LAYTON — Food is a basic necessity – and getting the message out on the importance of agriculture is vital.

That was part of the message to hundreds of delegates to the Utah Farm Bureau Federation Convention, here, recently.

To many people, agriculture doesn’t matter. “Just go to Walmart,” to get food, said Rep. Kerry Gibson, R-Weber County. Speaking of his co-legislators, he said “most of them have been removed from agriculture (direct involvement) for several generations.”

He is now the only dairyman and there may be at most two members who earn their primary living from agriculture, Gibson said.

The world has seen vast changes, he continued. For example, when agriculture was far more labor intensive and many more worked in it, there were 6.5 million horses nationwide.

“Now, there are 7.1 million, people spend about $1 billion on them,” from grooming to boarding, etc., he said.

“We (farmers and ranchers) are now insignificant in terms of the overall population, 1 1/2 percent nationally, probably less in Utah,” Gibson said.

In spite of that low representation, he said “there is a great deal of respect for farmers and ranchers.”

He cited the testimony provided by members of that group in the recent past to legislators. That related to bills passed dealing with cruelty to animals.

“When you come to testify, you carry a lot of weight. A young farmer testified how he treated his animals,” for example, Gibson recalled.

He briefly addressed the looming budget cuts that will have to be made, with at least an $850 million shortfall projected currently.

“We cut nearly $1 billion last year. It will be a challenge,” Gibson said. “I want to complement the good work of the Utah Department of Agriculture.”

In spite of cuts to that agency, the impact has been minimized in its effect on farmers and ranchers, he said.

“There is no more critical role in society than to have a safe, good food supply,” Gibson said.

The legislator of five years urged Farm Bureau members to get involved at the grass roots level of government. That means getting elected as a county or state delegate.

tbusselberg@davisclipper.com