National Agriculture Week (March 15-21) is celebrated every year in March on dates set by the Agriculture Council of America.

“This event is a nationwide effort to tell the true story of American agriculture and remind America’s citizens that agriculture is a part of all of us,” noted Klodette Stroh of Powell, national sugar chairman for Women Involved in Farm Economics.

Honoring and praying for farmers at churches and daily Mass, especially the first week of spring, has been a blessed tradition, she added.

She cited the life story of St. Isidore as an inspiring 12th century legend rooted in farming. St. Isidore and his wife, Maria de la Cabeza, lived in Madrid, Spain around 1110. He came from a poor and humble family. From childhood, he worked as a farm hand on the de Vargas estate.

Isidore’s most distinguishing trait in life was praying and attending daily Mass. He loved the good earth and was committed to his farming practices.

Co-workers and master de Vargas became disturbed about the amount of time Isidore was taking from his work. Finally,  de Vargas decided to see for himself if reports which had come to him were as bad as they sounded. One morning he hid in the field where Isidore was supposed be plowing. On that day, Isidore returned even later than usual from this morning worship. The other workers had finished their tasks and had left the field, while St. Isidore’s job was still untouched.

Master de Vargas was just about to approach Isidore, but something told him to wait and see what would happen. Isidore set to work and seemed be making great progress. As the employer watched, he saw the reason: Two angels were working side by side with St. Isidore, each guiding a plow and racing in holy rivalry to see who could get the most work done.

After that, whenever anyone asked Master de Vargas about Isidore’s work, he would answer simply, “Angels are his helpers.”

By sacred rites on Feb. 22, 1947, St. Isidore was designated as the special protector of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference and American farmers. Each year during Agriculture Week, daily Mass is celebrated for American farmers.

The United States celebrated its first Agriculture Day on March 21, 1973, though the historical place of agriculture goes back to first president George Washington who established a National Board of Agriculture in 1766.

In 1800, the average annual value of agricultural exports was $23 million. According to current data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, agriculture, food and related industries contributed roughly $1.537 trillion to U.S Gross Domestic Product.

But all is not rosy. According to the Farm Bureau Federation, net farm incomes dropped significantly from 2022 highs, with corn and soybean farmers seeing income fall by 45%. Total farm debt is reaching record levels, often exceeding $560 billion and threatening the viability of many family farms.

Foreign governments support their farmers by heavily subsidizing payment of their cost of production.  Not so in this country. The cost of production is the farmer’s responsibility and risk.

Costs of seed, fertilizer, chemicals and the high price of fuel, plus the capital investment in equipment and upkeep, can be back-breaking.

“I salute our beans, beets, corn, barley, soybean, hay, wheat, sugar, cotton, peanut and livestock ranchers.  They represent the love of family and love of our country,” Stroh said. “Farmers are in partnership with God, and their perseverance is admirable.”

“My mother used to tell me, ‘By perseverance, the snail reached the ark.’”