Giving Thanks to Farmers and Ranchers

By Glenn Brunkow 

In a few short days we will all sit down and celebrate Thanksgiving – the holiday that is meant for us to reflect and decide what it is for which we are thankful. We have a lot to be thankful for in this great nation, not the least of which is our farms and ranches. This is so appropriate because Thanksgiving is associated with food.

My guess is most of us will have the traditional feast of turkey and all the fixings, right down to the pumpkin pie. No matter what is included in Thanksgiving dinner, without a doubt it will be one of biggest feasts of the year. All of this great food is brought to our tables by a fellow farmer or rancher, even the yams.

While I do not know any yam farmers and, to be honest, I am not even sure what a yam is, I do know the people who grow them are good. Those of us involved in agriculture are part of the fabric that is the foundation of this great nation. At the core of every great society is a robust, self-sufficient food supply.

We are so blessed in the United States to have a safe, abundant, wholesome food supply within easy reach. Most of us have never really faced empty shelves. 

Sure, there are times – for example, right before a predicted snowstorm – the shelves may be a little low. But, very few of us have ever faced a real shortage of food. We got a little glimpse of this during the pandemic, but any deficits were short lived.

We are also fortunate to spend a relatively small portion of our earnings on food. We are used to having the shelves full and the prices at a reasonable level and that is all because of the hard work we put in as farmers and ranchers. The price of this year’s Thanksgiving dinner has undoubtedly gone up because of inflation. But, it is still a feast that comes at an amazing bargain and one we do not take enough credit for.

This coming week is when we, as farmers and ranchers, should be sticking our chests out with pride and letting the world know about the remarkable things we do to put food on tables around the world. This is true every day, but especially the day when we are to give thanks, and our way of giving thanks is centered around a great meal. See what I mean about food being at the center of our society?

We have a lot to be thankful for in this great nation, but at the top of this list is our food supply. It is OK to take pride in the fact all of us do our part to provide safe, abundant, wholesome food we all need. This is also something to be thankful for, and I wish you all the happiest of Thanksgivings.

Glenn Brunkow is a farmer in Pottawatomie County, Kansas. This article was originally published in “Insight,” which is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau.