AgWired

Wishing a warm, safe and happy Thanksgiving from my family in South Dakota to yours. Where will you be spending the holidays? What are you thankful for this year?

In echoing the sentiments of Cindy’s Thanksgiving post, today is a day to be thankful and count our many blessings. While most of us have a family to share the day with, in a welcoming home with plenty of food to go around, it’s been said that one in eight Americans goes hungry each night. In his Thanksgiving Address, Obama has promised to work to shape of the state of the economy in order to help struggling American families.

According to the AFP, President Barack Obama vowed to put the US economy back on track in his Thanksgiving address to the nation Thursday, but admitted there were still too few jobs being created. Acknowledging that millions of Americans were unemployed and “facing very difficult economic times,” Obama said he would not rest until the economy is rebuilt stronger than before. He listed tax cuts, extending unemployment benefits and help for homeowners facing foreclosure, among the measures taken to help Americans weather the crisis as well as his aim of overhauling the nation’s health care system.

In the meantime, let’s do all we can do to help those struggling to put food on the dinner table. Statistics show that one farmer/rancher can feed up to 144 people each year, but it’s time we start spreading that food around. Donate food to a local food pantry or volunteer at a shelter this year. Give your time, talents and treasures to help others this year. Happy Thanksgiving!

This is the time of year we take at least a moment to be thankful for the great abundance of food we have in this country. A recent report from USDA shows that over 85 percent of American households have enough – or more than enough – to eat. That means that as a nation, we are “food secure.”

That was the good news – which didn’t make the headlines. The bad news that did is that almost 15 percent are reportedly some level of “food insecure” – which according to USDA means families that “had difficulty putting enough food on the table at times during the year.”

There is absolutely no reason for anyone in this country to go hungry, ever – much less some 49 million people. We have more than abundant resources in this nation to feed those who are without the means to feed themselves and if people are “food insecure” it is because they are not taking advantage of those resources for some reason. The fact is that even the 15 percent who are classified as “food insecure” in our nation have much more to eat than the poor in most other countries.

On Thanksgiving – and frankly every day of the year – we should be thankful for the food security of our nation and reach out to those who may be “insecure” to get the help that is available. It is our job as individuals, companies, organizations and governments to feed those who are in need.

We should also be thankful that this year’s Thanksgiving dinner is even more affordable than last year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. AFBF’s 24th annual informal price survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table found the average cost of this year’s feast for 10 is $42.91, a $1.70 price decrease from last year’s average of $44.61. That’s four percent less than a year ago, and adjusted for inflation it actually costs LESS than when the first AFBF study was conducted in 1986.

This country has been truly blessed with the great abundance of affordable food brought to us by our farmers and ranchers. Let us all give thanks for that blessing.