Attitude of Gratitude
By Rebecca French Smith
So often, we miss opportunities
to say "thank you." Small moments or small gestures slip by us before we
recognize them, but this time of year, we are acutely aware that we should give
thanks. Thanksgiving celebrates just that, but throughout the year we should live with an attitude
of gratitude toward those who feed, clothe and provide fuel for us: farmers and
ranchers.
Perhaps if we
look at Thanksgiving specifically to illustrate the things we take for granted,
it might help us extend that thanks
beyond the holiday.
So, I'm thankful
for:
Farmers who raise
turkeys – and the other animal protein we eat.
I'm not as adept at raising
animals. It's not in my wheelhouse, besides my cats, dog and snow leopard gecko.
I understand it's hard work and a
huge responsibility to put birds on the tables of many houses on Thanksgiving.
The farmers who undertake the task of raising poultry and livestock are
dedicated to responsibly raise animals for all of us. They choose to do this
freely. They humbly listen when consumers ask questions about how
they do this and demand they do things differently without knowing the science
or the costs associated with those requests.
Farmers who grow the
vegetables that will be on my table on Thanksgiving Day – and every other day.
Many of us had issues growing a
garden of any consequence this summer, and as a result have little or no harvest
to show. But farmers elsewhere are providing vegetables for us to eat. May not
be "local," but we won't starve because of their efforts.
Shirts, pants, warm coats,
comfy blankets, fluffy cotton towels warm from the dryer – the textiles
that keep me and my family warm.
The fiber that farmers raise
directly benefits everyone, except maybe those who choose to go nude
every minute of every day.
Fortunately, I haven't met any folks with that inclination.
More than 21 million American
workers (15 percent of the total U.S. workforce) who produce, process and sell
the nation’s food, fiber and fuel.
Farmers and ranchers play a
direct role in providing jobs across
many industries in the U.S. These jobs take the raw materials grown and raised
and create the products in my kitchen, my bathroom, my living room, my bedroom
and even my driveway – my car has leather in it and runs on
biofuels.
Lastly, I'm thankful that I
don't have to imagine a world without farmers, ranchers and others in
agriculture.
As you give thanks this week,
remember the people who grow, raise and process the food for your table. And
next week, remember them again.
Happy
Thanksgiving!
(Rebecca French Smith, of
Columbia, Mo. is a multimedia specialist for the Missouri Farm Bureau, the
state’s largest farm organization.)
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