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!

A Vegan at a Feedlot: A Tale of Conflicting Stories.

Imagine my surprise today when many of the agricultural blogs that I frequent were carrying the headline "Vegan Visits a Feedlot".  I thought to myself "man, this might be interesting".  Also, I was happy to see that the feedlot was in the Eastern Colorado region within an hour of our ranching operation.  I must say, the article was great!  It was fair, honest and open. It confirmed what people that operate in animal agriculture already knew: farmers care for their livestock and do a good job striving for animal welfare in each aspect of their operation. Please read the article here.

However, I was utterly disappointed upon returning to the article to see his list of responses to correspondence that the author had received. Please read the responses here.

In a list of responses to both the meat industry and vegans alike, he begins to revert back to his righteous vegan outlook and takes the opportunity to apologize to his fellow vegan constituency for an honest accounting of a real feed lot. Why apologize for honesty?  In one response directed towards his vegan readers and followers, he even suggests that "It’s thanks to animal advocates and vegans that any type of progression has been made in the animal welfare movement".  This is purely ridiculous to me.  As a cattle owner and producer on a limited budget, I have to carefully leverage my earnings in the urban market to support the thousands of dollars we spend our our small herd for animal nutrition supplements, animal health items and vet bills so that our animals are cared for to the utmost of our abilities and budget. Each management decision that we make is made to advance the health of our cattle so they drive a premium when they are sold. So,  I take serious offense to the insinuation that the only people trying to make a difference in animals lives are vegans and animal rights proponents.  How many times and how loud does American Agriculture have to yell "WE REALLY DO CARE FOR OUR ANIMALS!!!!" before anyone with an anti-animal ANYTHING outlook will listen.

The author even suggests to the meat industry that "I don’t want to be used as a bargaining tool by pro-meat/pro-feedlot organizations".  Is this to say that animal agriculture as an industry cannot celebrate and continue to tell our positive story based on a favorable impression given by an industry opponent?  This presents quite a conundrum in my mind.  From a vegan standpoint, we can't raise animals for human consumption and then even when we are told we are doing a good job, we're not supposed to tell anyone?

In the end, I want to know if the author is afraid of losing readership because of honesty.  He gave an open accounting of a real family operation?  Yes, I said it...a family operation.  In the article, he questions the idea that since the feedlot has 8-13 workers, are they really a family operation? Take a  look at a different scenario.  If I own a restaurant that was started by my family but need employees to make the business viable, am I now a Factory Restaurant?  I didn't think so. 

So, why are American livestock farmers demonized by this demographic of people? Why do they relish their progressive open-mindedness of animal liberation and freedom for animals while in turn absolutely advocating the limitation of freedoms for others to pursue their life in the manner they wish?   In essence, I and most of the livestock community are not telling anyone how to live their lives but are routinely told how to live ours.  The argument is flawed, unfair and highly hypocritical.

I want to thank the author for having an open mind and an honest pen.  However, I am disappointed to have read his responses to pressure from his own constituency. Honesty needs no apology.

The Power of Words

By now, if you're up on current events in agriculture or even animal rights, you already know about the massive uproar that Yellow Tail Wines has created with its decision to donate $100,000 to the Humane $ociety of the United $tates.  Over the course of the last week and continuing on into this week, the front lines of the battle have been waged over the internet on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.  Scanning the social media beat on Thursday, I caught wind of the brewing storm YellowTail had created and I decided to weigh in. I promptly asked "I wonder if YellowTail realizes that out of $100,000, only $4,000 will actually help animals".  Who knew that a couple lines on twitter could stumble me on to a new project?

