Celebrating National Ag Day

Fewer and fewer of us live on the farm and are involved in direct ag production, but today’s National Ag Day is a good time to remind us that, realize it or not, most of us have direct ties to the farmland that surrounds our communities.

We aren’t named the “Cornhusker State” for nothing; we’re near the top in corn exports and at the top in one of the major industries — beef — as well as others near the top, such as ethanol and hogs.

Nebraska’s 10 leading commodities (in order of value) for 2021 cash receipts are cattle and calves, corn, soybeans, hogs, dairy products (milk), hay, wheat, misc. crops, chicken eggs, and dry edible beans.

Our farms and ranches utilize 44.8 million acres (18,129,916 ha), 92% of the state’s total land area.

We’re fortunate to have aquifers below it. If poured over the surface of the state, the water in those aquifers would have a depth of 37.9 feet (11.6 meters).

Nearly 80,000 miles of rivers and streams add to Nebraska’s bountiful natural resources.

There are 22 million acres (8,915,803 ha) of rangeland and pastureland in Nebraska, half of which are in the Sandhills.

In 2020, every dollar in agricultural exports generated $1.03 in economic activities such as transportation, financing, warehousing and production. Nebraska’s $7.1 billion in agricultural exports in 2020 translates into $7.4 billion in additional economic activity.

Nebraska’s top five agricultural exports in 2021 were soybeans and soybean products, corn, beef, ethanol, and pork.

Nebraska had 44,800 farms and ranches during 2021; the average operation consisted of 1,000 acres (405 ha).

In 2022, Nebraska ranked second in ethanol production capacity, with 24 operating plants having a production capacity of almost 2.5 billion gallons. Approximately 32% of Nebraska’s 2022 corn crop was utilized in ethanol production.

Livestock or poultry operations were found on 48% of Nebraska farms.

Production of all our bounty finds its way to places like Japan, Mexico, China and South Korea, as well as many other makets.

If you make your living working on a farm, distributing agricultural products or supplying all the things it takes to keep a farm going, thank you.

If you don’t work directly in agriculture, take a little time today to think about the miracle agricultural production involves — a magical mix of sunshine, soil and water combined with the hard work and ingenuity that makes it all possible.