National Farmer’s Day is observed in the United States on October 12 every year to recognise and honour the hard work put in by the country’s farmers. Agriculture was the bedrock of American economy until the 20th century, with 90% of the nation’s population reporting farming as their occupation in the 1790 census.
While the exact origins of the day are not known, records of National Farmer’s Day events date back to the the 19th century, according to the US government’s independent agency National Archives and Records Administration. Some US cities and towns celebrate their own versions of Farmer’s Day on different dates.
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HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalFarmersDay
People can show their support for farmers by buying goods from a local farmer’s market, invest in cooperative farming, or volunteer at a local farm. Social media users can participate in the National Farmer’s Day by using the hashtag #NationalFarmersDay.
SIGNIFICANCE OF #NationalFarmersDay
The agriculture industry employs more than 24 million workers, comprising 17% of the country’s workforce. With a $1.109 trillion contribution, agriculture, food, and related industries amounted to a 5.2% share of the US gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019.
“The output of America’s farms contributed $136.1 billion of this sum—about 0.6 percent of GDP,” according to the US Department of Agriculture.
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INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT FARMS AND FARMERS IN US
United States has an estimated 2 million farms spread over 900 million acres, according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture.
The average age of the US farmer is over 58 years old and 36% of the country’s farmers are women, and 56% of farms are family-owned and operated.
Until the 20th century, the majority of the country’s populations was employed in agriculture.
In the first US census of 1790, 90% of the new nation’s population of about four million people reported their occupation as farmers. According to the 1820 census, agricultural exports of about $42 million a year accounted for about two-thirds of total exports.
In 1840, about 69% of the total labor force in America were farmers.