If you're not in the loop about the recent YellowTail news, here are some helpful links for you to catch up on all of the hoopla concerning this issue. [Tails] for Tails, Google News Results. Possibly you're an urban resident like myself and your daily routine operates well outside the battle lines between livestock agriculture and animal rights groups. In fact, you may ask yourself what the big deal is, especially after taking in all the cute and cuddly animals adorning the front page of the H$U$ website, all their cute and cuddly celebrity spokespeople or their widely publicized political campaigns.  Well, the problem is that they simply don't do much to help animals, they continually push their extreme vegetarian views on the American public and basically want to see animal agriculture cease to exist.  The bottom line is that they want you out of business if you're a livestock producer. Furthermore,  they tout their great efforts to stop suffering of animals, yet only contribute a very small portion of their multi-million dollar budget to actually funding shelters or helping in any way.  You can read here to find out more of their deceptive front as an animal welfare organization.

As fate would have it, another fellow agricultural "tweep", Jenny Gambill, caught my comment and called me out on the floor.  Immediately, we started generating ideas about how a simple grass roots idea could make an "equal" contribution to help animals in a meaningful way.  So,  here's our pitch: we simply want you to join our Facebook group called "Going Local" and help us raise an initial $4,000 (hopefully more!) to help local animal charities with a direct donation to your favorite one.  The best part is, we don't want to complicate the issue by processing donations or making some extra bureaucracy, we simply want to make a totally transparent effort to help. To do so, we'd like you to pledge a dollar amount on the Facebook page and provide an accompanying validation picture of you completing an online donation, personally delivering or mailing a check to your animal charity of choice.

By raising $4,000, we can make a simple statement to YellowTail and H$U$ that a couple of everyday people can create the same or even greater direct impact in the lives of local animals without the need of a corporate marketing and publicity stunt like [Tails] for Tails.

Now, how 'bout a little inspiration to get 'er kicked off...

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.

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 Divestment in the 21st Century

A typical Thanksgiving in America gives the majority of our population a chance to engage in a great many traditions surrounding our national day of giving thanks.  The two that I have in mind are relatively simple, yet undoubtedly widespread: gracious eating and time around the TV.  In fact, a portion of my Thanksgiving revolved around these two normalities.  I'm not a particularly devout television watcher (although I make time for Storm Chasers every Sunday) so I am not particularly abreast to the latest in sports, sitcoms or commercials for that matter.  However, if you have been near a television in the last couple months, it would have been difficult tot miss the onslaught of  IBM commercials aimed purporting a smarter planet and smarter cities. See below.



Great!  America, and the world for that matter, are getting smarter.   Or are we?  Unfortunately, this thoughtful and well intentioned ad campaign has left me with one single question:  What about rural America? Has the tide finally turned where the great corporate engine turns it's back on the resource providers and laborers of this great nation?  Now that the scale has tipped towards an undeniable urban trend, who is thinking about smarter ways to engage rural populations as a valuable member of the national ethos?  I understand that cities need to be smarter, especially considering the massive population influx that is occurring.  However, would it be equally smart to encourage stable populations in rural areas and small towns as a catalyst to alleviate the constant stress of the urban complex while promoting growth among the blighted rural populous?    Therefore, are we divesting in the success of our nation as a whole to promote the growth of an unstable and unsustainable urban population influx?  Ad campaigns such as this leave me with this question thoroughly ingrained.

The Lingering Rural

This past weekend, I spent a wonderful day shopping for antiques in Gladewater TX.  Gladewater is known as the "Antique Capital of East Texas".  Actually, some of these titles are somewhat humorous here in Texas primarily because of its immense size.  When googling Gladewater, I found that there are perhaps 5 different "antique capitals" here in Texas; one for each region of the state.  Once I found the our destination, my fiancee and I were off with a late start to spend a great day in small town-rural Texas, as well as find some antiques to use in our upcoming wedding (maybe we can find a spot for this too!)

 
Later in the week, while working and generally reflecting on the wonderful time that I had spent among the town's people in Gladewater, I came across a recent podcast on Colorado Matters, an NPR show dealing with a wide range of Colorado issues and was stuck by the similarities between my weekend experience and the relationship of the Great Plains to the Rocky Mountains describe by Micheal Forsberg. Forsberg has just finished a new book entitled "The Great Plains: America's Lingering Wild" which documents the beauty and diversity of the fly over region in America. Listen Here.

Near the end of the interview, Author Michael Forsberg makes an interesting comment about the theoretical, geographical and social divide so prevalent at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.  He mentions the tension between the Great Plains and the Colorado Front Range while plainly stating that many of today's rancher's out east are begging people to "look East because there is beauty [there] too".  This sentiment could not resonate stonger in me having grown up on the Front Range and been given an eye-opening chance to look and experience the vast East on the plains.

How, then, does this connect in any way with Gladewater Texas and a quick road trip to look at antiques?  The contrast between the immense flat of the Great Plains in comparison to the towering height and beauty of the Rocky Mountains stuck me in a moment of thought to be vividly similar to that of the urban versus rural debate.  The towering urban landscape easily parallels the Rocky Mountains in this hypothetical portrait,  teaming with life and rich in biodiversity of people, culture, entertainment and careers. On the other hand, small rural towns are eerily similar to the Great Plains.  Many seem the same; small, flat and uninteresting, lacking the pizzazz and energy that a growing number of people thrive on.

As the author suggests in the interview, one must spend some time in the vast openness of the plains to grasp the gravity of their significance and the beauty of their simplicity.  Paradoxically, my fiancee and I were able revell in a similar notion while visiting Gladewater this past weekend.  Finding the beauty and simplicity of this East Texas hamlet would take some time and observation to appreciate.  In fact, even myself who is accustomed to small rural towns was somewhat turned off by the lack luster entrance to Gladewater.  My hopes of a quaint and friendly town were quickly dashing away as we approached the town with a somewhat unwelcoming appearance.  But then, as we reached the hub of the town, I was able to see with the great promise and fun this experience this might offer, similar to the thoughts of the author enraptured by the wild beauty of the plains.  Indeed, we would need to linger awhile in town to find what we were looking for.

Unbeknownst to us, my fiancee and I happened upon a special event put on by the town to mark the official beginning of the holiday shopping season.  Instead of closing at the usual Saturday time, the merchants all around the town square were going to be open until 8 that particular night, hoping to invite a crowd of people to enjoy beverages, food and fellowship while helping to jump start the holiday season the stores for the community stores.  We watched as the small town came alive with a strong showing of patrons to populate the sidewalks and stores while sharing their friendly town with us.   Stores became filled with people sharing stories, laughing, and eating all while the faint ring of the cash register kept account of the events success.

What a truly great surprise this had been; a genuine rural experience in small town America.  This is the stuff they make holiday movies about, hoping to give us warm fuzzies while we sip hot chocolate and reminisce with family.  Hats off to Gladewater Texas and their Lingering Rural.

 

 

National Ag Day and Google Art

Today is Veteran's Day and I would like to personally thank all of those who have served in the US Armed Forces to ensure my freedom on a daily basis.  I hope to remember this each day as these brave heroes make a grave sacrifice for their fellow Americans.

That being said, I also found it interesting to follow the google art from today aimed towards Veteran's Day. Hopefully I am not in violation with their policies by pasting this into my blog, but here's todays Veteran's Day logo.

The clever artwork that Google supplies on special occasions is interesting visually as well as educationally.  To find out more about the topic, one must simply click on the picutre to be supplied with a wealth of information on the subject at hand.  They provide special artowrk for a number of historic dates and causes.  The traffic this promotes is most likely awe-inspiring.  One specific cause that comes to mind is Earth Day as an example.

Well what about agriculture?  Our agriculturalists have their own day as well and it will occur the next time on March 20, 2010.  So, here's the deal.  I just contacted google about the idea of creating a special google art day for National Ag Day and I would like your help if you are intersted in seeing what the rural agriculture community can get done.  Unfortunately, I was unable to save the message to post directly here on America's Great Divide.  But, you can help by contacting Google's Business Development people to advocate for National Ag Day appearing as google artwork coming up in the spring of 2010.  Follow this link and share the idea.  I shared with them that I would be willing to spearhead the event and coordination that may need to occur but will undoubtedly need to continue with more people resounding the wish to have National Ag Day appear.

