We rely on farms for food, fiber and fuel, among so many other things. Nearly everything we eat, wear and use comes from a plant or animal raised on a farm.
Farms sustain us. That’s why farms matter.
• Food – Farms grow a variety of grains which are processed and used in all sorts of foods. Farms raise livestock for meat, milk and eggs and grow fruits and vegetables for our health and nutrition.
• Fiber – Fiber crops such as cotton are used for clothing. Trees are grown for paper, and hemp is used for making ropes. Field crops, like alfalfa and oats, contain fiber to feed livestock.
• Fuel – Some of the corn grown on farms is made into ethanol fuel and soybeans are used for biodiesel fuel. They are considered clean-burning renewable fuels.