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State Representative Jim Buchy
Local
Agriculture Helps Put Food on the Table this Thanksgiving
In this turkey carving season we often forget our role in putting the
Thanksgiving meal on the table. In western Ohio, we are blessed with so
many fine farming families, and many working individuals who help to
export our agricultural products to the world. The truth is this
Thanksgiving that much of the food got its start on our farms in
western Ohio.
Ohio is an agricultural leader in the United States. One in seven
Ohioans has an agricultural-related job, providing career opportunities
for over 1.7 million citizens. Not only are Ohioans working in the
agricultural sector, but western Ohio will raise and process the most
livestock in the state.
The 84th House District accounts for almost 15 percent of Ohio’s crop,
livestock and agricultural marketing receipts. In Ohio, there are a
little over 2.2 million hogs and 5.1 million turkeys, and more of them
are raised on our local farms than anywhere else. Additionally, there
are 1.5 million turkeys residing in Mercer County alone.
Last year over 300,000 turkeys were raised in Darke County. Shelby
County produced over 100,000 turkeys last year and accounted for
101,760 hogs. In Auglaize County, over one hundred thousand hogs are
raised annually. West central Ohio is a key component in food
production.
We can attribute our agricultural success to all the fine companies
that have entrusted us to raise food for their brand and
consumers. Some of the largest contributors to this success
include Dannon Yogurt, Weaver Brothers and Cooper Farms, home of the
2014 turkeys used for the official Presidential Pardon, which
came from a farm in Mercer County.
This Thanksgiving, take a moment to look around your table and account
for how much of your family meal has been raised locally here in
western Ohio.
As always, please give me your opinion on this topic and other issues
in the news by completing a brief online survey at tinyurl.com/buchynovember2015
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