The U.S. had 3.2 million farmers, the 2017 Census of Agriculture said
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
People celebrated farmers Monday as part of National Farmer’s Day.
The day used to be known as Old Farmer’s Day and records indicate people participated in events honoring farmers as far back as the 1800s.
Modern day celebrations take place on Oct. 12 each year because the day falls within harvest.
On social media, the hashtag #NationalFarmersDay trended as people from the ag and other sectors took a moment to say thank you to farmers.
Millions of farmers produce food for their neighbors and the world.
The 2017 Census of Agriculture found the United States is home to about 3.2 million producers who farmed on more than 2 million farms encompassing more than 900 million acres of land.
These farmers also contribute to a healthy economy.
In 2019, the U.S. ag industry contributed $1.109 trillion, or about 5.2 percent, to the U.S. GDP.
For context, Switzerland’s whole GDP in 2020 was about US$750 billion.
Farmers and the agriculture sector are also responsible for significant employment across the country.
In 2020, the industry provided 19.7 million jobs, or about 10.3 percent of total U.S. employment.
For comparison, Canada’s total workforce in September 2021 was around 19 million people.
In addition to growing food, farmers have been known to develop solutions for farm challenges.
In 1831, for example, Cyrus McCormick invented the first horse-drawn machine capable to harvest wheat.
In 1948, Frank Zybach, a farmer from Strasburg, Colo., invented the center pivot irrigation machine.
And in 1984, Ardon Herman, a producer from Brinsmade, N.D., developed the Diamond Disk blade to reduce breakages because of rocks.
Farms.com would like to wish fall farmers a happy National Farmer’s Day and thank them for their tireless efforts to raise crops and livestock.