We should celebrate and be grateful for farmers every day, but especially on a day when we give thanks.
While we are all sitting around the table with our families saying what we are thankful for, we should thank a farmer, and here is why.
Why do we eat a turkey on Thanksgiving?
Roughly 46 million turkeys are consumed on Thanksgiving. The National Turkey Federation says almost 90 percent of Americans eat turkey on the holiday. Why? They were abundant in the northeast during the first Thanksgiving celebration in October 1621.
There is no indication turkey was served at the first Thanksgiving feast, but the Wampanoag brought deer, and the Pilgrims brought wild “fowl,” according to the Britannica.
Fast forward to the 19th century, turkey became a popular dish because it was plentiful - about 10 million turkeys, according to one expert. Secondly, they were widely available for culling. Cows and hens were useful as long as they were producing eggs and milk. Lastly, a turkey was big enough to feed a big family.
Farmers supply the meals
Americans consume 80 million pounds of cranberries on Thanksgiving, and farmers produce 841 million pounds in a year, according to Luckey Farmers.
A little over 200 million pounds of potatoes and 50 million pounds of sweet potatoes will be purchased for the dinner.
Americans buy almost 500,000 pounds of pumpkin for Thanksgiving, and 77 million pounds of ham will be purchased.
Story via Luckey Farmers
Story via John M. Cunningham with Britannica
