Gate girls aren’t super-heroes. We are ranch women. Also know as the “hired-hand”, “the right-hand” and a few other names that pop out in high stress situations!
We don’t get to wear a cool cape or mask, unless you count the camo face mask I wear when the wind chill is negative 10.
We unchain, unwire, untie, swing, drag or carry gates so that trucks, tractors and livestock can go through them.
It doesn’t matter if the dust is blowing, the rain falling or the snow flying. It doesn’t matter if the mud is so deep you lose your boots or the ice is so thick that you have to beat the gate chain loose with a hammer. The work has to be done. The livestock is waiting…for you.
We take care of babies, we feed the hungry and we nurse the sick. Fur, feathers or skin…it doesn’t matter. We care for all of them. We are there at 2 am when a calf has to be pulled, we are knee deep in ice cold water helping repair water-gaps and we are there bright and early waiting for the door to unlock at the parts store. We help build fence, repair machinery and bale hay. We are that second pair of hands that everyone wishes for sometimes. We also do the laundry, pay the bills and keep the books. We clean up mud, blood, manure and oil. And then we clean some more.
Hmmm, maybe we are superheroes.
Is it worth it? Sometimes it’s hard to remember when you are checking cows at 2:00 in the morning and it’s 15 degrees with blowing snow, but it is all worth it.
So much food! Thanksgiving is all about family and food. We had lots of both! Our three out-of-state kids and their families made it home for the holiday so the house was overflowing. Now the house is quiet and the refrigerator is full of leftovers. That refrigerator made me think about the abundance of food we have in this country so I did some looking at agriculture numbers.
Thanksgiving Dinner Numbers
46 million Thanksgiving turkeys
40 million green bean casseroles
50 million pumpkin pies
250 million pounds of potatoes (all varieties)
142 million pounds of cranberries
Average cost of a 2019 Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people $48.91 – 4.89/person
Food accounts for 12% of a. U.S. household monthly expenses. Compare that to France at 25%, Germany at 22%, U.K. 27%, Turkey 36% and Spain 31%. We truly have a lot to be thankful for!
Plates full of food! Tables covered with pies and cakes. This is my parents house full of family! This is what happens when you have eight children, 25 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren then add in spouses. Not much elbow room at the dinner table! 53 people came to dinner and no one left hungry!
Agriculture is a big part of our economy. In 2018 exported ag products added up to 139.6 billion dollars. Cattle, corn and soybeans are the top exports. Farming accounts for 1% of the U.S. GDP. When you add all ag and related industries (timber, food processing/service, textiles, leather and stores selling ag goods) that amounts to 11% of U.S. employment – 21.6 million people.
Family farms produce 87% of all ag products sold in the U.S.
98% of all farms/ranches in the U.S. are owned by families and family partnerships/corporations.
The average American farmer feeds 166 people!
There has been a 34% decrease in soil erosion since 1982.
There has been a 40% decline in the amount of feed it takes to produce 100 pounds of milk in the last 40 years.
Corn yield per acre has increased 360% since 1950.
More than 1/2 of American farmers intentionally provide habitat for wildlife.
56% of all farms have at least 1 female decision maker and the number of Hispanic and African American farmers continues to increase each year.
The number of beginning farmers, less than 10 years experience, has increased to 25%, but their average age is 46 years old. 1/3 of all farmers/ranchers are over the age of 65.
Agriculture has a lot to be proud of, but I also found some disturbing numbers.
In 2018 15 cents of every dollar spent by consumers on food went back to the farmer/rancher. The balance of that dollar went to processing, marketing, transportation and distribution.
In 1980 farmers and ranchers received 31 cents of every dollar.
The small family farm and ranch will disappear if we continue to see those margins decrease. The shift to larger operations simply reflects the economies of scale. You have to get bigger to survive.
Currently less than 2% of the U.S. population is connected to agriculture. Misunderstandings are a common problem between the agriculture community and the 98% non-ag population.
You can find more interesting and thought provoking stats on the USDA and American Farm Bureau Foundation sites.
Take a good look in your refrigerator and pantry and be thankful for the men and women who struggle 365 days a year with the weather, low markets and high inputs. Stand up for the American farmer and rancher when someone criticizes agriculture. These guys work hard to feed you and the world!
