Published: March 18, 2011

U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for March 19

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WASHINGTON, March 19, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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SATURDAY, MARCH 19: THE IMPORTANCE OF FARMING

Profile America -- Saturday, March 19th. Ask Americans where their food comes from and many will answer the supermarket, while clothing comes from the mall. That's why next week is National Agriculture Week -- an annual program focused on students across the nation, the consumers of tomorrow. They'll learn that from pizzas to cosmetics, from clothing to orange juice, agriculture gives us what we eat each day, and much of what we wear and use. In 1920, there were nearly 6.5 million farms in the U.S., and some 32 million people lived on farms. Today, the number of farms has shrunk to just over 2 million, and close to 2.5 million people live on the farms they operate. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2011, p. 180

Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 465, 458

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2011, t. 825

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau