Food is the nation’s greatest resource as well as its greatest bargain, a fact giving rise to Farm Bureau’s Food Check-Out Day observance in Oklahoma and across the nation Feb. 6.
"We are marking this date because it is the day when the average family has earned enough income to pay for its entire year’s food supply," said Clara Wichert, chairman of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Women’s Committee.
To celebrate Food Check-Out Day, the Women’s Committee will pay for the food in three lucky grocery shoppers’ carts in the Oklahoma City metro area and stock the shelves of the state’s two Ronald McDonald Houses with $1,500 worth of groceries.
"We can’t imagine a more worthy place than the Ronald McDonald House to receive our food donation," said Mrs. Wichert. "The Ronald McDonald House provides a home away from home for the families of seriously ill children receiving medical treatment. Our food donation will help feed those families during their critical time of need."
This is the seventh year for Oklahoma Farm Bureau to celebrate the affordability of the food supply and salute the farmers and ranchers who make it possible.
The average family will work just 37 days and spend only 10 percent of its disposable income for food this year. Those figures have declined. As recently as 1960, the same family would have worked 65 days and handed over 17.5 percent of its income for food expenditures at home and away from home.
"We spend less of our income for food than anywhere in the world, and we have farmers and ranchers to thank for our good fortune," said Mrs. Wichert. "Only 19 cents of every food dollar you and I spend goes back to the farm. That’s down from 31 cents in 1980."
While Food Check-Out day is a national event coordinated by Farm Bureau Women’s Committees across the United States, Oklahoma has cause to celebrate its significance.
"In Oklahoma, farmers and ranchers not only feed us but they’re a vital part of our economy," said Mrs. Wichert. "According to the state Department of Agriculture, one out of every six jobs in Oklahoma is tied to agriculture and agriculture contributes $7.1 billion annually to our state economy."
"We certainly hope consumers will pause for a moment when they’re in the grocery check out line or dining at their favorite restaurant and realize that food is their best bargain and what agriculture means to Oklahoma," she concluded.
