Young Farmers & Ranchers vs. Science Fiction

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Colorado Farm Bureau Young Farmer & Rancher Leadership Conference in Colorado Springs, CO (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Colorado-Farm-Bureau-Young-Farmers-Ranchers/111555478866390).  For someone like me who has not always been involved in ranching or even lived in the area that we ranch, it was very invigorating.  I had the chance to connect with many other young members of agriculture and even make some new friends (that happen to live 20 miles from our ranch).  If I had not signed up to get involved, I would not have had the chance to interact, network and create some great new relationships.

Anyway, what does this have to do with Science Fiction? At our hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado, there was another convention taking place over the weekend called the COSINE Convention for Science Fiction.  Needless to say, there is a pretty big divide between a bunch of Farm and Ranch folks and people wearing  costumes like this one!

However, the whole situation struck me as I rode down the elevator with one of the COSINE attendees.  Here I am thinking "Wow, those are some pretty interesting costumes" all the while dressed up in my clean pressed Cinch Shirt, Wrangler Classic Jeans and my favorite pair of Double H Buckaroo style boots to meet up with a whole bunch of other cowboy hat, checked shirt and boot wearing attendees.  Then it struck me.  We probably looked pretty odd to her too!  "Who are all these rednecks, and what world did they come from" may have been her exact thoughts as she walked out into the lobby filled with the two diverse groups.

That led me ask her about her conference and tell her about ours.  It was not a ground breaking, earth shattering conversation, but it did give us the chance to interact,  listen and cordially wish the other a "good convention". This simple interaction gave me a brief moment of pause and reflection dominated by one thought.  Whatever you do, do it with passion and exuberance.  Follow your dreams and be who you want to be.  Many of the COSINE attendees may have been different than me but were probably very prolific and successful in their endeavors as writers, editors, artists etc...  They may be world's away (excuse the pun) in their background, interests and thoughts, but they are enjoying their life and living it to the fullest among other like minded enthusiasts exactly as I was. There are all sorts of people in our world with a multitude of interests and the only way to bridge America's Great Divide is to represent your group with respect and a good attitude while showing the same courtesy to those who are different from you.  After all, I'm guessing they still eat our products too and I don't need to alienate them from America's Young Farmers and Ranchers.

And, BTW, thanks for making our lives more enjoyable through your passions with products like Transformers, SpiderMan, BatMan, Harry Potter, The Matrix and the other Sci-Fi hits. We'll keep passionately tending to the land and our animals so you have something to eat!

The Power of the Family Farm on an Impressionable Youngster.

Below is a guest post for the Colorado Farm Bureau Blog that can be found here

Howdy there.  I was asked to put up a guest post here on the Colorado Farm Bureau blog and I'd like to introduce myself as Caleb Schultz - the suburbanite city boy extrodinaire who wants to be a rancher.  Yep, you heard me right, a suburban city boy who rather calve out a 2 year old heifer at 2 am than sit at my desk all day watching the time pass on a computer screen.  We'll get back to that later though.

In my post today, I'd like to comment on what a profound impact agriculture and its stories have had on my outlook as an impressionable young man.  I'd also like to paint a picture of why what you and your family do in agriculture is such a worthwhile.  I grew up in Loveland, CO where I passed the days as most kids did, sheltered from the life of agriculture, even while my yard backed on to a wheat field. Then I went to Ft. Collins to attend CSU and boy did my outlook change...for good.

Imagine freshman year rooming with my close friend, whom I'd known since kindergarten, when out of nowhere some small town farm kid appeared in the door to say hello and introduce himself.  My roomate nor I had ever known someone with this background and it seemed as though we hit it off from the get-go, two kids with one common goal: enjoying college life.  Needless to say, our friendship grew steadily and we became very close friends.  Then came Thanksgiving break freshman year, a couple days down on the farm that would change my life path forever.

In retrospect, this one trip changed my outlook forever and opened me to a view of true country and agricultural life that I had never experienced, only driven past on my way to Lincoln, NE.  There we were, surrounded by nothing.  The emptiness, winter wheat and CRP forming the perfect backdrop for getting to know a farm family whose generosity poured out with an unassuming ease. As the excursion began to unfold, so did their family's easily apparent bond and their deep history in the area.  This first introduction to the farm left me smitten for the country, open space and agriculture. After returning to Fort Collins and Loveland, I knew I was hooked.

Fast forward one more year to find me having gained sophomore status in Landscape Architecture at Colorado State. It just so happened that the young lady sitting right across the isle from me in our design studio classes was a rancher's daughter.  She was pretty and reserved, but once she got around to spilling the beans about her upbringing, she was amazed at my interest in what her family did in agriculture.  After becoming close friends, the chemistry began to work, and over 6 years later, we are now engaged to be married.  These past six years have been a whirlwind of exposure and education about farming, cattle and life in general.  Here again, I found the stoic timelessness of a farm family and their friendly values. Unfortunately, I didn't hear the call quite soon enough before graduation and I went out into the world to tackle corporate America. In truth, now comes the hard part of finding the opportunity to move us home and get involved in agriculture, cattle and the family that we long to be involved with. 

So, why does this matter to you and your family in Colorado Agriculture?  Well, quite frankly, my story is evidence that your unique history and agricultural journey has tremendous weight to an urban youngster such as myself.  Your character, values and family strength are a precedent that cannot be ignored.  I have always considered myself a pretty "normal All-American kid" with a strong family background and good leadership in my life.  However, the profound effect that the agricultural ethos has had on me is remarkable.  It is possibly your greatest commodity, your best genetics at the social sale barn. You and your family have generations of substance that people want to know about. Your story needs to be told because it absolutely matters.

As luck would have it, it just so happens that your chance to tell your story is bright on the horizon. Coming up on March 20, 2010 is National Agriculture Day, a spotlight for you and your family's legacy to shine.  If you need some ideas of how you can get involved visit here, there or somewhere that will grow some thoughtful ideas about sharing your unique heritage.