I contacted their business development group and shared my thoughts here:
http://www.google.com/support/contact/bin/request.py?bdpg=1&hl=en

If you think this is a worthy cause, let me know and we'll try and gain some steam for AG!

  

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?

Local Food and Agritourism: New York Style

This weekend I had the pleasure of meeting up with a friend that is a true blue New York City,  Manhattan resident.  Many times when agriculture and rural folks discuss those "city" people, New York City residents become the quintessential example.  While driving back from another urban experience in Austin this weekend,  I took the opportunity to pick her brain and ask what's really happening with this local food movement in the big city.

The first question I posed centered on whether the local and organic food movement was really that big of a deal in her everyday life and the lives of those around her. In my view, some of the most fervent supporters of the new profood movement seem to reside in NYC and the east, or at least they get the most press coverage! I figured the topic may be the trend of the moment for a large portion of people.  Therefore, the answer surprised me.  She stated that there are definitely a few fanatics she knows of, but does not see a widespread proliferation in her personal network of friends and coworkers.  In fact, she said that most of the people she runs with aren't even able to find the time for grocery shopping and prefer to shop with an online grocery retailer that delivers her items on her schedule. 

Ok, well that covers the upper income financial sector, but what about the rest?  Here came another shocker. In her own estimation, she and her friends had once decided that a person could not live comfortably on Manhattan Island without making a minimum of 150K per year!  Wow, that's incredible.  In my short life span, that would cover most of the people that I considered well-to-do. With regards to the rural sector of our country, that would just about make you rich! 

So what do these people do with all that money?  My friend let me in on a little secret that the local foodies go nuts over.  It's called Blue Hill Farm.  http://www.bluehillfarm.com/ After checking out the website and the menu, I was blown away.  This is the type of agritourism that most rural residents always talk about, or at the most poke fun of!  I can picture it in my mind "those city people will go out to a farm and pay $135 per meal! It's totally ridiculous!"  The key is that upper class urban residents are thirsty to learn, see and taste what fresh food is like and what rural life has to offer.  While I don't foresee most rural people that trying to profiteer from a fresh grown crop or the simplicity inherent in their lives, it is relevant to note that your lifestyle carries a value and possibly even a luxury price tag. 

When people are so busy with their urban lives and corporate jobs that they are unable to take care of the basic necessity of grocery shopping, the slow and steady pace of rural life becomes almost priceless.  Blue Hill Farms seems to be a little opportunisitc for my simple taste, but it validates many of my suspicions.  Much of the local food movement is perpetuated by an elite crowd with expendible income looking to stay "current" on the latest trend.  However, is it reasonable to continue promoting our rural heritage with luxury price tag although it philisophically clashes with the rural value set?  Capatalism says yes, and for a select few, they are reaping the benefits and paying the dividends.  Possibly a middle ground would provide a better future for rural America while staying true to it's roots.

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!

United We Stand

United We Stand.  Divided we fall. This famous line can be attributed to both John Dickenson and Patrick Henry from the late 1700's during the formation of our country, according to Wikipedia.  All Americans of our modern age should be able to remember this phrase's prevalence directly following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  Obviously, the phrases wisdom is important for everyone to think about.

Apply this motto to the Urban / Rural divide and this week's look at the major differences in life urban and life rural.  I'll cut right to the chase since it's Friday.  The main difference here is source versus resource.  A large portion of items and work performed in rural communities creates the source product upon which our entire economy is built. When I hear statements such as "Why does America need agriculture, we can just import everything" from a politically involved Washington DC friend of mine, I get very worried.  Just think about agriculture as a whole.  Mining, forestry and energy extraction all take place in mostly rural areas by rural citizens. Our American economy ceases without a source such as these. We simply cannot live an urban life without these rural exports. This is where the divide begins.

