Racing to the Finish Line: Agriculture

My background in farming consists of this: my dad grew up on a farm and I was in 4-H as a kid (and no, I did not show animals). That's it. Or it WAS until my world was completely flipped upside down and spun around when I married a farm girl.

The first time I visited my – girlfriend at the time, now wife – Amy's, family farm I was given the task of picking rocks in one of the fields. Her dad literally plunked us in the middle of a field with a wagon and a tractor and told us to pick up rocks. I mean I had heard the phrase 'rock picking' before but never had a desire to participate.

If it was supposed to drive me away, it didn't work. I returned.

I think I started winning her family over when I continued to come back even after the most ridiculous tasks. One time I even got attacked by a coughing cow (Just take a moment to think about that). One of the most memorable moments early in our relationship was when we were standing in the farm house kitchen and we look out the window to see a heifer staring back at us. I learned right then and there. It doesn't matter the time of day or what you are wearing: if someone yells "COWS ARE OUT". You run…and fast.

I have now been fully immersed by the "farmer schedule." As someone not used to the long, physically laborious days, it's exhausting. Often when at the in-laws, I help milk and feed the cows, feed calves and clean the parlor…which is a never-ending task.

I will admit I am a self-proclaimed neat freak, so I enjoyed getting to clean up the parlor (or so I thought). The first time, I worked for an hour or two to make it shine. It stayed that way just long enough for a cow with a strategically-aimed backside to change that.

I'm not afraid to admit the calves are my favorite. When they're not head-butting you between the legs – which is a less than pleasant feeling – they're just so darn cute and relaxing. I've heard of dog therapy before, but is there such a thing as calf therapy? If not, I may have discovered it. Often, I'm found snapping pictures with the little buggers. People say photos and video of cats rule the Internet, but I think it's just a matter of time before calves get their time to shine.

Growing up I didn't give much thought to where my food came from. It's not that I was blind to the agriculture world, but I hadn't experienced it first-hand and had little connection to it. As with many consumers, the thought didn't go much beyond food comes from the grocery store. I didn't understand the battles today's farmers experience every day...or, in fact, the joys their profession brings. There is a disconnect between the average consumer and the American farmer, more so than there was a few generations ago. That's why it is so important to help share agriculture's story.

Now, even though you may not be a farmer, you may be closely connected to agriculture because of a friend or family member. You are valuable to agriculture. I want to share a story about a girl in Texas who just might be the perfect example of why you need to speak up for agriculture.

Kendyll Williams is a young girl from Fort Worth, Texas. She has been criticized by animal activists for selling her market steer at the Fort Worth Stock Show. (Animal activists believe animal agriculture of any kind is inhumane.) Her steer, Oatmeal, was born blind and certainly didn't show much promise for a good show animal. But, Kendyll who is 13 had a goal to get Oatmeal to the Sale of Champions and raise some money along the way to purchase more steers and eventually pay for college. Oatmeal advanced to the sale and was sold for $8,000. Kendyll said her goodbyes to the animal she had raised and developed a trusting relationship with just like many others in the beef industry have done and will do.

If you have shown beef animals before, you know first-hand how hard it is sometimes to watch them be loaded onto a truck, but it's part of the process and part of the circle of life. (Cue Lion King melody??)

Oatmeal was transported with dozens of other steers to a meat processing plant. The local newspaper published a story the following week about Kendyll and her steer. That's when the Internet trolling began. Many readers commented they were outraged that the steer had been sold for slaughter. Others did show their support, but it's the hateful and vicious comments that leave the lasting impact, especially to a 13-year old girl.

Some accused her of being heartless. Others were shocked she could kill an animal after growing so close to it. Some comments stick out to me like, "Can we start a Go Fund Me page to help the family keep the steer until its natural death?" or "Cruel. I'm sorry but either keep him or see to his safe passage beyond. Poor thing must have been beside himself leaving her and carted to death in a strange, most likely inhumane, slaughterhouse."

