Farmers and city residents have a symbiotic relationship. People need food, clothing and shelter. Farmers grow our food, cotton and wool for our clothes, and timber for our homes.
Farmers need the companies that buy their crops and turn them into nutritious food products or clothing. We all depend on truck drivers and railroad workers to get fresh milk, produce and meat and other food products to our grocery store shelves, and clothes to our favorite boutiques.
As the holidays draw near, the Whitfield County Farm Bureau invites you to celebrate this relationship by observing Farm-City Week Nov. 20-28.
Farm-City Week highlights the relationship between Georgia farmers and their partners in urban areas who prepare, transport, market, retail and serve the food and fiber that farmers grow for consumers. Kiwanis International began Farm-City Week in 1955 to increase the understanding of the partnership between urban and rural residents.
Reading books about farming to students, working with teachers to have students send thank-you letters to farmers and hosting meals that bring farmers and community leaders together are just a few of the activities county Farm Bureaus will hold in communities across Georgia as their schedules allow to mark this annual event.
To celebrate Farm-City Week, the Whitfield County Farm Bureau has hosted dinners and other activities that bring farmers and non-agriculture businesses and community leaders together to share our need for each other.
“Farmers and our urban partners work together to feed, clothe and shelter residents of Georgia and beyond. As farmers, we appreciate the transportation workers who drive our crops from our farms to facilities where they’re turned into peanut butter, cheese or bread, and the workers who process our crops to make the safe, nutritious food we find at the grocery store,” said Whitfield County Farm Bureau President Willard Redwine. “Our state’s agribusinesses strive every day to produce food, clothing, shelter and other items necessary for American life.”
Farm-City Week is a great time to discuss how the economy impacts farmers and consumers. When you look at the price of groceries, note that in 2022 farmers received an average of only 14.9 cents of every dollar spent on food at home and away from home, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service. This is a drop from 15.2 cents in 2021. The rest of the dollar goes to wages and materials for food preparation, marketing, transportation and distribution, all of which have increased in price, too.
Founded in 1937, the Georgia Farm Bureau is the state’s largest general farm organization. Its volunteer members actively participate in activities that promote agriculture awareness to their non-farming neighbors. If you would like more information about agriculture, please visit www.gfb.org, like the Georgia Farm Bureau on Facebook or follow it on X at @GaFarmBureau.
Submitted by the Whitfield County Farm Bureau.