LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Farm Bureau and the Lake County Chapter of California Women for Agriculture will recognize National Ag Day on Tuesday, March 19, at the Lake County Board of Supervisors meeting in the Lake County Courthouse at 9 a.m.

A proclamation will be presented declaring March 19th as National Ag Day in Lake County.

The Agriculture Council of America began the National Ag Day program in 1973 to acknowledge agriculture producers.

Do you know where your food comes from? If you're like many Americans, the answer is the grocery store.

However, the correct answer is your food comes from farmers and ranchers who plant the seeds, nurture the crops and tend the livestock that helps to feed the entire world.

California’s farmers and ranchers grow and produce more than 400 different commodities. The state produces nearly half of US-grown fruits, nuts and vegetables.

Across the nation, US consumers regularly purchase several commodities produced solely in California.

Here in Lake County, primary crops include winegrapes, pears and walnuts. Additionally, an abundance of seasonal vegetables, fruits, grains and dairy products are carefully grown and prepared by our local growers.

National Ag Day serves to create awareness about the enormous contributions that American farmers and ranchers make to our tables every day.

Today, each American farmer feeds more than 144 people and the need for food produced in the United States is dramatic.

Agriculture is the nation's No. 1 export and is vitally important in sustaining a healthy economy. National Ag Day offers an opportunity for Americans to recognize our farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses for providing us with food, fiber, clothing and shelter.

On March 19, please join the Lake County Farm Bureau and the Lake County Chapter of California Women for Agriculture in showing our local producers how much they are appreciated.

For more information, contact Lake County Farm Bureau Executive Director Claudia Street at 707-263-0911.