By Brenda Black
Immersed in a sea of people, I
pin-balled my way through a crowded corridor headed to a luncheon. My
reason for being one among the masses – to attend the 2014 US
Agriculture Outlook Forum. In a hotel in Arlington, VA, situated in
the heart of US history, I rubbed elbows with the world. As I dined
on tasty American cuisine, my eyes were opened to just how blessed we
are to live in this country and enjoy affordable food. Not because of
the plate in front of me presented with flare and a high price tag.
My persuasion came from table conversation.
Over chicken parmesan, crisp zucchini
and linguini, I chatted with an exporter from Sri Lanka and the
senior vice president of one of America's largest chicken processing
companies. They were pleased with the entree, of course. By way of
introductions, they soon learned they were surrounded by cattlewomen
and the conversation took an amiable turn toward protein competition
and consumption around the globe.
We talked cuts and taste, price and
production. We bantered over flavor and variety of options. But I
fell silent when the exporter began to explain the true limitation of
protein in his home country. When a friend at the table asked about
by-products, he looked perplexed. We thought for a moment there was a
language barrier that needed bridging. She took another run at it and
asked “What do you do with what's left of the chicken?”
“All that's not eaten is the
feathers,” he answered soberly. One family may dine on a half-pound
chicken for a week. Everything but the feathers is cut into tiny
pieces and thrown into a pot of soup. If a child enjoys two bites of
protein, it is a luxury.
The VP chimed in to validate the
minimal consumption. His company shrink wraps product for the Sri
Lankan market that defy our “super size” mentality. Packages ship
to sell that have a single chicken wing. That's all some families can
afford.
My lunch took on a heavenly form and I
felt thankful and blessed beyond words.
We take so much for granted. Our
grocery stores are brimming with ample and affordable provision. Fast
food drive throughs, convenience stores, family cafes and high end
fancy restaurants beckon us from small towns to big cities. From
farmer's markets to popcorn at the movies, we have choices. Food is
available and variety attainable. Yes, we are blessed to be able to
feed our families more than one bite of meat a week...thanks to the
American farmer.
Once upon a time in this country,
raising food was all about survival for the immediate family. These
days it is about health and nutrition, variety and abundant
provision. The faithful farmers come in all sizes and grow everything
from snow peas to pigs, broccoli to beef. Farmers are a passionate
stock and dedicated to the bigger picture.
Farming is rooted in history and
tradition, but has grown to encompass tremendous diversity in order
to meet consumer preference and price points. In a move from feeding
only one's family to feeding the world, farmers have become more
efficient, more conscientious, more conservative, more capable than
ever.
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| Photo courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/backroadprod |
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