Each year on the first day of spring, the United States' agriculture is recognized for its contribution to our society. Here are some interesting facts to share with your clientele, peers and families.

The world population is at 6.2 billion today and is expected to increase by 20 percent to 7.5 billion by 2020. Today, one American farmer supports more than 144 people, an increase from a ratio of 1:25 people in the 1960s. One-fourth of the world's beef and nearly one-fifth of the world's grain, milk and eggs are produced in the U.S. Clearly as the world's population soars, there is an even greater demand for food and fiber produced in the United States.

Through research and changes in production practices, today's agriculture provides Americans with the widest variety of foods ever. Research and technology are now in the marketplace with tastier fruits and vegetables. Global positioning systems assist producers to map fields and are incorporated into site-specific applications of fertilizers and crop protection products.

With modern production methods, one acre of land can produce 42,000 pounds of strawberries, 11,000 heads of lettuce, 25,000 pounds of potatoes and 8,900 pounds of sweet corn.

Farm equipment has evolved dramatically from the team of horses used in the early 1900s. In the 1930s, before machines, a farmer could harvest about 100 bushels of corn in a nine hour day. Today, combines can harvest 900 bushels of corn per hour or 100 bushels in less than seven minutes.

Do you know that two out of every five bushels of corn in the world originates in the U.S.? In 2001, 45 percent of the world's soybeans were grown in the U.S. and 13 percent of the world's wheat. Forty-one percent of U.S. total land area is farmland or ranchland. In 1900, the average farm size was 147 acres, compared to 441 acres today.

As a result of the abundance of U.S. agriculture, American consumers spend the lowest percentage of their annual income on food — just 9.3 percent. At the same time, farmers and ranchers are maintaining and improving soil and natural resources to pass on to future generations. It is estimated that agricultural lands provide habitat for 75 percent of the nation's wildlife.

Today, more than 3 million men and women farm or ranch in the United States. Individuals, family partnerships or family corporations operate almost 99 percent of U.S. farms. More than 22 million people are employed at farms or farm-related jobs, including production, inputs, processing, marketing, retail and wholesale sales.

The American consumer is the beneficiary of these advances in agriculture. Everyone who works in the food and fiber production system should be proud of their contributions. Share that pride on National Agriculture Day on March 20.

More fun facts on agriculture can be found at the following Web site: www.agday.org/

Luke Fritz is executive director of the Butler County Farm Service Agency.