America Needs Farms of all Sizes

By Zippy Duvall

I am amazed by the diversity of agriculture in our nation. From the expansive ranches in the West to small dairies in the Northeast, from the grain farms of the Midwest to the tree fruit orchards in the South, American agriculture is as varied as the regions of our country. And that matters. It matters that we have access to leafy greens year-round. It matters that you can buy fresh apples to fill your pie and butter for the crust. We all rely on farms near and far to keep our pantries full, and we need farms of all sizes to keep our food supply secure.

We have come to take our abundant food supply for granted in our country, and folks off the farm may not think too much about local agriculture other than a trip to the apple orchard or pumpkin patch this time of year. But farmers and Farm Bureau know that our nation’s agriculture relies on a diversity of farm sizes and commodities.