Representing one of the most rural constituencies in the UK, it’s hardly surprising that farming frequently features in this column.
Farming is the industry that underpins and drives the local economy. If we don't have a sustainable farming sector, we don't have a sustainable market town economy and our countryside, which drives the increasingly valuable tourism sector, is at risk too.
But it is much more than that: farming is just one part of a wider food sector which is growing fast, particularly here in Yorkshire.
The rather ugly term used to describe this part of our economy is agri-food. It may not sound pretty but it is mighty successful.
Almost half of all British pork, one in six British sheep, and even a quarter of all British goats are born and bred in God’s Own Country.
It's one reason why Yorkshire food and farming has a bigger turnover than BP, Shell, and Volkswagen put together. If it were a company, it would be Europe’s largest.
One of the best examples of how the agri-food business works in our part of Yorkshire is the Wensleydale Creamery at Hawes. It takes the milk from the dales’ dairy farmers, turns it into renowned, award-winning cheese and sells it successfully around the world. Heck Sausages and Yorkshire Provender soups other good examples.
To realise the importance of businesses like these, one only has to imagine the hole in the local economy there would be if they weren’t there. It would not just affect the workers but also many farmers, and the ripple effect would be felt by feed and equipment suppliers and all the other businesses that supply the farms and companies with goods and services.
We are lucky enough to have many other businesses like the Creamery, Heck and Yorkshire Provender in the constituency. Some are small scale like Raydale Preserves, but others are huge, like R&R at Leeming Bar, one of the biggest producers of ice cream in the world.
Recognising the vital role played by the agri-food sector, the NFU this week launched a campaign - most appropriately at the Great Yorkshire Show - to shout about its value.
Called Pride and Provenance, the campaign is backed by more than 50 Yorkshire companies who want to demonstrate the value of the county’s farm-to-table supply chain, highlighting not just the fantastic food and drink produced, but also the huge contribution the sector makes to the economy.
I was delighted to launch the campaign in Westminster at a reception attended by many of the businesses involved, Yorkshire farmers and the president of the NFU Meurig Raymond. You can find my speech at the event here.
It was a great opportunity to inform other Yorkshire MPs of the vital role of agri-food in the health of our county and to get a message across to Government of the importance of the sector in the UK economy.
A key element of the campaign is a message about buying Yorkshire produce and products. It is such a virtuous circle to have Yorkshire people buying from Yorkshire firms and farmers and helping to grow Yorkshire businesses. Every pound spent in the county on county produce boosts the Yorkshire economy.