The last week or so has been hectic to say the least! Getting back in the saddle and taking care of the cattle and making some major life decisions has been difficult. But the biggest thing is I am Amazed!
By what? Well for starters the support of the music community for those of us that work, no, Live in the world of Agriculture. I have been looking for months for a venue and support for a group that I hold dear, Rockstars of Agriculture, to hold a fundraiser to help youth in Ag reach their goals, as showmen, students, farmers, or in Ag Media. No one seemed willing to step up, until I talked to a friend that happens to be a Rock and Roll singer, never thinking that he would be interested, Boy Was I Wrong! In less than 5 minutes he said "Let's Do It!" Whoa! And Knuckleheads on Front Street gave us the venue and the support of their establishment, MIND BLOWN! Even more Amazing, The restaurant is now serving Grass Fed and Finished beef and Lamb, (from Whisperwood Ranch Partners Llc.) ( pastured Berkshire Pork (Loos Family Farm) and Organic Produce from local farmers! Holy Heck YES! Soooo, Sunday August 4th, starting at 4 pm and going until ???? We're having a fundraiser! Bring your voice, Your instruments, and your Appetite to Knuckleheads and Join in the fun! Local feed stores and markets have donated raffle items and $1.00 of every plate sold goes to help the cause! This is a Youth friendly venue with beer and wine available for the over 21 crowd. If you can't make it out for the event itself you can sure mail a check payable to Rockstars Of Agriculture. Thanks Guys! You're making a huge difference for the future of Youth in Agriculture, and have made this rancher Proud!
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Why must we hate what we don't understand?
It's darned hot here in Southern California! But My cattle in Texas are swimming, my range land in Oregon is drying out 3 months early, and we're having rain in Kentucky that is wreaking havoc with the quality of forage back there. There isn't a blanket fix, we have to handle each ranch and manage it according to the seasons and the whims of Mother Nature. Regionalism is diverse and a challenge. I can't grow the same grasses in the Northwest that I do here, we have to deal with Blister beetle in Texas so Alfalfa is a no grow, endophytes and Naturally occurring cyanotoxins in the grass are a big concern in the East.
It takes Knowledge and skill to keep livestock and forages healthy, a lot of hard work goes into bringing food to your table, and one devastating event can set you back years. I should know! One year ago this week we had an issue with the USDA processor we use here in Southern California, It resulted in a wholesale loss of over $40,000, Yeah Ouch! and let's not discount the fact that there was zero profit made from that loss. I am eternally grateful for those customers that talked to us, that stood behind us and have waited for us to be able to deliver what we promised, A year late! They get it, they know that there is an inherent risk in farming and ranching, they believe in us, and some of them have even put boots on the ground and cash in our hands to help. Wow! That's community! On the flip side, there were folks that rather than come out and talk to us, ask questions, or offer suggestions to assist, turned to bashing, and outright lying about us to make themselves feel better. In all honesty they darn near succeeded in California. Forcing us into bankruptcy to save the home place and watching sales dry up because people would rather believe hype than seek the truth. We've adjusted, accepted that people may not want to find the truth, and are moving forward.
Scarily, for me at least the same has held true for my return to health. Many of you know that I was a big fan of Paleo when I started out, in fact I still adhere pretty closely to the food aspect of the movement. But when I was vilified for not following the dogma, it was time to go. The trend toward misinformation to further a cause is something that I cannot support. I'm a rancher, albeit an overeducated loud mouthed one, but I know the facts, I know how the system works, where it is broken, and Just how hard we are working to bridge the gap between the consumer and the growers. Just because someone does things differently doesn't make them evil, in fact, they may have something to share that can help you. And if you're going to start cursing and calling people names just because they don't do things the way that you wish that they would, I really can't take you seriously. Let's talk rather than accuse, let's take constructive criticism and use it to become better communicators, let's learn from each other and reach out to help everyone succeed. That is the only way we are going to survive.
I want the hate to become understanding, and the viciousness to become positive discussion. Let's learn from each other and stop hating what we don't understand.
It takes Knowledge and skill to keep livestock and forages healthy, a lot of hard work goes into bringing food to your table, and one devastating event can set you back years. I should know! One year ago this week we had an issue with the USDA processor we use here in Southern California, It resulted in a wholesale loss of over $40,000, Yeah Ouch! and let's not discount the fact that there was zero profit made from that loss. I am eternally grateful for those customers that talked to us, that stood behind us and have waited for us to be able to deliver what we promised, A year late! They get it, they know that there is an inherent risk in farming and ranching, they believe in us, and some of them have even put boots on the ground and cash in our hands to help. Wow! That's community! On the flip side, there were folks that rather than come out and talk to us, ask questions, or offer suggestions to assist, turned to bashing, and outright lying about us to make themselves feel better. In all honesty they darn near succeeded in California. Forcing us into bankruptcy to save the home place and watching sales dry up because people would rather believe hype than seek the truth. We've adjusted, accepted that people may not want to find the truth, and are moving forward.
Scarily, for me at least the same has held true for my return to health. Many of you know that I was a big fan of Paleo when I started out, in fact I still adhere pretty closely to the food aspect of the movement. But when I was vilified for not following the dogma, it was time to go. The trend toward misinformation to further a cause is something that I cannot support. I'm a rancher, albeit an overeducated loud mouthed one, but I know the facts, I know how the system works, where it is broken, and Just how hard we are working to bridge the gap between the consumer and the growers. Just because someone does things differently doesn't make them evil, in fact, they may have something to share that can help you. And if you're going to start cursing and calling people names just because they don't do things the way that you wish that they would, I really can't take you seriously. Let's talk rather than accuse, let's take constructive criticism and use it to become better communicators, let's learn from each other and reach out to help everyone succeed. That is the only way we are going to survive.
