Sound the new year with traditionally lucky meals and their facts

January 2, 2018

Holidays are usually a time for family, fun and food. New Year’s Eve is no exception. One thing that many nations around the world have in common is the belief that eating certain foods during the New Year will bring good luck and prosperity for the next twelve months.

A New Year’s tradition for which the South is especially known is to eat black-eyed peas and vegetables. A meal with black-eyed peas and necklaces is believed to symbolize humility and a new year full of coins and “green” (money). Lentils are another popular New Year’s legume for the same reason.

How do our farmers contribute to this traditional tariff? According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, our nation’s 1,407 collar operations harvested 12,542 acres. North Carolina ranked first by number of farms (202), but Georgia led the collard area (3,081).

Collard data are only available every five years in the Census of Agriculture, and this time it is again. Census questionnaires have been sent to farmers and ranchers across the nation. By participating in the census of agriculture, producers can influence the decisions that will shape the future of American agriculture.

In 2016, California ranked first in black-eyed pea production, with 31.9 million of the £ 57.2 million produced nationwide. Texas ranked first in acres harvested, with 23,000 of the 35,300 acres harvested in total black-eyed peas. In the same year, farmers produced 1.3 billion pounds of lentils on 908,000 acres harvested. Montana ranks first in lentil production, with more than 737 million pounds.

Pork is another popular New Year’s tradition. In various cultures, pigs are perceived as representatives of progress because they look and take root forward. In 2016, U.S. farmers produced more than 35 billion pounds of pork, with Iowa more than 12 billion pounds, accounting for nearly a third of U.S. production. According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, there were 63,246 pig operations nationwide. Iowa led the nation with 6,266 operations. What will the 2017 Census of Agriculture tell us?

A fun New Year’s tradition is to try to eat 12 grapes at midnight. Some believe that each bell of the clock represents one month of the year and that the revelry must eat a grape with each bell for 12 months of good luck. Some even say you should make a wish with every grape. According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, our nation had 23,420 grape growing operations and more than a million acres. In 2016, the United States produced 7.7 million tons of grapes, of which approximately 1 million were used as fresh grapes. California is consistently the first in grape production. The 2017 census will provide additional information on the number of farms and acres of grapes.

Across the United States and around the world, people incorporate a variety of other New Year’s gastronomic traditions, including eating noodles to symbolize a long life, ring-shaped cakes to represent the coming year in the circle, and many more. Wishing everyone a very happy New Year!

For more information on the 2017 Census of Agriculture or to respond online, visit agcensus.usda.gov.