I don't believe that most intelligent people have forgotten how simple everyday products are made, but they have lost touch with where they come from. Possibly its difficult to connect the difference because the great majority of urban careers merely refine resources for further use. Rural source products help provide the base resource for just about anything that takes place in an urban setting.  Most likely, the main difference between the two sets of population lies in the fact that most people live out their city life and completely forget about natural resources as the basis for just about everything. Agricultural food production is obviously the easiest connection for metropolitan citizens to make.  Consumers eat, farmers farm. But, what about mining, forestry and energy extraction.  Does it cross anybody's mind that their shower is heated by natural gas drilling done in a rural setting or that their toothpaste is made from unwanted animal by-products?
http://forces.si.edu/main/pdf/6-8-BeyondTheBeef.pdf

 I raise these questions for one reason: rural and agricultural advocacy.  If you're an urban dweller I appreciate that, so am I (for the time being).  Therefore, please remember that somewhere rural folks are enabling you to live your life in comfort and they deserve to be fairly compensated for their efforts.  The reason you may not realize this is simply a lack of a unified voice.  Farmers, ranchers, energy extractors, miners and foresters all have individual interests they use to provide a voice for rural America. However, if they all ceased to produce and enable the urban life, would you stand or fall?

What's Your Worth

As the second portion to this weeks short series of the major differences I see between urban and rural life, I'd like to focus on what your time is worth.

Hourly rate.  There, I said it.  Urban people are notorious for this little phrase.  I've overheard a great number of people recount stories of astronomical rates charged by big wig lawyers, psychologists and executives.  As a side note, I find it interesting that many people out on the plains actually pronounce "lawyers" by combining the awy into an i.  I'll allow you to do the translation.

Businesses must know what their people's time is worth in order to generate fees, calculate revenue and create projections.  As I've stated, I work for an international design firm and I too have an hourly rate associated with my time and labor.  I know what I get paid and I know what the company charges for my time.  Oddly enough, there is about a 3.5x difference in the two.  It doesn't bother me that my billing rate is much higher than my take home pay and I am thankful to be well employed with a great company.

Nevertheless, what if we were to apply this same principal to agricultural producers.  Is that even a relevant thought?  First of all, I know that it really isn't.  Second of all, why not?  As a farmer or rancher, do you know what your time is worth?  I understand this thought is almost impossible to calculate, but is there something valuable for rural folks to take away from big city business?  Absolutely.

When I stop and think about how much a client is paying for my time, it automatically kicks me in the behind to continue productive and efficient use of my time.  Ag producers and rural citizens might ponder this in context of their daily activities. Yesterday I spoke about a couple of tailgate conversations that I have witnessed turning into an hour long event.  I even argued that this is one of my favorite parts of rural society.  However, if I was to apply that model to business and my hourly rate it simply can't compute. 

I am absolutely advocating folks continue in the rural tradition and take the time to live the good life. But, some urban ideas might be able to help improve it.  Trying to think critically about what my time in corporate America can bring to the table when I  find myself out in fly over country is a useful exercise for me.  Take for example being efficient as possible will leave me more time for my family and property.  This could allow me to maintain it properly so that urban folks feel absolutely comfortable visiting and learning about agriculture if they decided to visit. On the flip side,  I've been told a person can't always run at a break neck pace on the ranch because it will absolutely ruin you later in life. Most likely a good balance between efficient use of time and living the rural life is appropriate.

So, take pride in your work and remember that your time is worth money.  Even if a person doesn't spend the time to calculate an hourly rate, taking pride in a job well done and efficiently can do some good for the soul.

Opportunities in Diversification

In my profile, you may have read that I currently work for an international design firm.  What this may not tell you is that I am a landscape architect.  My firm performs land planning and design work on a myriad of projects all over the world.  From time to time, this also includes farms and ranches (usually for wealthy land owners).  In fact, in my 3 years in the professional realm, I have worked on 2 cattle ranches, one in California and one in Uruguay.

