July 4th Facts & Figures
The U.S. government makes all kinds of information available to us. Some of it is very useful, some of it, not so much! My son will surely ask if that is really where we want our tax dollars to go, but that question is not on the table at this time. It certainly would be a useful debate at some point. Nevertheless, the information is there, so why not make use of it?
Today, some interesting facts about the foods we eat on July 4, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The complete document can be found here.
Let’s talk numbers of people, first.
In July, 1776, the estimated number of people living in the thirteen colonies as they declared their independence from England was about 2.5 million.
This July, the population of the U.S. is about 307 million people. That’s how many people consume the amount of food described below!
What about all that meat we consume at July 4th barbecues?
As of March 1, 2009, Iowa is home to 19.3 million hogs and pigs, or about 1/4 of the nation’s total. There is a 1 in 4 chance that hot dog or sausage you eat on Saturday came from the Hawkeye State!
Texas produced 6.8 billion pounds of cattle & calves in 2007. The odds that your burger or steak came from the Lone Star state is about 1 in 6.
If you prefer your meat to come from birds, then it probably comes from Georgia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, or Texas. Each of these states has an annual revenue of $1 billion or more from broiler chickens.
What about all those great side dishes at our picnics?
A lot of baked beans are consumed on July 4th. 39% of them come from North Dakota. A combined total of 61% of our corn on the cob comes from Florida, California, Georgia, and New York.
You probably will enjoy some potato salad or potato chips this weekend. If so, half of them came from potatoes grown in Washington or Idaho.
Do you eat a garden salad or put lettuce on your burgers? Chances are, the lettuce is from California, the state that produces more than 3/4 of the nation’s lettuce crop.
That salad or burger may also include tomatoes. The states of California and Florida combined to harvest 71% of our nation’s tomato crop. If you’re a ketchup lover, 96% of processed tomato products come from California. (Imagine if the bottle said Heinz Processed Tomato Product instead of Heinz Ketchup!)
Are you having a seed-spitting contest after your family cookout? The seeds are usually from a juicy watermelon and odds are the watermelon came from Florida. The Sunshine State leads the nation in watermelon production. Also near the top, each with more than 500 million pounds, is California, Georgia and Texas.
Betcha can’t wait! I’m getting hungry already!
Isn’t it kind of fascinating to know some of this kind of “stuff?” Imagine the possibility of engaging the “friends you haven’t met yet” in interesting conversation this weekend!
Tomorrow - a little information about the things we do to celebrate – fireworks, flags, and more!
