I find it interesting that in an era when we hear so much about the farm to table movement, we've actually moved further from actual farm to table dining. We rely so much on the supply chain for what we eat that the current disruption has caused prices to soar. 

Despite that, because of the American farmer, we are still able to go into a grocery store and come out with an abundance of food. 

I love to see and hear of FFA and 4-H kids raising their projects and learning how to feed themselves and the world. As kids, we raised so many animals, I'm not sure I could count them all – swine, beef, poultry.  

We didn't need to be self-sufficient, but we did produce a lot of meat and vegetables. 

My mom's dad was a gleaner. He lived through the Depression and fared well but was always coming home with boxes of produce he had traded for something. I remember going out with him to dig potatoes and onions after another farmer had finished harvesting.  

He would often tell me that we needed to go out to one of the local orchards to get something for grandma after he had arranged something – pecans in the fall or peaches in the summer.  

He was also the guy that tried to bid up my first calf at the 4-H auction when I was nine. It was a blue-ribbon Angus steer that he thought should take top dollar. He ended up buying it accidentally and splitting the cost with Mom and Dad. I'm sure he told them it was a good deal. 

I think of him as we face harder economic issues. He would have been one to provide if we were to face even tougher times. 

He set an example for his kids and grandkids. He was always there to show us how to manage our projects. Those 4-H projects filled our freezer and often took up a few drawers at the local meat locker.  

We seldom got down to eating the soup bones or oxtails, but they were there if we needed them. 

He would always tell us what we needed to plant in the garden. While we never had a vegetable stand alongside the road, Mom told us countless times how hard she and her siblings worked to get their corn crop to the stand that they ran as kids. 

My other grandparents were farmers, too – hard working and always focused on what they had in their fields and feedlot. It was their lifestyle and it afforded them a good living. 

I'm thankful to have the heritage of farming in my background. Today I fumble around at the task when I can. I know that the larger task is in better hands than my own. 

I cannot praise the American farmer enough this year. Thank you for providing.