Introducing the bloggers
Bridging the Gap
This past Friday saw agriculture receive a big boost from someone in the public eye- Miss America Teresa Scanlan. A native of Nebraska, Scanlan used her newly-acquired title to help provide a voice to all those back home in Nebraska, and to all families engaged in agriculture across the country.
On a daily basis, the agriculture industry is bombarded by media images and statements from various groups such as PETA and HSUS that are propelled by celebrity spokespeople who support the groups’ agendas. When Miss America penned her op-ed and filmed her subsequent segment that aired on Fox and Friends, it was an affirmation that there are those out there who are willing to help and give a voice to the true face of agriculture. If you haven’t seen the op-ed or TV segment-click on the following links:
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/04/15/miss-america-teresa-scanlon-americans-stake-success-farmers-ranchers/
http://foxnewsinsider.com/2011/04/15/miss-america-2011-teresa-scanlan-on-her-fight-against-childhood-obesity/
Needless to say, one can start to feel a little lonely when promoting the cattle industry out in Washington, D.C. when there are so many misconceptions held by the public when it comes to agriculture. I’ve begun to lose track of the number of times someone has commented on the pin that Jess and I wear on our suits- the pin is in the shape of a cow and filled in with the American flag. Once people see it, it is almost always an instant conversation starter. I always include my personal background when discussing what USCA is and am always met with surprise when explaining how my family’s ranch is currently in its 5th generation of operation. The general public has been bombarded by images of expansive feedlots with the attached explanation that these places are where our meat comes from. People often take that as point blank information and don’t often realize that the majority of beef produced in the U.S. today starts on a family farm.
This disconnect in understanding where the public perceives their food as coming from and the actual reality is becoming increasingly large as the images and press put out by animal-rights groups is heightened in visibility due to celebrity supporters. It is quite the boost in morale to have someone in the public spotlight, such as Miss America Teresa Scanlan, to come out in support of agriculture and all of the families who work day in and day out to ensure that the nation is provided with food!
In today’s society, it will likely continue to be an upward battle to promote the true story of the cattle industry. With that said, I am truly proud to be working out in Washington, D.C. Through the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association I know that I am representing my family’s operation and am able to advocate and attempt to bridge the gap between the misconceptions held by many on agriculture and instead try to bring a face to the industry and tell its story in a city where the decisions regarding the industry are made, yet the disconnect remains large.
Jess in the national news
Would you like to read more about Jess from someone other than Jess? We’ve compiled it all for you at the Western Skies Strategies News page. Visit the News page regularly for up-to-date national news coverage from sources including the Brian Allmer Radio Network (BARN), KBHB 5 State Live, Capital Press, Western Livestock Journal and Forbes.com.
Join the journey
Somewhere between boots and saddles, briefcases and taxis… an idea was sparked that a cowboy lobbyist and a highly-skilled writing professional should team up and narrate the adventures of a young Montanan trying to build a cattle operation, a cattle association, and a lobbying and consulting firm. Oddly enough, all three of these jobs have a single striking similarity—a large majority of the paycheck is the satisfaction one gains from working extremely hard to make just a little bit of progress doing what we love doing.
So here’s the deal: I am going to attempt to relay the stories and adventures that take place throughout this journey. You will soon see that I have a passion for the job; I talk a mile a minute; and my ADD often seems to drive me overboard. Fortunately for us, a highly-skilled writing professional will clean up my thoughts and ramblings…. She will make several references like—note from the editor “Jess meant to say” or “I have tried to revise Jess’s ramblings several times, and this is the best I can do.”
So get ready, we are taking a journey. We’ll all learn, laugh, and cry together. As stated, I have a short attention span so most of my blog posts will be short blurbs on any given topic that affect my daily work and play as I travel somewhere between boots and saddles and briefcases and taxis, again and again.
Why (oh why) me?
Sitting in the kitchen at Jess’s family ranch after this year’s branding (his hundredth or so, my first), I marveled at how Jess must feel going back and forth like this – one day in the city talking as his job and the next day here physically working as his job. It seemed to me that he could be good at one or the other, that he could only love one or the other. So I asked him. Essentially he said he needed both. Essentially he said one cannot exist without the other. Essentially he said that what I see outside the windows (wide open space, a couple of working horses, the calves they had just branded) and that what I felt inside the house (camaraderie between family and friends, the ability to laugh over the day’s minor mishaps, pure physical exhaustion from hard work)—that it could all be in danger without someone pounding the streets in DC talking about it, without someone voicing the concerns and needs of all families and small businesses in rural America.
The fact that the “someone pounding the streets” happens to be him still baffles him, I think. 
And the fact that I am driven to help and support him still baffles me. After all, what do I know about it? I live in DC and grew up in a subdivision in the suburbs in the South. The first time I rode a horse, it threw me; it took me 17 years to try again. The sum total of my experience in Jess’s “other world” is that my grandfather farmed in northern Indiana, which to me meant only that he woke up very early in the mornings and he had a farmer’s tan. Once my grandmother sent me a picture of cows in a field with “these are the cows we will slaughter this year” inscribed on the back. That’s it.
Now I connect to rural America through Jess, in simple ways like carefully reading his ramblings and the news he finds relevant, like adding and subtracting commas, and like studying the Farm Bill, carbon offsets, foot and mouth disease and more. Now, I look forward to helping Jess share his adventures and maybe I can even help convince other unlikely people like myself to advocate for rural America. But enough about me, let’s go find Jess…
Categories
Tags
Comments from friends
- Naomi on Burgers, burgers and a trip to NY
- Stacia Couch on And it’s day 2… USCA Fly-in
- Naomi on Shopping out west
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « Apr | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | ||||