Is agriculture important to you?

If you ate food yesterday or today, the answer is “yes.”

Those who eat are involved in, and depend on, agriculture. Agriculture is the basic raw source for our food and fiber consumption in America. Milk does not originate in a grocery store, and bread does not originate from the bakery.

In America, we enjoy the most abundant, affordable and safest food in the world. This results from agriculture producers in all 50 states. In 2003, Douglas County had 880 producing farms involving 202,000 acres. Between 2002 and 2003 the number of farms in Douglas County increased by 20, and the amount of land in farms decreased by 21,000 acres. As you can see, our farms are decreasing in size while increasing in number. The production value of the 2003 crop in our county was $30,090,200. We rank 21st in the state in the number of farms, 101st in the state for land in farms, and 89th in the state for the value of crops harvested. This reflects the direct benefit of agriculture to our county and does not include indirect benefits such as industry, business and retail, which are dependent on products produced on the farm.

Anyone who has eaten pizza has had a basic taste of the agriculture products produced in our county. Pizza is made from wheat, soybeans, corn, milk, cattle, swine and tomatoes and other vegetables, all of which are produced in our county. The crust is made from wheat, with cornmeal often used on the bottom. The cheese is made from milk, a product of our dairy industry. The sauce is made from tomatoes that are grown for retail in our county. The hamburger and pepperoni are a product of the livestock industry. Soybeans are used for the oil and imitation cheese. As you can see, agriculture in Douglas County does have a direct benefit to the consumer.

In addition to grain and livestock for a food source, there are several emerging agricultural enterprises in our area. These include, but are not limited to, locally-grown fruits, vegetables and you-pick operations, wineries, agritourism, ethanol, turf and nursery stock for the green industry, and crops grown for the medical research field.

Therefore, whether it is basic food and fiber, local food, entertainment, fuel or medicine, agriculture is important to your basic existence and to the economy of Douglas County.