The thought of designing the rural landscape absolutely intrigues me.  I hope to somehow find a niche market in the future to provide design services for production farmers and ranchers that would like to improve upon their grounds and make them more marketable for the general public to visit.  I envision a small design business as the perfect supplement to the angus cow-calf operation that I hope to join in the next couple of years with my in-laws. Because of this, I am actually very excited about the current local food trend and the Know Your Farmer program.  Hopefully this will catch on and I can begin my venture.

One interesting problem that we often have as landscape architects is finding mature trees for the most important nodes in our designs.  We call these specimen trees and these trees usually have a trunk diameter of of greater than 12 inches.  Many times we want certain aspects of our designs to have instant impact.  Planting large mature trees is one of the easiest ways to accomplish this.  Interestingly enough, landscape contractors are always in search of the larger trees and are willing to pay a premium for them.

So, if you are a rural land owner, the possibility of extra income from selling trees to landscape contractors may be a great idea.  New technology enables tree moving companies to move some significantly sized trees.  The installed cost of these monsters can sometimes reach $60,000 as one did on a urban park that we designed in Dallas.  Unfortunately, the actual sale cost of your trees will be much lower, but could easily top $5,000 for a nice straight trunked specimen tree. If you've got a nice wooded lot or some trees that are in the way, consider selling them for a significant profit to your operation.  There are definitely some costs and work involved with getting a tree ready for transplating off of your property, but it may be worth the effort of contacting a local landscape contractor.

Follow the link to see some examples of trees being relocated.
http://www.treemover.com/photo_gallery.cfm

Inspiration in Simplicity

"What better of life than to dream and to do". -Margaret Gehrke

Again I am writing a post directly influenced by the viewing of Ken Burn's film "The National Parks: America's Best Idea."  I have found myself profoundly struck by this documentary and the open spaces it depicts.  I can not help but to be led towards the thought of agriculture and its immense impact upon our national landscape.  Some good, and yes...some bad ( I can't always be one-sided).  However, this post is not meant to shine a negative light, rather an inspirational look into life and our rural selves.

The quote listed at the beginning is insignificant in history.  It does not originate from a great dignitary of our nation nor a pontificate of a foreign land. Rather, this quote belongs to a life long National Park visitor and proud American from Lincoln, Nebraska.  Of all the millions of quotes in the annuls of American history, I was oddly struck by this simple woman's simple words.  Her dream was to visit all of the National Parks and she simply did it. What great solace I find in the act of simplicity. 

Today's realm of career and livelihood possibilities are massively complex and seemingly endless.  Our complex society provides great potential to young adults such as myself.  Potential to grow and expand a career.  Potential to work hard among droves of people in order to earn a spot at the table.  Potential for wealth and power.  However, while entrenched in the madness of achievement it can become challenging to unwind and allow yourself the pleasure of simplicity.  Simple is good.  It is necessary and becomes increasingly difficult to find once you begin the path of a complex adult life.

To me,  it is the simplicity of those who choose to stay rural and tend to their land that sustains our nation's economy and most importantly, our nutrition.  Even while the agricultural world remains abuzz between the merits of production versus organic agriculture, or tackles the complicated nature of biotechnology, it is the realization that we must simply feed and care for our world that drives agriculturalists to perform.

While we grow and steer our lives towards various goals, I think it important to take pause and recognize that there is success and dignity in simplicity. Simplicity exudes strength and builds character. Constant pressure pushes us to produce, achieve, earn and succeed within the parameters of our society.  But, deep within our existence, we grasp for something more simple,  something more rural?

Among my friends, the mere mention of the country lights up a passion for the outdoors and open space.  Speak of agriculture, farms and ranches sparks people's interest while usually leading to an invigorating conversation or story tied directly with a rural experience.  Rural life provides the simplicity these people seek and need for their own personal well being.

Personally, living in the city has given me a unique looking glass through which I gaze upon the simple life as a chersished goal.  Urbanites may think of farmers and ranchers as simpletons.  They may even bestow this sentiment to the majority of those living the rural lifestyle, but shouldn't simplicity be a compliment and source of pride in a complex world?

