March 20-26 this year is National Agriculture Week, but here in the office we believe every week should be spent celebrating agriculture (as well as science and technology).

Here are some fast facts about agriculture and food from Farm Bureau:

• 2 million farms dot America’s rural landscape. About 98% of U.S. farms are operated by families – individuals, family partnerships or family corporations.
• Farm and ranch families comprise less than 2% of the U.S. population.
• 86% of U.S. ag products sold are produced on family farms or ranches.
• Americans enjoy a food supply that is abundant, affordable overall and among the world’s safest, thanks in large part to the efficiency and productivity of America’s farm and ranch families.
  • Check out the CAST guest blog, Americans Can Trust That Their Food Is Safe, written by Dr. Mindy Brashears, Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
• One day’s production for a high-producing dairy cow yields 4.8 pounds of butter or 8.7 gallons of ice cream or 10.5 pounds of cheese.
• The pounds of feed (grain, forage, etc.) a dairy cow needs to eat to produce 100 pounds of milk has decreased by more than 40% on average in the last 40 years.
  • Check out the CAST guest blog, Sustainable Agriculture in the U.S. vs. the EU, written by Scott H. Hutchins, Ph.D., Former USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics.
• More than half of America’s farmers intentionally provide habitat for wildlife. Deer, moose, fowl and other species have shown significant population increases for decades.
• Careful stewardship by America’s food producers has spurred a 34% decline in erosion of cropland by wind and water since 1982.
• Americans throw away an estimated 25% of the food they bring home every month.
• A whopping 40% of all food grown and produced in the U.S. is never eaten.
  • Check out the CAST Issue Paper Food Loss and Waste.

U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action (USFRA) is celebrating National Ag Day by announcing the growing list of companies, organizations and individuals who have joined the Decade of Ag, the first sector-wide movement to align to a shared vision for the next decade centered around investing in the next generation of agricultural systems, restoring our environment, regenerating natural resources and in doing so, strengthening the social and economic fabric of America.

Leaders supporting and endorsing the vision include the following across the value chain:

• Organizations representing farmers and ranchers: Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, Native American Agriculture Fund, National Association of Wheat Growers, United Sorghum Checkoff Program, American Egg Board, Manna Fish Farms, American Sugarbeet Growers Association, Dairy West, Maryland Grain Producers, Pennsylvania Soybean Board, Montana Farm Bureau, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation and Maryland Soybean Board
• Agribusiness: Corteva Agriscience, Bayer, Cargill and EcoGem LLC
• Renewable energy: POET and Jordan Energy & Food Enterprises
• Consumer products and foodservice companies: Conagra Brands, Nestlé USA and Danone North America
• NGOs: Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research, The Aspen Institute, The Nature Conservancy and Texas Agricultural Land Trust
• Consulting, marketing and media: Bader Rutter, Supermarket Guru, CLUTCH and Sustainable Environmental Consultants