Through the years, opinion polls have shown that U.S. farmers are held in high regard in our nation. Clearly, farmers successes depend on their qualities not their quantities. And while agriculture has been a vital part of our heritage, it still ranks today as one of our largest and most productive industries an industry that also has an important and promising future . As a cooperative owned by the more than 321,000 farmer-members it serves in 25 states, we have contacts with producers throughout our service area.
Food is fundamental.
Food not only maintains life, it provides the basic requirements for a healthy, productive, creative society. Food scarcity is a threat to peace and stability in many countries today. Agriculture reduces the trade deficit. Farmland is a natural wastewater treatment system. Unpaved land allows the recharge of the ground water that urban residents need.