Good Reads

I've come across some great blogs and posts lately that are telling people about agriculture in various forms. I always enjoy reading what other people have to say, and these people are doing a great job! A couple of these sites have also featured my posts and one featured me as a rancher, which was very nice of them.
So, if you're looking for a good read over the weekend, here's what I've enjoyed reading lately:

Hoosier Farm Babe Tell Tail's post on hog gestation crates, found here.  Hog people are always getting slammed on their use of gestation and farrowing crates by people who have no understanding of raising hogs, and this was a great response to the benefits of using them. Very interesting, and I have no doubt that what I learned reading this post will come in very handy at some point.

High Heels & Shotgun Shells post on educating the misinformed, found here. She shows a response to a CBS article on the drought in Arkansas that was written by someone who obviously dislikes our industry tremendously. It's important to see what these people are saying, what their opinions are, and how they respond to anything ag-affiliated. Check out what this radical commenter said, and her response. Go respond to the article yourself if you're so inclined. She has a link to it included in the post.

Have you seen the Faces of Agriculture blog? I think this is best idea - the ladies running this blog send you some questions, then compile a feature blog post with your answers and photos. The idea is to show a more personal side of the agriculture industry through introducing readers to individuals. They've featured farmers, ranchers and other ag-affiliated folks from all over the country. Here's the link to their post on me. When you're done, be sure to click on home to see all the more recent posts. They are also always looking for new people to feature on their blog, and their contact information is available on their page.

If you're interested in reading more about agriculture in Wyoming, I highly recommend the RealRanchers site.  A good friend of mine heads this project of telling the story of Wyoming agriculturalists through social media, and she does a great job! You'll see a few of my blog posts on the site, in addition to posts from other Wyomingites on numerous topics. Always a great stop

Lets Take Note America

Talk of how to inform and accurately educate the public about agriculture and it's positive impacts on American society is a discussion that occurs at a multitude of ag-related meetings, conferences and forums. Well, let's take a look at what our neighbors to the north are doing...

Hello giant tent in the center of Calgary Stampede grounds, which is filled with live animals, a grain bin, computer programs about growing healthy crops, people in the industry to visit with you, posters, interactive activities and more, all with the intention of educating and showing people what Alberta agriculture is all about, why it's important, what they do to produce a safe food source, and countless other facts, figures and examples of ags importance to the country.
One sheep producers that was working in the tent informed us there is a people counter at the entrances, and at or over 35,000 people a day go through this during the Calgary Stampede.
That's over half of Wyoming's population that walks through this educational tent over the course of the Stampede.
Wow! That's a lot of people not tied to agriculture getting a realistic, positive look at what ag is all about, and what the people involved in ag do to put food on their tables. I'm thinking we Americans should take a look at what they're doing, so I took pictures of some of the things in the tent to show you.

There were educational charts that explained the value of agriculture produced foods, like beef, in a health diet. We use this same ZIP acronym here in America. There were also drawings for beef related prizes.

Interactive activities taught people about their food, like this one that showed where different cuts of meat were located on the animal.

The live animals were a huge hit with people of all ages. Here is the milk cow exhibit, which featured cows of different breeds, history of milk cows, differences between breeds, and other general information. At each animal station were producers to answer questions.

Right next to the milk cows was a dairy area, fittingly enough. More positive facts and figures about milk and dairy in a healthy diet.

Everything you can see had a purpose, and made a point about milk and dairy products. The tent was bursting with positive, truthful information, backed by facts, and made interesting to see and read about.

You could also participate in interactive activities, like milking Bluebell. Based on the line, Bluebell got milked A LOT over the course of the Stampede, and was a huge hit!

There were computer stations for kids, where they could learn about what it takes to grow healthy plants, and what Alberta farmers do to grow the food they eat.

A grain bin was set up to show people how grains were harvested and stored.

Lots of stuff for both kids and adults!

Agriculture doesn't just feed you, and the Canadians covered other ways it benefits their country, like showing how oilseed crops are used to produce biodiesel.

You could spin this plate around, and read different facts about Alberta lamb in the cut-out window.

As I mentioned earlier, the animals were by far the biggest hit. Here is the sheep exhibit.

No opportunity to share information was missed, and people were stopping to read it.

We visited with this man for quite a while - he's who told us about the numbers of people that go through each day. He was there to tell people about sheep, and was happy to do so.

This is what surprised Adam and I the most, and isn't something you would likely see anywhere in an "educate the public" related event.

A gilt and her piglets, in a farrowing crate. This display was packed with people, and clearly showed the pigs were all content in their crate. The mother had access to food and water, and her babies weren't getting squished. It showed hog farmers in a great light, as they should be represented.

People swarmed to get a glimpse of the momma and baby pigs, and as a result were exposed to what a farrowing crate really looks like, and how and why farmer's use them. See that man siting on the far side of the picture, he was the hog farmer, and man was he popular with these people, who had questions and comments to discuss with him. Loved this!

Also in the pig area were some weaner pigs, and a young boy (on the right) to tell people about them.

I was so impressed by this tent, and the huge impact it has in a just few days each year! I think it's an ingenious idea. As someone who lives in Wyoming, where another of the largest outdoor shows on earth (Cheyenne Frontier Days) occurs, and in one of the most agriculture-oriented states in our nation, I can't help but think of the potential to do something similar for tourists that attend our event. Great work Canadian agriculture!

Agvocating, without the Internet

I attended the Leopold Conservation Award and Wyoming Stockgrower's Association Environmental Stewardship Tour last year, and left with a great idea for telling people about our industry. The part some producers may find most appealing is that it doesn't require using facebook, twitter, blogs, or the Internet in any form.
The family made a brochure explaining several of the things they did on their operation to promote great stewardship. They included some background information on their ranch, photos, and contact information in case someone wanted to get in touch with them in the future.
Anyone that goes on their ranch for hunting or fishing is given a brochure, and required to sit through a brief (10-15 minute) talk about their ranch and all the positive things they do to conserve the environment through their livestock produciton practices.
I recently took this idea and altered it slightly. I made a powerpoint slide show explaining the benefits of ranching on private, and public, lands. I went into some of our managment practices and the positive impact they have on the land, and the extended benefits those practices had on everyone who eats. I explained that we raise the safest food supply in the world on the land we own and rent, and included pictures of my family doing the things I was discussing.
The powerpoint made it's debut earlier this summer, when a group of dinosaur bone hunters arrived for a week of digging. The group was comprised of people from across the country, and the slide show was a big hit. Several people asked questions, and were genuinely interested and pleasantly surprised at what I told them about ranching in Wyoming.
They were impressed that all the land they drove by on the way to our ranch (we are 56 miles from town) was owned and operated by families, not large corporations or absentee owners, with very few exceptions. They couldn't believe we had such an extensive animal health and feed program, and were impressed by the in-depth managment plan and use of technology on our operation.
One lady from New York wrote us a great note, thanking us for raising the food that feeds the world, and for taking the time to tell her about ranching.
Thought I would share this idea with you, in case you're trying to find ways to tell people about our industry that doesn't involved the world wide web.