Old Farmer’s Day is a holiday that shows appreciation for the hard-working farmers of the U.S. and the world. Also known as National Farmer’s Day, this holiday falls on October 12th every year.

Anyone who wants to show appreciation for farmers for feeding the world is probably going to want to observe this holiday. After all, even though farmers are only 2% of the total population, they grow food for all the rest of us.

The History of Old Farmer’s Day

At this time, it’s currently unknown who invented this holiday or when it was invented. With that said, however, we can say that it’s been around for quite some time. The first time this holiday was mentioned in print was during the beginning of the 19th century, so that makes this holiday at least 220 years old or more.

Interesting Facts About Farming

We wanted to highlight the contributions of farmers and the importance of farms to modern society, so we decided to put together a few facts about farmers and farms. We think that the following facts should prove interesting to just about anyone reading about Old Farmer’s Day.

There Are Over Two Million U.S. Farms

In the United States, there are approximately 2 million farms that employ over 3 million people. Most of these farms are family-run.

Most U.S. Farms Are Small

It should also be noted that most of the farms in the United States are small. A small farm is any farm that earns $350,000 or less each year. Approximately 90% of farms in the U.S. fall into this category.

Large-Scale Family Farms Produce Half of American Produce

Large-scale farms are farms that earn between $1 million and $5 million a year. Only about 2.5% of all U.S. farms fall into this category. Although these large-scale farms are only a small percentage of the total farms in the U.S., they produce over half of the country’s fruit and vegetables.

American Farmland Is Worth Trillions

According to a recent study, the United States has over 900 million acres of farmland. All of this farmland has a total value of approximately $2 trillion.

Women Make Up Almost a Third of U.S. Farm Operators

In the U.S., women account for almost 30% of farm operators. This is up from 27%, which was the case just five years ago.

Observing Old Farmer’s Day

The best way to celebrate this holiday is by spending the day supporting a local farmer. You can visit a small farm or a farmer’s market and take home some fresh fruits and/or vegetables. This day is also a good day to learn about modern farming. If you want to spread the word about this holiday, be sure to use the hashtag #OldFarmersDay on social media posts for the day.