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Agriculture and The Holidays

The holidays are in full swing and regardless of which one you celebrate; agriculture plays a significant role. Let’s look at the different ways that agriculture is represented in the winter holidays.

O’ Christmas tree, O’ Christmas tree… Nothing says Christmas like an evergreen decorated with lights and glass ornaments.  There are roughly 15,000 farms in the United States that grow Christmas trees as part of their operations, employing over 100,000 people each year. Not every holiday is centered around the Christmas tree, other holidays celebrate with burning logs or using wooden candle holders. The production of the materials for these items falls within the agriculture industry.

Bring Us Some Figgy Pudding… Food plays a huge role in many winter holidays. From the traditional Christmas dinner to Brisket and Latkes for Hanukkah, each celebration has their unique dishes. It’s no secret that the agriculture industry is behind all the food on our tables and that includes our holiday meals. Some of the more popular dishes include turkey, ham, or seafood and of course plenty of dairy products, fruits, and vegetables can be found on the holiday dinner table. These different sectors of the agricultural industry employ over 300,000 people every year.

On the twelve days of Christmas … Gift giving is a huge part of many winter holidays. While today’s traditions often involve getting the best deal on black Friday or spending hours finding the right gift, too often the impact that agriculture plays on the various gifts we give is overlooked. From the cotton in clothing items to the agricultural commodities used in plastics and electronics… everything we receive has been touched by agriculture.

Agriculture touches so many of our holiday traditions and contributes to the celebrations past, present, and future. To those of you who work in the agricultural industry, thank you. We wish you a joyous and safe holiday season and happy new year!