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!

Score One Great Plains!

Check out this incredibly interesting map and ponder why is America's midsection bleeding red?

The simple answer would be because it's so darn prosperous and beautifully contrary to popular belief about much of the Great Plains. According to a new STUDY released Andrew Isserman, an economist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, America's rural midsection is doing astoundingly well . Obviously, there are some glaring low points to be addressed around the nation. However, as a person with particular interest in the Great Plains and after reading much about the demise of the area and hearing word of these sentiments in books such as "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and "Hollowing Out The Middle", it is refreshing to see some uplifting and positive data about my beloved great lawn of the nation.

The article points out that the statistical data were analyzed using somewhat different dimensions and ideas to define prosperity.  With close ties to the Great Plains, I can see how this would be beneficial.  Rural folks out on the plains still consider themselves to be America's Heartland and take a great deal of pride in knowing exactly what that means.  In particular, many of these people disdain measuring success purely by monetary gain and reject much of the popular sentiment being conveyed from the urban bookmarks of our nation.  Yep, out there, they still have some some strong core values, family ties and an unmatched work ethic.

Working to redefine success in one's own mind is a monumental task, especially while residing within the urban ethos. I am proud to see some researchers that realize the monumental differences between the urban rural ethic that so divides both populations socio-economically as well morally.  The intrinsic value of rural lifestyle cannot be measured, but is at least noted on a minimal basis with this survey.  According to this subset, the Great Plains in the above diagram easily depict their namesake as the blood red heart of our nation.

Urban Water Reliance

In the event to continue to bridge the gap widening between America's urban and rural residents, I see it fit to shed some light on water and the great battle it wages in the western reaches of our nation.  This ARTICLE from Montana is a poignant reminder that urbanites must remember that their lives are not a free lunch among the grand buffet of nature. 

Coming from Colorado, I have witnessed the hard fight between the urban and rural contention over valuable water resources in the most convoluded water law state in the union.  However, I never realized this was not a way of life for everyone until I moved to Dallas where they routinely have more water than they would like.  Often I have heard or read about how much water rural agriculture uses and takes from cities available resources.  This concept is strange to me as I have come to understand most western urban residents have no idea that their water is actually a commodity that has been bought on their behalf from a rural landowner.  Their seeming misunderstanding is troublesome and at the core of the continued division between the two population.  Urban residents must remember that they do not have any right to water other than what their city is able to provide.  In contrast, rural landowner have junior and senior water rights and could be said to actually "own" the water on and beneath their ground.  Their use of this water provides the bounty for which the urban market clamours.  In contrast,  many urban uses of water provide nothing more than luxury items such as lawns, luscious landscapes, golf courses or car washes.  Yet, when the inevitable drought cycle (and yes it's a cycle, not global warming) strikes, they are panic stricken and looking for answers from all of the farmers using "their"water.

Urban residents need to be reminded that their life and luxury is predicated upon the hard work and resources of the rural public supplying them with food, fiber and natural resources.  Green lawns and car washes are a luxury, not a right. Food is not a luxury, rather a necessity and it requires water to create.  As the highlighted article suggests, urban growth and growth in general is important to an state economy.  But at what cost?  Why are we creating laws that are disproportionately unfair in their distribution of water assets?  If you are an urban resident, please remember to conserve your water before you ask the the same of others.

Rural Success....mmmmm its so good

 The previous post on America's Great Divide dealt with the big role that West Virginia has to play in the global climate change debate.  This morning, I would like to highlight another positive story in the fight for continued vitality in rural America.  It's Nebraska!

You've got to hand it to the state.  They are focused and have always been good at, well, "The Good Life".  Nebraska seems ever positive about their rural heritage and they really take it serious.  I come from half Nebraskan lineage and have experience rural Nebraska many times. I harbor fond memories of the quaint little towns and beautifully productive farms and ranches sprawling across the gateway to the west.

In keeping with the rural state theme I'd like to highlight a website that keeps it rural and inspiring.  Its not too fancy and really pretty simple, but very direct in telling the story of "rural success stories" about entrepreneurs out making the grade in the Cornhusker state.  Watching the continual flow of negative press for rural America, I was happy to find this list to remind us that our rural constituents are out making a living, and doing a great job at it to boot!

http://www.nebraskaruralliving.com/links.asp

Enjoy the list and think about people in your own state out making rural living feasible.

