By Amanda Hill

We Americans have much to celebrate. Nearly all of us have calendars filled with celebrations—birthdays, weddings, new babies. We can almost always find a reason to gather with our friends and family and express our gratitude for someone or something.

Today, we have another reason to celebrate. It’s the 40th anniversary of National Ag Day—a day for Americans to express our appreciation for the nutritious and affordable food that is grown in the United States. It is truly remarkable to think that nearly anything you’d ever crave is grown right here in America.

Pour a bowl of cereal with milk to start your day. The wheat from the cereal started its life in a golden field in Kansas, and a hard-working dairy cow in Ohio made sure that your raisin bran had enough milk to float.

Grab an apple for a healthy mid-afternoon snack. That fruit came from a New York apple orchard, tended to by a dedicated farm family who has cared for the same land for generations.

Hungry for a juicy steak with a baked potato for dinner? A Texas rancher raised a cow that became a tender rib-eye, and an Idaho farmer grew the potato that completes your meal.

National Ag Day aims to get Americans thinking and talking about how food gets from the farm gate to our plates. Farmers and ranchers will be in Washington, D.C., to meet with legislators to discuss agriculture’s contributions to our economy and the importance of a strong domestic food supply. Food experts also will have a dialogue about “The New Language of Food and Modern Agriculture.”

Will you join us in celebrating America’s food and fiber? In honor of National Ag Day, consider learning more about how our food is grown—either by asking a farmer you know or virtually “meeting” a farmer on the Texas Farm Bureau Facebook page. You also can “like” the page to connect with farmers and ranchers across our great state.

And, if you need an excuse for a celebration, go ahead and throw a party. You know there’d be tons of good food…