U.S. producers share what they’re thankful for before the holiday
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Americans across the country will spend time with family during Thanksgiving celebrations on Thursday and into the weekend.
Before digging into a bountiful Thanksgiving meal with turkey, ham, all the sides and dessert, many people will take time to reflect on the past year and the things or people who helped make 2020 successful.
With that at top of mind, Farms.com contacted members of the U.S. ag community to discuss what they are thankful for this year.
Some farmers are appreciative that harvest is finished.
“We wrapped up harvest last Sunday before we received any real snow accumulation,” Dan Keenan, a cash crop producer from Merrill, Mich., told Farms.com.
Not only is Keenan thankful harvest is over, but how his harvest unfolded compared to past years.
“After the past two harvests where we didn’t finish until the middle of December and had to fight every element, I’m extremely thankful we’re done with harvest and how smoothly it went.”
In addition to a completed harvest, some farmers mentioned their health as something to be thankful for.
Farmers put in long hours during the year, so being able to do the necessary work without getting ill is a positive, said Klint Bissell a cash cropper from Bedford, Iowa.
“We stayed healthy all year,” he told Farms.com. “From planting and through harvest, me and the people who help us out on the farm did good that way.”
Bissell is also thankful for the farm management team around him.
Having good people involved with a farm is key for its success, he said.
“From the people who help us put the crop in and take the crop out, our bankers and agronomists,” he said. “All of these people worked hard this year to help us have the best year we could and are important to us.”
David Rodibaugh, a cash crop and pork producer from Rensselaer, Ind., is appreciative of workers in the ag supply chain.
The summer months were tough for hog farmers, but people in the processing industry helped get farmers through, he said.
“We had a big challenge with disruption in the supply chain,” he told Farms.com. “We didn’t know when or where we’d be able to market our pigs, so I’m extremely thankful for the businesses and workers that stayed open to adjust to the different needs for pork.”
Rodibaugh is also thankful for his community.
People outside of the ag sector are doing important work in their specific fields, he said.
“It’s amazing to see the resilience of people who are adapting to help one another,” he said. “Doctors, nurses and others are facing COVID challenges head on and are doing a great job.”
Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at Farms.com!