Our Food Link day observed at Statehouse

Boise--Members of the Idaho Farm Bureau Women's Leadership Committee delivered snack bags to Idaho lawmakers today on behalf of the Idaho Farm Bureau Women's committee and the American Farm Bureau's Our Food Link program.

Our Food Link is a year-round program that county and state Farm Bureaus use to reach consumers to tell the story of today’s agriculture. This outreach is more important than ever because the average American is now at least three generations removed from the farm. In fact, farm and ranch families make up less than 2 percent of the U.S. population today.

The red snack bags contain healthy snacks for lawmakers and each year the Women Leaders of Farm Bureau provide the bags as part of the Farm Bureau's annual food link program.

The program also has month and day significance. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, on average, American consumers spend 10.9 percent of their disposable income on food -- about 40 days' earnings. This year the Food link program has fallen on Feb. 11th. In sharp contrast to the 40 days it takes the average American to pay for his or her food supply for the year, it took Americans 131 days to earn enough money to pay federal, state and local taxes last year. The trend is for food to continue to require a smaller percentage of annual income, and that's the most amazing aspect of food affordability in America.

"In these bags, we have all the different commodities we grow in Idaho represented in these healthy snacks," said Women's Leadership Chair Judy Woody. We have a popcorn ball, some beef jerky, milk which was raised in Idaho, not to mention a loaf of bread which represents the wheat industry, apples, honey, mints, and huckleberries." 

Ten years ago, Food Link Day would have been marked on Feb. 12. In 1980, it would have fallen on Feb. 18; in 1970, Feb. 20. And in 1960, Food Check-Out Day would have been celebrated on March 4.

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