Did you know that the percentage of fresh fruits and vegetables imported into the U.S. more than doubled between 1985 and 2001? About 27% of U.S. fresh fruit imports and 38% of U.S. vegetable imports now come from Mexico. Imports from China have also been rising steadily since 2001.

Did you know that between 2002 and 2007, Utah lost 636,528 acres of land in farms. In fact, Utah’s sheep populations have dropped from over 2.8 million to just 220,000.

Did you know that during the coming decades, we will need 50% more food to feed our growing populations? The world’s population is projected to reach 9 billion people, yet our agriculture land continues to decrease.

Currently, less than 2% of our population grows the food and fiber for the rest of us; and only 6% of that group are full-time farmers and ranchers.

Today, the U.S. exports more food than it imports. Yet, growing U.S. populations, combined with a diminishing agricultural industry in the U.S. is leading to a greater reliance on foods imported from other countries.

We’ve all seen the effects of our country’s dependence on foreign oil. Can you imagine the impact our dependence on foreign food could have?

If we don’t continue to produce most of the food we eat, we could see a change in the availability, cost and safety of our future food supply.

Preserving farms and ranches is critical to maintaining our food self-sufficiency and avoiding dependence on other countries. Click to find out what you can do and visit our Facebook page.

Articles of Interest

Editorial on Preserving Farmland

Most Utahns Want to Use Food Sales Tax to Preserve Farmland

Agriculture Commissioner Takes Long-Term View