Food Check-Out Day is being recognized on Thursday, Feb. 5, this year. By this date, the average American will have earned enough money to pay for his or her family’s food supply for the entire year. Tax Freedom Day, or the day you’ve earned enough to pay for your taxes, was April 29 last year.

Two percent of Americans are actively involved in the production of food, but 17 percent have jobs in agriculture-related careers. It is the efficiency and productivity of today’s farmer that enables so many Americans to work in unrelated areas.

Farmers supply more than just the food you eat. They provide open spaces and wildlife habitat for tourism and pay taxes that help support education, police and fire protection, even though the land that is being taxed uses few of these services.

While food in America is affordable, the share the farmer receives is getting smaller. Farmers today receive 19 cents of each dollar spent on food, compared to 31 cents in 1980. This makes it more and more difficult for farmers to stay in business.

Franklin County is blessed to have an extremely diverse agricultural base, more extensive than most consumers realize. The Buy Local program is striving to bridge this gap. To show support for area farmers, I would like to encourage consumers to purchase locally whenever possible. Local farmers will benefit as will the consumer, since local products are usually fresher and of higher quality.

Pamela Harnden, Dryden,

president, Franklin County

Farm Bureau