I snagged this definition of Labor Day from Wikipedia: "Labor Day in the United States of America is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws, and well-being of the country." 

As I reflect on this holiday today, I want to talk about what this means for me and what I believe it should mean for all of us Americans; American Consumers, American Families, American Land Owners and American Business owners.

In April of 2017, President Trump signed an executive order for the improvement of the "Buy American Act". In a nutshell, the order states that Federal Government Departments procure materials and equipment made in the U.S. to the full extent possible. So, that doesn't really apply to us as individuals right? Wrong.

As citizens of this country, we will likely feel the trickle-down effects in the form of higher prices and possibly supply & demand issues. In my opinion though, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. If we, as individuals choose to buy American, we benefit our economy, our environment, jobs, our income, our roads, our civil service personnel such as police & fireman, and much much more. As a result, I believe, the best thing we can do to celebrate the American worker, not just today, but every day, is follow this lead and buy American whenever it's possible for us as well.

Don't think of buying American as just putting money in the pockets of big business. Most American companies are small businesses comprised of every day people who may even be your neighbors and are striving to support their families, put their kids through college, offer jobs to people in their communities and make investments to secure retirement. Even when you're buying from an American "Big Business" though, think about how many jobs they are giving to American Citizens in that community and possibly others.

Buying American isn't always possible, or even the best choice, depending on what is being purchased, but in most cases, it means a higher quality product; it means the workers were given fair wages and the employees were subjected to fair and safe working conditions; and it means America gains just a little more independence.

Recently, I've been following the steep up-tick of lumber prices and the ensuing lumber shortage/crisis. In May of this year, Lumber Prices (Futures) were up over $600 per 1000 board feet, the highest level on record. The current state of affairs with Lumber is due to many factors such as natural disasters, transportation issues and their associated rising costs, and largely because of duties/tariffs being imposed on Canadian lumber imports. Primarily, this has affected the price and availability of softwood lumber, such as pine, which affects way more things than most people realize.

Again, it's not all bad though. While that means home construction prices are going to go up and we're going to feel the "pinch" of short supply, it also means landowners, the Forestry Industry, the Logging Industry and the Sawmills of America are going to feel the benefits of it. And they sorely need it after seeing years and years of decline and countless mill closures.

Landowners, Foresters and Loggers are especially close to my heart. For the last 10 years, I've been very involved with those industries in particular. Not just peddling my supplies, but attending association meetings and listening to the struggles and triumphs they experience year after year - just spending time with them and getting to know them. I would say of all the Foresters, Loggers and Land Owners I've met, probably 7 out of every 10 of them had a father, grandfather, great grandfather, etc who did the same. They are very family oriented industries. In my opinion, people don't realize what a HUGE role these industries play in our every day life and in the health and well-being of our country. 

In 2018, the U.S. Gross Domestic Product from Forestry, Agriculture, Fishing and Hunting was over 150 BILLION dollars per quarter! But... a lot of the wood we're getting, has been coming from Canada. So, if you even have to spend a few bucks more to buy American, do it....and buy from someone who is making an effort to support U.S. Manufacturers.

This website, Farm And Land Accessories is geared toward providing FAIR prices on every day supplies for farm owners, ranch owners, land owners, and related industries like Surveying; Forestry; Logging; Sawmills and even Construction. But I haven't created it to "just make a dime". I hand select the products I include on this site and they have to meet certain criteria for me. They have to be available for a fair price, well made & constructed, from a reputable and trusted manufacturer and whenever possible, I try to use American manufacturers. When you call, you're going to get a real person, sitting right here in the good ole U.S.A. or a voicemail box for which the messages will be returned as soon as is humanly possible. 

And as a "shout out" for Labor Day, here's a list of some of my favorite manufacturers, whose products I carry, that have all or some products made in the U.S.A.:

My Favorites; American Small Businesses doing big and amazing things!

Great Day Incorporated | Located nearly in my backyard in Tallulah, LA | Great Day makes Cargo Racks, Gun

Racks, Hunting and Fishing equipment as well as items related to Agriculture and Forestry such as

Sprayers and Booms.

Crackshot Corporation | Located in Tulsa, OK | Crackshot makes the only guaranteed Snake Bite Protection

chaps and gaiters which are tested with live rattlesnakes {while being worn!} and are backed by a 1

Million dollar product liability policy. They offer top of the line protection at an extremely fair price

and could really "school" a lot of other companies on how business should be done on a daily basis with

their same day shipping, personal service and quick response time.

Ontario Knife Company | Located in New York | These guys have been making knives and cutlery for us red-

blooded Americans AND our US military for over 125 years! I would say about 80% of their products (at

least) are made in the USA.

American Businesses whose products are crucial or beneficial to the U.S. Forestry, Agriculture, Surveying

and Construction Industries.

J.L. Darling out of Tacoma, WA. | Known for one of the coolest brands in the world, Rite In The Rain. The

Rite in the Rain product line consists of many different writing materials, like notebooks, pads, paper

and even pens that can be written on after you let them soak underwater for.... ever. While Rite In The

Rain is for literally anybody, they have products specifically geared towards folks that work outside,

like Foresters, Policeman, Fireman, etc.

Dixon USA | Yes, they are the same as Dixon Ticonderoga - that makes the pencils we all know and love! |

With multiple locations, Dixon is a major player in the Forestry and Forest Products market with their

lumber marking supplies. Dixon's Valve Action Paint Markers are made right here in the U.S.A. Although

their lumber crayons aren't made in the U.S., they are at least made in North America.
BAC Industries - Maker of Timber Tuff Log and Timber Tools
Aervoe Industries - U.S. Manufacturer of tree marking paint, construction paint, survey paint and more.
Council Tool - out of North Carolina, literally makes the majority of the tools used for Wildland Firefighting, Controlled Burning and Forestry & Logging, among other beautiful hand crafted tools.

KUDOS! to all of the above mentioned companies for making awesome products in the U.S.A., for employing American workers, for offering fair prices and for making it all look easy!