CDFA and the Office of Farm to Fork join the rest of the country in celebrating National Farmers Day today. Here are some interesting facts about our farmers and ranchers:

• There are roughly 3.2 million farmers in the United States—that’s less than 2 percent of our population.
• Ninety-nine percent of farms are family-owned, and account for 89 percent of agriculture production.
• The average American farmer grows enough to feed 165 people!
• USDA’s latest Census of Agriculture found that 25 percent of farmers were “new and beginning” – meaning they had been operating their current farm for fewer than ten years. (But we need lots more new and beginning farmers!)
• And there are 969,672 women farmers in the United States – that’s nearly 1/3 of all farmers.
• Farmers are tech-savvy. Satellites, GPS systems, and other new solutions are helping today’s farmers get the most of every acre, drop of water and seed they plant.

***Cross-posted from CDFA’s Planting Seeds Blog***