Did you know references to agriculture appear in Christmas carols?

Hello Coshocton County and Merry Christmas! As I sit writing this article and trying to come up with a unique topic to share, I am humming one of my favorite Christmas carols, "The First Noel." Thinking about the lyrics “was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay, in fields where they lay keeping their sheep,” the topic dawned on me. Agriculture in Christmas carols!

Today as you sit around enjoying family or all the new presents you received, I want to share with you where agriculture shows up in those Christmas carols you hear all season long.

Like I mentioned before, “The First Noel” presents agriculture through the shepherds. The shepherds are a very important piece to the Christmas story as they are one of the first groups of people who found out about the birth of Jesus. Shepherds are very important to the agriculture industry as they are the ones who raise and manage the sheep production throughout the nation.

Sheep production in the United States peaked in 1884 with 51 million head, according to the USDA. In 2025 there are approximately 5.05 million head of sheep in the United States. If we look at Ohio, it is estimated there are 145,000 head of sheep and lambs.

The typical duties of a shepherd are leading and guiding, which entails leading the flock to good grazing and water. Shepherds also make sure the herd is fed, watered and cared for. This could mean anything from treating injuries to making sure newborns are healthy. Finally, shepherds protect the herd from any predators and environmental hazards.

The “First Noel” is not the only song shepherds are mentioned in. You can find shepherds in “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” “Angels We Have Heard on High” and “What Child Is This.”

Another Christmas carol that mentions agriculture is “Away in a Manger.” Agriculture appears right in the title of this popular carol. A manger is a feeding trough or box in a stable for livestock to eat hay or grain. This is commonly seen in tie stalls that are mostly used for horses. You may even see a manger in the barns at the fairgrounds.

The stable where Mary had Jesus also has a connection to agriculture. In Bible times a stable refers to a structure for housing animals. While it’s never explicitly said in the Bible they stayed in a stable, the manger implies an animal shelter.

I want to point out the lyrics in this: “The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes.” While in Bethlehem there are around 67,760 head, in the United States there are around 87-89 million head with Texas leading in those numbers. This number doesn’t only focus on the beef cattle industry, but also includes dairy cattle. Cattle are a significant part of Ohio’s agriculture with over a million of both beef and dairy cattle.

Lastly, let’s talk about the “12 Days of Christmas.” This song is full of not only agriculture, but also natural resources. It mostly appears in birds like a partridge in a pear tree, two turtle doves and four calling birds.

Going back to the agriculture significance, let’s talk about the eight maids a-milking and the three French hens. According to USDA, the average hired livestock worker in the U.S. makes $17-$19 per hour. While milkmaids don’t mean the same thing that it once did, milkmaids still exist. It often refers to those who are homesteading and learning to milk cows/goats and make dairy products.

French hens in this Christmas song refer to the valuable, plump chickens that are historically prized for meat and eggs. There are French hens in Ohio with specific breeds like Marans (known for chocolate eggs) and Faverolles. When it comes to the broad scope of poultry in Ohio, there are more than 30 million laying hens and 10 million pullets (hens less than 1 year old), which makes Ohio the state with the second highest egg production in the country.

While we could find other Christmas carols that mention something about agriculture, the important thing to remember is agriculture appears everywhere in our daily lives. This Christmas while you’re singing your favorite Christmas songs in the car, at home or during your services at church, I want you to think about the agricultural significance in the lyrics and in the Christmas story.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Brett Kinzel is the extension educator of agriculture and natural resources for Ohio State University Extension in Coshocton County.