Research and Science Posted by Jodi Letterman, NASS Pacific Region Public Affairs Specialist in Farming

NASS thanks America’s farm and ranch families, who work hard to bring us safe and delicious food for Thanksgiving and every day.

Americans love Thanksgiving and all of the food that goes along with it. Who can blame us when the food is high quality and delicious? Roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and yeah, rivers of pumpkin spice latte will flow this season, warming hearts and filling bellies across our great country.

So no, there is no pumpkin spice latte farm or a cranberry sauce farm. Sorry kids, and Willy Wonka fans of all ages. But, we have something just as remarkable, if you think about it. U.S. farmers and ranchers provide the building blocks we need to make all of those pumpkin spice lattes and traditional foods. They produce quality milk, pumpkins, berries, turkeys and more – the core ingredients of our cultural favorites. All of the things that go into crafty seasonal drinks and time-honored holiday foods come from agriculture. We have the freedom to express our joy, culture, and gratitude at Thanksgiving with our recipes, creatively using the ingredients produced for us by farmers and ranchers.

Maybe it goes without saying that we know our food system is one of the safest, most diverse, and cost friendly. This is the time of year we want to say thanks. Our deepest thanks and gratitude to the over 3.2 million American farm and ranch families, who work hard to bring us safe and delicious food every day. From the dairy used in lattes, to the turkeys in Grandma's stuffing, to the cranberries for jellied sauce, we are thankful we have folks dedicated to providing us so many of the things we use to celebrate this distinctly U.S. holiday.