The American Dream and our Forefathers

I recently checked out a couple of books from the public library with high hopes to learn more about all things rural and agricultural.  It's going to be a big task...I know.  It has already yielded some interesting thoughts that portray the original meaning of the American dream.

The book I have begun reading is "The Law of The Land: Two Hundred Years of American Farmland Policy" by John Opie. The book is a bit older and has definitely lost the new car smell!  But, as with many things in life, I believe there is great value in items from the past.  American culture is so caught up in instant gratification and staying current that we often forget to look right under our nose at what the past has to offer.  I find it this way while choosing books to read.  Many times quality books are passed over simply because of the publish date,  but not this time.  I chose to read an older book and figured it would have some great information regarding the history of our agriculture land laws and  our western expansion.  I was right! Profound thoughts and observations of our nations forefathers shed an interesting light to our rural beginnings and the source point of the infamous American Dream.

The book paints an obvious picture that America was founded on RURAL.  The forefathers of our nation beleived strongly in the powers that land ownership and our ability to work provided to a citizens sense of freedom, character and personal contribution to society.   In fact, this was the American dream for a good portion of the early immigrants that entered the country.  In the book, Opie writes "The ability to buy land was perhaps the greatest attraction of all to the prospective immigrant, particularly in light of the impossibility of doing so in the Old World, even with cash in hand."  The book continues quoting John Wentworth, governor of New Hampshire in 1786, saying "that even the highest wages in the empire, prime working conditions, and full choice employment could not keep people off the farm". 

What!?!  Did I read that correctly?  Couldn't keep people off the farm?  Fast forward to the present and our society has just about done a 180 degree turn.  Rural areas are depopulating at an alarming rate, and why?  It's simple, American's now associate the American Dream with home ownership and high earnings rather than land ownership.  Check out what wikipedia has to say about the American Dream http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream.  Sure, home ownership implies owning a small portion of land, but truly is most often associated with an urban or suburban plot of tract housing. 

After my short foray into this great book, I have stumbled upon a new realization that transforming rural America may have promise in promoting our youth to find freedom in land ownership and the bounty it provides both physically and spiritually.  As I scan my personal experiences, the most liberating ones are usually tied to open space and a little room to breath.  Agricultural advocates are actively promoting reconnecting with the urban consumer.  Why not also become a rural advocate by connecting future generations to the ultimate freedom of land ownership?

Drawing from the suburban experience, its difficult to pin point many friends who really connected with the land.  Instead, we were taught to use our intellect to chase down the urban lifestyle and be successful ($$$).  We were indoctrinated by nice homes, fancy cars and luxuries. With continued endorsement of the American dream as earning six figures and having a home with two cars in the garage, how can expect today's youth to learn something different.  Modern life has provided so many distractions and luxuries that we may have lost our way in finding freedom in ownership of our own small kingdom, a good sized piece of land.  For the price of the automobiles we think we need, we could buy a good sized portion of freedom in rural America.

What are your thoughts?

The Great Debate: Follow Up Part I

If you browse through my previous post, you'll discover that I recently took part in an invigorating debate with an intelligent urban resident who also happens to be a respected scientist (glaciologist) and researcher. While he may have some big letters behind his name (which, in urban society, is often taken as absolute equivalent to intelligence), I personally have some big core values and good intentions behind mine.  One of those core values is how much rural America means to the urban population.  I may not be a published researcher and might even be labeled as a simple worker bee here in the urban corporate landscape but I do have big intentions to dispel the constant attacks and misinformation being spread about agriculture and rural residents in general.  This reason is precisely why I don't mind going to task over the issues with people.  I think its fun, productive and hopefully fosters education in all parties involved.

So, how about an update on what I've learned in the wake of my Great Debate.  Today I'd like to take his main point that "King Corn" is taking over our country because "Iowa is basically one big corn field" and government subsidies for corn are ruining our national nutrition.

