Wayne County's harvest fuels local economy

We've made it through the holidays and into a chilly January and February. Maybe it's just my age, but doesn't it seem like it all runs together? Maybe it's meant to be, especially starting with Thanksgiving, the day that was set aside to give thanks that “all is safely gathered in, ’ere the winter storms begin” and to recognize “God, our maker, doth provide, for our wants to be supplied.”

With the feasting and more that we do on Christmas and New Year's, we certainly take advantage of those provisions. After all of that, have you ever considered where all that harvest goes? Considering the bounty produced in Wayne and surrounding counties, it certainly deserves the thought.

We are in a special area envied by other areas in the country, not only due to the diversity and level of production, but also the infrastructure supporting our agricultural and horticultural endeavors. We have dairy processors with large sales areas, meat processors big and small, produce auctions, farm markets, and other supporting industries that make us fairly self-sustainable.

This was apparent during the COVID crisis, where transportation issues left other areas short and we had an oversupply. So just where does our bountiful harvest that we have so much to be thankful for go — read on.

Starting each spring, most of the harvest of locally grown fruits and vegetables stays relatively local, by either direct sales or the use of local produce auctions like the Farmer's Produce Auction near Mount Hope or the County Line Produce Auction near West Salem. Much of this harvest goes to your table via local grocery stores or restaurants. Just as important, if not more so, it also goes to the tables of those in other areas within a 50- to 100-mile radius (and often beyond) who do not have the production we do. It also brings dollars from those outside areas into our local economy.

Thanks to our climate and rich soil, we're able to grow a diversity of crops. In fact, more than 70 types of vegetables, small fruits, tree fruits and nuts are commercially grown in our area, allowing the harvest of fresh produce to continue well into November. With the use of special storage facilities and several small local processors that either freeze or can produce, these products of the harvest are available to us even longer.

The next crops to start harvesting in our area are our small grains. This includes wheat, oats, barley and rye. This usually takes place in July. These are crops that may stay local as livestock feed or be put on the open market to be sent throughout the country or world to be used in a variety of ways. There are some industrial uses including adhesives, biofuels, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. But as they have been for thousands of years, they are used primarily for human consumption products like breakfast cereals, baked goods of all sorts and many of the prepared foods we rely on for a fast, easy meal.

Of special note is the class of wheat grown in our area of the country called soft red winter wheat, one of six classes of wheat grown in the U.S. The flour milled from this class of wheat produces a soft texture for baked goods such as cookies, pastries and flatbreads. It also is used to blend with other flours to make all-purpose flour.

Soybeans are usually next in line for harvest. At one time harvested as a forage crop for livestock, they are now harvested at maturity for their high-protein seeds. These are roasted and further processed to extract the oil and make bean meal. The oil is used in ways such as biodiesel, fuel, plastics, lubricants, adhesives, and concrete and asphalt protectants. In your pantry they're in foods such as dressings, canned fish and vegetable oil. The bean meal is used mostly for animal feeds but also tofu and soy milk.

The last of the grain crops to be harvested is field corn, usually coming off by Thanksgiving time. In addition to being an important feed crop for local animals, one source stated it has more than 4,000 uses. Some of these uses are in your life from dawn 'til dusk … cornstarch is in your toothpaste, cosmetics, toilet paper, plastics, biofuel, pharmaceuticals, bath powder and, of course, many of the products you have in your pantry.

I would surely be amiss if I didn't mention all the livestock-based harvests as well, which take place year round. In our area, especially, the “foster mothers of the human race, dairy cows,” are milked at least twice every day. From this fluid milk, we obtain most everything found in the dairy aisle including cheeses, like those produced in Stark and Holmes counties; butter, yogurt and ice cream; and the fluid or dry milk we've been enjoying in our hot chocolate.

The cull cows and the beef breeds also supply us with our hamburger and many other cuts of meat, leather, insulin, and other pharmaceuticals, perfumes, paints and gelatins for marshmallows and candy.

They say you can use every part of the hog except the squeal. Again, not only do we get the bacon, sausage and pepperoni for our pizzas, Christmas ham and New Year's pork and sauerkraut, but what's left over is used for things like shampoos, leather, buttons, antifreeze and medical uses like heart valves for transplants. The hairs on a hog still are used for premier paintbrushes as the bristles on them hold paint better than synthetic ones.

Sheep also give us leather, surgical supplies, cosmetics, soothing lotions and, of course, wool to keep us warm on these cold winter days. Lastly, poultry provides feather down for our pillows and comforters. They also provide organic fertilizers, pet food and vaccines for diseases like the flu.

I've covered only a small fraction of the many products in our everyday lives for which the harvest from our local farms is a source of raw materials. So when you consider all the ways these products affect your everyday lives, maybe the thought of Thanksgiving spilling over into the other holidays as well as into every other day of the year isn't all that far-fetched.

There was once a bumper sticker that read, “If you ate today, thank a farmer.” Maybe it should be a longer sticker that says, “If you made use of any product based on the harvest, thank the vendor, thank the wholesaler, thank the processor and thank the farmer, and ultimately thank the soil and its creator.” Then maybe when someone asks, “Where does your food come from?” you'll not be so quick just to say the grocery store.