By CJ MILLER
Hoosier Ag Today
The next time you and your family walk into a McDonald’s or go through their drive thru, it’s likely that the pork in your Sausage Egg McMuffin® and the milk in your milkshake came from Indiana’s farms. That’s because the McDonald’s system buys a lot of these products from farms and suppliers across the state.
“We absolutely love the agriculture industry in Indiana. It’s a neat partnership that we get to have with them,” says Paul Jedele, who owns nine McDonald’s franchise restaurants around Greencastle, Crawfordsville, and west-central Indiana with his brother Tim.
He is taking the time during National 4-H Week to thank Indiana’s farmers.
“We spend about $30 million a year in the McDonald’s supply system purchasing from Indiana farmers,” according to Jedele. “That yields 44 million pounds of product that are coming from our fields and our communities. It’s just a pretty staggering number when you think about it—and it’s a great story to tell.”
The McDonald’s system also buys 13 million pounds of pork, 12.5 million pounds of sugar, and millions of gallons of milk—all from Indiana farmers.
In addition, the McDonald’s system also buys millions of eggs, as well as millions of pounds of flour from Indiana suppliers.
Jedele says the support that McDonald’s gives to Indiana farmers goes beyond National 4-H Week.
“We find ways to get involve with 4-H,” says Jedele. “I do local presentations at some schools in my counties that are celebrating 4-H. My brother and I sponsor 4-H activities as well. We’re next-generation owner-operators, so we purchased our restaurants off of our father. We realize that supporting the youth helps us for our future and the agriculture needs of Indiana, so I think it’s so critical to be able to focus on the youth.”
He also thanks Indiana farmers for their hard work and dedication to providing quality products to the McDonald’s system.
“Great food starts with great farmers and suppliers. That’s a tough job,” says Jedele. “I watch the farmers, especially at harvest time. They’re out late at night. I’ll be leaving a restaurant at 9:00 or 10:00 at night and I still see the farmers out harvesting in the middle of night with their lights. It just shows the dedication to keeping food on the shelves for all of us to survive. We greatly appreciate the effort of the farmers and the legacy they’re creating for future generations as well.”