I like facts, so I'm going to use some to punch a hole right in the middle of these theories.  First of all, according to the Colorado Corn Growers on Rural Route radio a couple of weeks ago, Yuma County, Colorado was America's largest corn grower in 2008.  Wow! This this is really convinient since my fiancee's family farm and ranch is in that county and I've got firsthand perspective.  If the statement that Iowa is basically one big monoculture were true, than wouldn't Yuma County look similar?  From my perspective, NO!  Yuma County has a hugely diverse cross section of commodities and has some of the best cattle range in the state.  Sand hills roll for a great majority of the county and promote open space and a huge wildlife population. Slowly the hills die out into huge dry land wheat fields as well as irrigated corn, alfalfa, soybeans, millet, and sorghum fields.  Those are just a couple that I can name off the top of my head.  The point is that its wide open country out there and by no means would register as a top corn producer or monoculture to the normal urban on-looker.

Finally, the main point relates to corn subsidies.  Unfortunately he's got some steam behind his argument since corn is the largest subsidized commodity at 56 Billion dollars in 2006.  However, the true root of the argument remains that corn produces high fructose corn syrup, which is killing Americans because it is so readily available and cheap. No less than 10 seconds after I typed "2009 corn subsidies" into Google, I was reading this a study from Tufts University on corn subsidies.  The best part is that I didn't even have to search for something to prove my point, it was the first link! Follow the link to read the study HERE.

This article has some great numbers and research findings that give great incite into our commodity programs here in the US.  I don't particularly agree with some of the statements about the environment and crops in the article, but the findings are great.  What matters are the facts and numbers derived from both Tufts and the USDA.

In the end, I'm not arguing that high fructose corn syrup is good for you or that over production of one crop is a good thing.  To be honest, I don't really care as long as Americans and myself have the choice to eat and live our lives how we like.  Therefore, we can only blame ourselves if something goes wrong.  Urban health advocates and modern agriculture opponents need to take a good look at their criticisms before they tell rural agriculturalists what they should be producing.

What do you think?  Leave a comment and join in!

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food - Keep Your Storefront Clean?

Last evening I participated (albeit shortly) in the weekly #agchat session on Twitter. For any of you who do not use twitter and have not yet delved into this fascinating world of social media, give it a try. It's a wonderful way to connect with people. This is also one way that agriculture is trying to bridge the expanding gap between the urban and rural separation that I call America's Great Divide.

The topic for last evening's #agchat was the new USDA program called "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food". The talking points challenged many of the agricultural producers to stretch outside of their comfort zone and discuss ways to connect with consumers at the farm level, just as the KYF KYF program will try and do.

Many of the comments and rhetoric that I watched tied directly to an idea that I have been throwing around for quite some time now. As a professional designer, I understand much of the urban populations desire to see places that are clean, well kept and beautiful. In the midwest, many of the farms I see correlate directly with this ideal. However, out West where I am from, I think that many of the farms and ranches have lost this appeal. Agriculturalist out there farm large amounts of ground, we're talking huge. With many of their family not returning to the farm, it leaves them with work from sun up to sun down and little time to keep the grounds. I think if these spaces could be revitalized and given just a hint of professional design input, they could shine.

Part of connecting with consumers in the new local food market includes your business facility. Yep, your farm or ranch is now your place of business, your store front. If we want to connect to the urban society, there needs to be a touch of class and refinement. I'm not talking fake - dude ranch style, I'm talking nice respectable working facility style. A place to be proud of and a place to humbly show off when the city folk decide to see what agriculture is all about.

I read a great article last night in Working Ranch Magazine about a guest ranch in Utah that is doing a great job of being a real working cattle outfit while allowing guests to see a glimpse into what they do. While not everyone is geared to run a hospitality business, I think that the local food movement should send a message to our ag producers that we need to think about aesthetics a little. Urban people are used to their well kept neighborhoods and probably expect a little of the same when visiting rural America.

Does anyone think this is a valid point? Could there be a market for designers to help (not exploit, i know how limited ranch finances can be) ranchers and farmers position their grounds for the public?

http://tweetchat.com/room/agchat
http://workingranchtv.com/