JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The North Dakota Farmers Union and the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce held a very well attended Farmer’s Share Meal at the North Dakota Farmers Union office recently.

“With well over 100 people in attendance, including board members from the Farmers Union, the event showcased the issues the agricultural community, in particular the farmers, are dealing with in our current climate,” the chamber reports.

Did you know that the farmer’s share is 14.8 cents of every dollar that is spent on food, according to the USDA? The wonderful meal prepared by Kastet Catering, included a very nice steak, carrots, a baked potato with the fixings and a garden salad for the nominal price of $1.25, which is actually a little more than what the farmer would be getting for these products if they raised them. Information was shared by two farmers about their experiences as both a beginning farmer, and a 4th generation farmer, and how important the support from the Farm Bill is to them, to help ensure they can continue to farm, and provide the food we were given at this event.

Smaller farmers struggle with the high inputs and low prices for their products, but they continue to step up by producing more food for our world. The purpose of the event was to show that when prices raise at the grocery store, it is not due to the farmer, but all the other issues in the farming world, such as the trade deficit, the cost of the machinery, chemicals and fertilizer, the issues with the banking regulations, etc., etc.

“The audience was educated about how the farmer’s role has changed over the last many years, and how our world’s needs have changed,” the chamber reports. “We were informed that until we as individuals start educating others about the farmer’s role in our food system and supporting them, we will eventually either lose many of the farmers that can no longer afford to continue farming, and/or, we will be paying much higher prices for our food costs and we have a responsibility to share this information with those less informed.”

Photos and information courtesy of the Jamestown Chamber of Commerce.