Earlier this month, our nation celebrated National Agriculture Week and National Agriculture Day on March 8.

The calendar on the wall in my office proclaims Tuesday as National Agriculture Day, also a fitting observation for the first day of spring.

Regardless of when it is celebrated, as a nation, we enjoy an abundant and healthy food supply.

As part of Butler County’s observation, urban and rural communities will gather this evening for the annual Farm-City dinner

With the arrival of spring on Tuesday and the beginning of a new growing season, it is a fitting time to again recognize and celebrate this abundance that is made possible by our nation’s farmers.

Why celebrate agriculture? As the world population soars, there is even greater demand for the food and fiber produced in the United States.

As Americans we should all understand how our food, fiber and renewable resource products are produced and appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable food for our families.

Agriculture plays an essential role in our nation’s economy, providing careers for future generations in farming and supporting industries.

In celebration of agriculture, consider the following fun facts that are representative of many of the products we take for granted:

n Americans consume 17.3 billion quarts of popped popcorn each year! The average person eats 68 quarts

n Over the years, popcorn has been added as an ingredient in cereal, pudding, candy, soup, salad, and entrees

n The same chemicals that give tart cherries their color may relieve pain better than aspirin and ibuprofen in humans

n Lettuce is a member of the sunflower family

n In the U.S., lettuce is the second most popular fresh vegetable

n The egg shell may have as many as 17,000 tiny pores over its surface. Through them, the egg can absorb flavors and odors. Storing them in their cartons helps keep them fresh

n It takes 24 to 26 hours for a hen to produce an egg; there are 30 minutes between each egg-producing cycle

n There are more than 500 different types of bananas. That means if you ate a different kind of banana every day, it would take almost a year and a half to eat one of each type

n The banana plant can grow as high as 20 feet tall. That’s as big as a two-story house!

n Last year, 1.3 million pounds of pasta were sold in American grocery stores. If you lined up 1.3 million pounds of 16 oz. spaghetti packages, it could circle the Earth’s equator almost nine times!

n Apples are a member of the rose family

n Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites

n About 3 billion pizzas are sold in the United States each year

n Each man, woman and child in America eats an average of 46 slices (23 pounds) of pizza a year

n We are eating 900 percent more broccoli than we did 20 years ago.

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As you sit down to enjoy your dinner this evening, pause for a moment to consider the abundance of food we often take for granted. As consumers we enjoy the convenience of walking into the supermarket and choosing our family’s meals from a huge selection of foods.

As fewer people feed our nation and the world, it is easy for many to forget the connection between the farm and the box of cereal or frozen pizza we purchase at the grocery store or even the fast food meal we purchase as our busy lives keep us on the move.

It’s easier to associate fresh vegetables, fresh fruits and milk directly with the farm, but we need to remember that all of the packaged, processed convenience foods we enjoy have their origins on the farm.

This material is submitted by Donna Zang, extension director, and the staff of the Penn State Extension office at the Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center complex.