Thanksgiving is Fueled by Natural Gas
Thanksgiving starts long before the turkey goes in the oven. It begins on the farm, in food processing facilities, and in the delivery networks that move ingredients to grocery stores and restaurants. Natural gas is part of that story from the first mile to the last bite.
Look first at agriculture; AGA’s Advancing America’s Agriculture analysis shows the U.S. agriculture sector and its supply chain consume about 1.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas a year. That is nearly 15 percent of all commercial and industrial gas use. The sector supports roughly 5 million direct jobs and contributes about $437 billion to U.S. GDP. Those numbers reflect the energy behind crop drying, food processing, storage and the fertilizers that raise yields for wheat, corn and other staples that end up on Thanksgiving tables, either directly as ingredients or indirectly as food for your Thanksgiving turkey.
One main destination for all that natural gas is fertilizer production. Ammonia is the building block for nitrogen fertilizer, and it is produced using natural gas. Between 70 and 80 percent of the energy used to make fertilizer comes from natural gas. Reliable domestic supply helps stabilize production and supports the steady flow of food from fields to shelves. When farmers have secure access to natural gas, families are more likely to have the ingredients they count on for their holiday menus.
You see natural gas again when it is time to cook. Many restaurants rely on it for consistent heat and precise control, and industry data shows that about 96 percent of U.S. professional chefs prefer cooking with natural gas. Chefs value that performance, and home cooks appreciate it too. If you are roasting a turkey, finishing pies or simmering gravy, natural gas ovens and cooktops make it easier to get the results you want.
Comfort matters as well. Natural gas keeps dining rooms warm, fuels kitchen equipment and helps keep service running smoothly. The system is built for reliability. With only one household in 650 experiencing a natural gas outage in a given year, you can rest assured natural gas will be there when you’re cooking for the family. That kind of track record is easy to take for granted when everything works, but it is one reason families trust natural gas not just during the holidays, but every day.
So when you sit down this year, give thanks for the energy that helped you fuel a day of joy with family and friends and delicious food.