Getting a Start in Agriculture

Over time, I hope anyone who reads America's Great Divide understands my deep love and admiration for the rural lifestyle.  I think that some people are meant to gaze upon open spaces and work outdoors.  I'm one of those people.  I'm trying to fatten up my bank account with a steady ration of corporate earnings, thrifty spending and Maxwell House instead of Starbucks each morning.  Here's a quick update on that....

Well, I recently passed Dave Ramsey's baby step #1 in my saving account and even managed to double it!  I wouldn't consider myself a stout Dave Ramsey follower, but the guy's got some great advice.  Plus he's on before Rural Route, so that's an added benefit.  I'm steadily gaining a little ground in my 401K and ESOP, but we all know that money doesn't even exist unless you're 60+.  And, if you think it's real right now in your middle ages, good luck with retirement!

So how does that relate to my start in the Cattle business?  Well, that's enough for almost 3 cows on an off day at the auction!  Real cool.  Yes that's sarcasm and I've desperately tried to find the font SARCASM on my windows machine but so far have been thwarted by the Microsoft team.

For those of you who have grown up with agriculture, please count yourself blessed.  For a suburbs kid who wants to get involved with the in-law's ranch, the mere thought of capital investment needed makes me wet my pants daily with fear.  It's actually quite embarrassing and usually frowned upon in corporate America.  For now I'll try and keep my head above water and my eye on the horizon.  After second thought, maybe its the Maxwell House, not the fear.   

On Friday's I'll try and share the images I take to keep myself inspired and moving towards my dream.

The Meaning of Boots

What's with cowboy boots?  Well, to a suburban kid coming from the Front Range of Colorado, probably more than you think.  While growing up, if I saw someone wearing a pair of cowboy boots it meant to that the owner was probably from the country and had horses, cattle or farmed.  It kind of meant that you were a "cowboy".  That carried a heavy connotation for this impressionable youngster.  How many other kids do you know that would go to the county fair and rodeo just to go home and play rodeo with your legos?

Yep, that's me.  Cowboys and their footwear meant something to me.  I'm from out west and didn't even own a pair of boots until my sophmore year of college, when I started taking a great many trips to various friends farms and ranches.  In fact the only reason I bought them was my buddy told me "you'll probably need a pair of boots to come out for branding".  Since then, after meeting my fiancee and working on their family ranch, I've owned several pair and I love 'em.

Since moving to Dallas, I've had to rethink my personal definition of what cowboy boots mean. You could say that it was first challenged on an evening at one of my favorite uptown bars. When asked "what kind of boots are those" I quickly turned to find a cute young girl and replied "Uhh, I think they're Tony Lama's". I hadn't paid too much attention to them before.  My boots are one of my favorite things to wear out and said "this guy is living urban but definitely has some country flowing in his veins".

To my surprise, this young girl responsed saying "Oh, well mine are Luccheses." Now enter the devaluation of my definition for cowboy boots.  This girl had nothing to do with a country lifestyle, she was just a fashionista interested in how much my boots cost (pretty cheap at the resale shop and resoled)!  Sadly, I have had to refine my personal definition for boots.

To me boots are tied to "cowboys" and that has always meant agriculture. Boots were part of their garb, even a tool of their trade.  Boots were a validation of sorts that elevated a person's status in my eyes, it meant they were good laborers.  The fact that farming and ranching was ridiculously "hard work" was ingrained in me by all the urban folks around me.  Apparently they had some connection to someone who was involved in agriculture.  I was even reminded of this fact by my grandfather many times when he would recount his childhood on the farm.

Why does it matter?  In all aspects of my life, I really value authenticity.  For many of the people here in Dallas to wear around expensive boots just because the are Texans is funny to me.  They are taking a tool of the livestock tending trade and urbanizing it: making it less authentic.  Isn't this the same with many other aspects of urban life?  Merely trying to grasp at the highlights and customs of rural life while sadly distorting it to fit a fast paced - couped up lifestyle?

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/