Giving Thanks for Northeast Agricultural Producers

Thanksgiving is a great time to pause from our increasingly hectic schedules to give thanks. As you sit down with family and friends to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal, don’t forget to also recognize the hardworking men and women who produce the holiday’s bounty.

We are fortunate here in the U.S. to have a steady, secure supply of quality food. With more than 11 million acres of Northeast farmland, producers raise a diversity of farm products. This production makes up key parts of our diet, contributes to the local economy and makes the Northeast a beautiful place to call home. Their efforts, combined with those of farm-related service businesses and processing activities, generates more than $102 billion in economic impact across the region.

At Farm Credit East, we are committed to not only supporting Northeast agriculture through financing, and business services key to producers’ success, but also to sharing our customers stories and supporting the rural communities where they, along with the Farm Credit East team, live. 

We recently spotlighted two of those customer stories in two-minute videos. Learn more about New Moon Nursery , a first-generation nursery business in Woodstown, NJ, that got its start through our FarmStart program. We also highlighted Wright’s Dairy Farm and Bakery , a thriving, fifth-generation family business that has operated in North Smithfield, Rhode Island, for over a century. Three generations of Wright’s Dairy also joined us in Washington D.C. last week to talk with Congressional leaders about issues important to Northeast agriculture as part of the Farm Credit Fly In. It’s through stories like these that we recognize the hard work and dedication of many thousands of farmers who help to feed the U.S. and the world.

We’re also pleased to support the rural communities our customers and our team call home. This summer, Vermont and other parts of our territory suffered devastating flooding. The first question the Farm Credit East team immediately asked was, “What can we do to help?” 

Our Crop Growers crop insurance agents were on the phone the very next morning checking on impacted producers. And our employee-initiated Farm Credit East Cares Community Fund was quickly activated. In response to July’s flooding, Farm Credit East Cares paid about $50,000 in direct assistance to impacted producers and contributed another $100,000 to other organizations’ flood relief efforts. It's compassion like this that makes me grateful for the Farm Credit East team and the people, families and businesses we serve every day.

As we gather to celebrate this Thanksgiving, Farm Credit East is thankful for the diverse bounty of Northeast agriculture and the farmers, commercial fishing and forest product producers who make it all possible. Thank you for all you do to produce high-quality products for us all to enjoy each and every day.