Agriculture gets it from every direction but it almost always leads back to the climate and the environment. The false narrative that Agriculture is to blame for environmental problems, has taken root and it is not letting up. Of course AG organizations are helpful with education, litigation, and in so many ways, but it feels like we are still loosing in the court of public opinion. Environmental groups have taken this fight to social media and have affectively pushed their propaganda in the seven second attention span of most people who scroll, which lets be honest are most people. These environmental groups can make just enough since in a short amount of time with statement like “saving the west,” or “keeping the public on public lands.” folks that don’t know better like, share, and even donate, believing that cattle are the problem without knowing the whole story. These groups have learned the language of this generation, and they are using it to demonize ranchers who have been stewards of these land for decades.

If you are old enough (over fifty) maybe a little younger in some areas. You can remember a time when every summer wasn’t filled with smoke and devastating wild fires. All the small towns throughout Northern California and Oregon had lumber mills, healthy forests, vibrant economies, thriving schools, and clear skies.

In the last twenty five years or so in the name of saving the spotted owl and the environment. Those managing our forests, and the activists that drive their policies have killed small town economies, wildlife, their habitat, and devastated people’s lives. They have left forests filled with dead and dying trees like in this picture I took last week when we where going along fence. Just waiting for one lightning strike. Every year it gets a little worse.

I’ve been seeing what seems to be a growing trend on social media lately about vaccines in cattle being harmful to humans who consume beef.

I can understand why this has happened. People are very distrusting after what we have been through in the last few years with vaccines, and rightfully so. But it seems now we are going too far the other direction.

I think a misconception that is made about generational farmers and ranchers is that their kids are just given something for nothing. Just handed a business. It isn’t that simple. The next generation might be given the opportunity, but it is definitely worked for. It is hard to pay a living wage on these places. There is no benefit packages, or overtime payed. In most cases a different profession would be a more financially sound choice.

Last week I posted pictures of our branding, and received a message telling me how cruel I was to do that to a calf. I got to thinking about the 98% of the population that don’t do this, and decided that maybe an explanation on why we brand our cattle would help clear up some misconceptions.

We move and rest allotments the entire summer grazing season. Working with BLM and Forest Service to best figure out these rotations, considering water, wildlife, and soil. Also keeping in mind fire mitigating. It is a great relationship. One we fight for against “environmentalists” that don’t want to see cattle on public land. What they seem to forget is that cattle have been here and are part of the ecosystem, they help to keep this land healthy. If they didn’t it wouldn’t be sustainable. This sustainability has been proven over decades. If this practice didn’t work it would have ended long ago, the land wouldn’t have allowed it.

Out west you hear ranchers say things like “turning out” or “moving to the next allotment.” These are everyday terms used in the western United States. There are many who don’t know what these terms mean, or have a misconception of what a grazing permit is. Grazing permits are a crucial part many operation including ours, so I thought I would write a short blog with some basic information.

In the western United States there are millions of acres owned by the federal government. Forests Service and Bureau of Land Management manage this land.

Going back centuries ranchers have been grazing cattle and sheep on all this wide open space.

Tonight as I was looking through my daughters engagement pictures I realized somehow we pulled it off. They survived, so did we, and they are good people.

I sure hope people continue to support independent ag producers, and speak up to reject the notion that anyone besides you should make your food choices.

It’s been a long haul, and I’m definitely not done but I feel like it's finally happening.

This seems to be the question on the minds of more and more people these days. With record numbers of US farmers going out of business, and empty grocery store shelves. It should be on everyone’s mind.