I hope all my readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I spent the holiday here in NYC. I am looking forward to visiting family in Illinois over the Christmas holiday.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to be surrounded by friends and family and be reminded of all the things in life you are thankful for. It is also a nice day to thank all the people who made your Thanksgiving meal possible including those involved with food production, processing, transportation, and retail. Take a moment to think about how many people are involved in the food industry in some capacity and be thankful for their efforts. Billions of people who live in developing countries do not have such a quality, diverse, safe, and affordable food system.
Many folks in the agriculture industry used social media this holiday season to share their “FoodThanks.” I liked the posts by Cause Matters Corp. where Michele gives her “FoodThanks” (Part I and Part II). You can also review all tweets with the #foodthanks hashtag on Twitter here. Furthermore, last Tuesday during #agchat, the topic was giving #foodthanks. You have review the archives from the real-time conversation on Twitter here.
Here are a few things that I am thankful for this holiday season:
1. I’m so thankful that I grew up in production agriculture in a rural small town. Though I love and appreciate metropolitan areas, I don’t know if there is a better place to instill values and work ethic in our children than in agriculture production. I have childhood memories of checking cows in
the pasture in the back of my dad’s pickup truck, bailing straw/hay, walking beans, helping my grandparents in the garden, and showing cattle at country fairs. That lifestyle is worth protecting in this 
country.
2. I’m very thankful to have such a wonderful family. Last year for “Thank a Farmer Week” I wrote blogs about how influential my father, Curt Rincker, and my grandfather, Leland Rincker, have both been in my life. My mother, Pam Rincker, is also such an important person in my life. I can only hope to be half as good of a wife, mother, and businesswoman as she is. Oh, I cannot forget my little brother, Brent. I am very thankful that he is there to help my parents run the farm while I’m out on the east coast. He’s been a great brother to me. I’m also very thankful that I have such a wonderful extended family. Over the past year, I have worked on several family law cases here in NYC. I feel very fortunate to have been raised in such a stable, loving home. Not everyone is so blessed.
3. I am very thankful for my law practice and everyone who has been supportive along the way. I went to law school because I wanted to help the food and agriculture industry. I feel very blessed that I am able to do that. I also feel blessed that I am able to help New Yorkers with everyday problems. Thank you to my clients, my assistants, my colleagues, and all of you who have been supportive of my vision.
4. I’m very thankful for everyone who helped get New York Agri-Women off the ground. We are now a recognized affiliate of American Agri-Women. We are currently planning our First Annual Meeting this winter in Syracuse, New York. I’m very excited for the future of the organization to hopefully make a positive impact on the New York agriculture industry.
5. I am thankful for my other extended family – the agriculture industry. I have traveled a lot around the country and so many folks have opened up their homes to me. This industry is filled with so many kind, generous, genuine, and hard-working people. I am proud to be a member of this community and help these wonderful families however I can.
6. Finally, I am thankful for every person involved in the food and agriculture community. I’m thankful for the livestock producers who likely woke-up on Thanksgiving morning to make sure their animals were fed and taken care of. I’m thankful for the grain producers who make a product that so many of us need. I’m thankful for the graphics designers, computer programers, professional speakers, journalists, grain elevators, accountants, sales people, and attorneys (just to name a few) who help folks involved in the agriculture industry. I’m thankful for the elected officials at the national, state, and local levels who help make sure that the agriculture industry is protected. I’m thankful for the agriculture commodity groups who fight for the interests of the industry at the state and national levels. I am also thankful for those who work in the agriculture industry in developing countries so that we can all one day enjoy food security.
So on this Thanksgiving weekend, what are you thankful for?