Case IH recently partnered with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) to celebrate the continued affordability of food, thanks to U.S. farmers and ranchers. The celebration centered around the annual Food Check-Out Week, held Feb. 3-9, 2008. By the end of that week, most Americans had earned enough disposable income to pay for their entire annual food supply.

“According to the most recent statistics compiled by the USDA’s Economic Research Service, American families and individuals spend just 9.9 percent of their disposable personal income on food,” says Julie Rudnick, Case IH manager of marketing communications for North America. “That’s due to the incredible productivity of the country’s farm and ranch families, who work hard everyday to produce food efficiently – and keep it affordable.”

In comparison to working 37 days to pay for a year’s worth of food, Americans work 77 days to pay their federal taxes, 62 days to pay for housing/household operation, and 52 days for health/medical care, according to the Tax Foundation.

Rudnick says Food Check-Out Week is an excellent time to reflect on our easy access and ability to purchase affordable food. “It’s also an appropriate time to help those in need in our communities.

“That’s why Case IH joined with the AFBF to donate food, money, farm-related children’s books, farm toys and a pedal tractor to the Ronald McDonald House in Columbia, South Carolina,” Rudnick adds. The Ronald McDonald House provides a “home-away-from-home” for families of seriously ill children receiving medical treatment at hospitals.

According to Rudnick, “at Case IH, we’re honored to be part of U.S. agriculture and helping farmers put food on America’s table. We’re also proud to be even a small part of putting smiles on the faces of the guests at the Ronald McDonald house.”

Case IH is a global leader in agricultural equipment, committed to collaborating with its customers to develop the most powerful, productive, reliable equipment – for those who demand more. With headquarters in the United States, Case IH has a network of dealers and distributors that operates in over 160 countries. Case IH provides agricultural equipment systems, flexible financial service offerings and parts and service support for professional farmers and commercial operators through a dedicated network of professional dealers and distributors. Productivity enhancing products include tractors; combines and harvesters; hay and forage equipment; tillage tools; planting and seeding systems; sprayers and applicators; and site-specific farming tools.