My grandpa says that once in your life you need a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman and a preacher but every day, three times a day, you need a farmer. 

 Everyone is affected by agriculture every day.

 Just 100 years ago nearly 50 percent of the population farmed–and they had to farm, or they would starve. 

Now, 98 percent of the population doesn’t farm. The two percent of Americans who are farmers feed the world. 

Today, that two percent of the population is what allows the rest of us to live in towns or cities, have non-farm jobs, and still eat. 

 Farming is a huge risk.

 It’s impossible to predict a good year–when the weather and markets cooperate with each other –and a bad year–when there’s too much rain, or not enough rain, it’s too cold, or too hot, the markets are too low or prices are too high. 

Weather and events across the country and even around the world affect farmers’ business. 

Whether it’s the drought in the west of America or any inconvenience in other areas of the world, any event can tip the scale that makes a good or a bad year for a farmer. 

 Not many people go into the occupation of farming. 

The National FFA organization interests students early on to partake in farming-related occupations and teaches students about the importance of agriculture in society. 

 Farmers and ranchers are the ultimate unsung heroes. 

They quietly go about their business of producing the bounty consumers hardly give a thought to when they stroll down the fully stocked aisles of the grocery store. Not to mention the wood that goes into our homes, the fiber in our clothes and even the fuel in our cars. Farmers and ranchers are so good at what they do. The average consumer has no idea how much goes into it. 

National Ag. Week and Ag. Day are about educating consumers about where their food, fiber and fuel come from, so maybe they’ll give it a thought the next time they walk down that grocery aisle.

 We need to take the time to thank those who raise and grow what we eat for supper. 

That’s why every morning I raise my glass of milk to all farmers across the country and around the world.