in farming for 10 or more years
  5. Farmers are growing in diversity, with farmers of Spanish, Latino or Hispanic descent making up about 13 percent and Black farmers making up about 2 percent, with women making up about 30 percent of all farmers
  6. Farmers care about the environment, with many intentionally providing habitats for wildlife and also, helping to slow cropland erosion by wind and water
  7. There are more than 900 million acres of farmland in the U.S.
  8. S. farmers export more than $130 billion in products annually
  9. Nine out of 10 farms are considered small farms, meaning they have a gross income of $350,000 or less annually
  10. Less than 1 percent of U.S. farmland is organic, with California having the most organic farmland
  11. The U.S. economy used to depend on agriculture with about 70 percent of the country making their living farming in the late 1800s, but now, only about 2 percent of the workforce makes their living in agriculture

Fresh Forward

At Fresh Forward, feeding families is our passion. We work with local farmers to get the best, and freshest, produce on your family’s table. Ask your favorite grocery store, farm stand or produce market to carry Fresh Forward products.

Learn more about the Fresh Forward mission here.