Statement from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on National Agriculture Day

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2024 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today released the following statement in celebration of the 51^st annual National Agriculture Day:

“Every year on National Agriculture Day, we come together to celebrate American agriculture and recognize the individuals who feed, fuel, and clothe our nation and the world.

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) works every day to support these men and women, making sure they have equitable access to the tools and capital they need, new and better markets both at home and abroad, support for operating in the face of a changing climate, and vocal champions at USDA for their work and their communities. In fact, many of USDA’s officials come from farming or farmworker backgrounds, lending a personal perspective and drive to make our programs the best they can be for the people who need them.

“Every person who wakes up in the morning and doesn’t have to grow or harvest their own food gets to do that thanks to the small percentage of our population who work the land day in and day out. But farmers and farmworkers don’t just feed us. Their resilience, dedication, and hard work ensure we have a secure, reliable, and accessible food supply. They help keep businesses alive in small towns, provide school children with access to healthy food grown in their own communities, help protect our planet through conservation practices, and so much more.

“From a pandemic to trade wars and global conflicts, the agricultural supply chain has faced many challenges in recent years. For perhaps the first time, many Americans realized in a tangible way how important agriculture is to our everyday lives.

“At such a critical moment, USDA is proud to stand alongside U.S. agriculture in the spirit of this year’s National Agriculture Day theme, ‘Growing a Climate for Tomorrow.’ From helping new and beginning farmers stay in business, to making operations more resistant to unpredictable climate threats, to recruiting a diverse next generation of agriculture professionals, to creating a new model where farms of all sizes can thrive, USDA is laser-focused on creating opportunity for all who want to participate in agriculture, both now and well into the future.”

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