Today, March 15, is National Agriculture Day. Actually, all week, March 13-19, is National Ag Week.
“A few generations ago, most Americans were directly involved in—or had relatives or friends involved in—agricultural-related endeavors. Today, that is no longer the case,” the Agriculture Council of America says. Yet, Americans still need to understand the value that agriculture provides to us all in our daily lives.
In New York State, dairy is the leading agricultural product. 2009 saw its dairy industry produce $1.7 billion worth of milk, the United State Department of Agriculture says. New York ranks third in the nation in dairy production.
According to the Cornell Horticulture Department, New York ranks fifth in the nation for planted acres of fresh market and processing vegetable.
“The state ranks in the top four in planted acres for fresh market cabbage, sweet corn, cauliflower, fall storage onions, pumpkins and squash as well as processing snap beans,” a recent post on the Cornell Horticulture Department blog says.
For more information read two reports by Cornell University Associate Horticulture Professor Stephen Reiners: New York Vegetables Rebound in 2010 and New York Vegetable Industry Ranks Number 5 in 2010.
Also read New York is an Agricultural State, a publication of the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service.