I want the hate to become understanding, and the viciousness to become positive discussion. Let's learn from each other and stop hating what we don't understand.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Moving forward.
Sitting on ones backside for weeks after surgery is a whole lot of no fun! Now that I am slowly getting back into the swing of things, I'm feeling better than I have in years!
My confidence is up, new things that were just a dream a year ago are reality, and great things are happening all around me! My Journey back to health is inspiring others and my ranch life is tied to that in ways that I never realized.
Our family has been raising cattle for four generations, and I sit and watch people with no clue about the realities of ranch life attempt to destroy that life daily. That hurts! Not just us but every single person in the Ag community. If you won't take the time to seek out the truth, with your own eyes, and accept misinformation and lies about where your food comes from and the people that grow it, you are no different than a school yard bully!
Just today I was reading a post by a "Leader" in one of the food and wellness movements, They said straight up that they did not care if the information that they gave was correct, or even real...WHAT! Hold on a minute....You mean to say that it is okay to outright lie to the people that look to you as a leader for the sole purpose of furthering your agenda? Nononono!
What I want people to get, is that you have to do what is right. No matter what! My right may not be your right. But it has worked for me. And science is science. You can't ignore the fact that we are feeding a world of over 6 Billion people to promote a way of being that is unreasonable, untenable, and unsustainable. If I raised cattle the way that My Grandfather did I would be out of business! Better genetics, better management techniques, more efficient grazing practices, all of this makes a difference. We also farm, We raise Corn for the dairy industry, and hay for ourselves, as well as a large market garden. I also have to work off the ranches to make ends meet. I am a one woman show and my life as well as the lives of my partners and employees depends on me, and me alone.
I lost sight of that for a good long while, I ate myself almost to death because I was afraid to stand up, afraid that I couldn't measure up, afraid, no, terrified that I would fail....so I did not try. And every time someone knocked me, said something unkind or made a derogatory remark, I retreated, I hid, I did just enough to get by. Let me tell you, finding the will to fight back was HARD! It still is. I'm not perfect, never will be, no one is. But Damn it. I am worthy, I do make a difference, I am a steward of this land, I freaking feed America and I'm proud of that! I also Took control of myself and my life, pulled myself up by my bootstraps and fought my way back to health. And if I can, so can you!
I have made some Huge decisions in the last year. Moving my base of operations from a place it had been for over 30 years, Taking a job that puts me in the public eye and on the Agricultural front lines every single day. You need to see that we "hicks" are the ones that put the food on your table and the clothes on your backs! Did you know that per Capita more members of the Agricultural community have completed at least a bachelors degree than any other sector of America? Talk to us, ask us questions, visit our farms and ranches, learn our stories. We're really fun and interesting people! And a few of us are changing perceptions, One bite at a time!
My confidence is up, new things that were just a dream a year ago are reality, and great things are happening all around me! My Journey back to health is inspiring others and my ranch life is tied to that in ways that I never realized.
Our family has been raising cattle for four generations, and I sit and watch people with no clue about the realities of ranch life attempt to destroy that life daily. That hurts! Not just us but every single person in the Ag community. If you won't take the time to seek out the truth, with your own eyes, and accept misinformation and lies about where your food comes from and the people that grow it, you are no different than a school yard bully!
Just today I was reading a post by a "Leader" in one of the food and wellness movements, They said straight up that they did not care if the information that they gave was correct, or even real...WHAT! Hold on a minute....You mean to say that it is okay to outright lie to the people that look to you as a leader for the sole purpose of furthering your agenda? Nononono!
What I want people to get, is that you have to do what is right. No matter what! My right may not be your right. But it has worked for me. And science is science. You can't ignore the fact that we are feeding a world of over 6 Billion people to promote a way of being that is unreasonable, untenable, and unsustainable. If I raised cattle the way that My Grandfather did I would be out of business! Better genetics, better management techniques, more efficient grazing practices, all of this makes a difference. We also farm, We raise Corn for the dairy industry, and hay for ourselves, as well as a large market garden. I also have to work off the ranches to make ends meet. I am a one woman show and my life as well as the lives of my partners and employees depends on me, and me alone.
I lost sight of that for a good long while, I ate myself almost to death because I was afraid to stand up, afraid that I couldn't measure up, afraid, no, terrified that I would fail....so I did not try. And every time someone knocked me, said something unkind or made a derogatory remark, I retreated, I hid, I did just enough to get by. Let me tell you, finding the will to fight back was HARD! It still is. I'm not perfect, never will be, no one is. But Damn it. I am worthy, I do make a difference, I am a steward of this land, I freaking feed America and I'm proud of that! I also Took control of myself and my life, pulled myself up by my bootstraps and fought my way back to health. And if I can, so can you!
I have made some Huge decisions in the last year. Moving my base of operations from a place it had been for over 30 years, Taking a job that puts me in the public eye and on the Agricultural front lines every single day. You need to see that we "hicks" are the ones that put the food on your table and the clothes on your backs! Did you know that per Capita more members of the Agricultural community have completed at least a bachelors degree than any other sector of America? Talk to us, ask us questions, visit our farms and ranches, learn our stories. We're really fun and interesting people! And a few of us are changing perceptions, One bite at a time!
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