Beside himself? I don't know about you but I have never seen a steer 'beside himself' before…

After the first story ran, a Facebook page -- Oatmeal Blind Steer -- was created and animal rights activists were trying to save the steer from entering the food chain. All of the commotion worked because Oatmeal was "saved" from the meat packaging plant and donated to Texas A&M for research. Which many were still not happy about.

You give activists an inch and they'll want a mile. The extremists out there want him at a sanctuary, period; here he can live a happy life as a pet. These activist groups are harassing the family who raised the steer, making constant phone calls to Texas A&M and the company that purchased the steer. They will not stop until they "free" this animal. Is it a realistic battle? Absolutely not. I'm sure though, if asked, many would say they would like to free every animal on every feedlot. Perhaps they would much rather see cattle cease to exist altogether and meat taken off the dinner table completely.

This is our reality in agriculture…this is what we are facing.

This story isn't about a lack of compassion for an impaired animal. Livestock shows teach youth invaluable skills, work ethic and life lessons, including the responsibility of treating animals with respect and the importance of raising quality animals for nutritious food. The family knew the ultimate purpose of this steer from the get-go, and that's what cattle are raised for -- to produce quality beef for families around the globe. We can't go "saving" every steer that a group of activists wants.

Unfortunately, we live in a society where people see little difference between pets and livestock.

It has been proven time and time again that social media can create a firestorm of outrage. We must stand together to combat this firestorm. There's power in numbers. These activists don't have more numbers, they're just louder. Which is why they're successful. We can be loud too! We must be louder.

So what can we do when eaters, even some highly-educated health professionals, don't understand agriculture and what it takes to produce the food on their plate?

Share. Share. Share. And be there to connect people to farmers.

When the general public thinks of farmers or the ag-industry they think of little red barns. They may even think of the word "hicks." They think of ma and pa getting up at the crack of dawn and milking some cows by hand. My weekends at the farm are far from a vacation, They generally consist of 15-plus hour days, and they’d be even longer if we had to milk all 200 cows by hand! Plus, we’re not just up to milk and then head home to flip on the TV…to see what the Kardashians are up to. There’s so much more to Wisconsin agriculture than just getting the job done, and even in the great state of Wisconsin, where farming is at our roots and a part of our lifestyle, people don’t understand about the day-to-day operations of a modern working farm. Many don't get the amount of work and dedication that goes into keeping the farm afloat, let alone the pride every farmer I know glows with. So get out there and share that with the public.

At my in-laws, Manske Family Farms, we have done farm tours the last couple years. It started as an education opportunity for the neighbors. The farm was expanded in 2014 from a small dairy with stanchions in the 'little red barn' to a parlor with almost four times as many cows milking. We invited the neighbors, family members and friends out to the farm one summer afternoon and showed them around the new facility, explaining the process of milking each day, the sanitary procedures required and cow-care that is practiced.

We opened up the doors for anyone and everyone to stop in and see up-close what a working farm looks like. We welcomed questions, and clarified the misconceptions like how there is no antibiotics in your milk. We showed them the bucket the cow-treated-with-antibiotic's milk goes into and explained that it would get dumped down the drain: not go in the tank with the other milk.

This "open barn" event has continued and grown. We had a pretty cool moment happen last year when we actually had a calf born at the same time tours were happening. A woman with Down Syndrome was on the tour and took great interest in the cow calving. The family stayed for an extra half hour so she could cheer her on as she calved.

I also never get sick of seeing a little kids' face when they let the calves suck on their fingers. There's spit and slime everywhere but there is usually a huge smile on their face. It's an unforgettable experience.

We have to answer the questions people have. If we don't, they will Google them and who knows what they'll find. Many of the questions may seem obvious to you. Something like 'why are the calves all separated into individual cages?' or 'why do you take the babies away from their mother?'. 'Why artificially inseminate?'. 'Do you give your animals shots?' We can't chastise those who ask the questions or make fun of them for not knowing. They're curious, and they want to know more about what they don't understand. It's an opportunity for those of us knowledgeable about agriculture to get to them before the animal activists do.

I think that the ag industry can do a better job of finding a common ground with the public and finding a way that farming relates to them. This is what many of the ag journalists in the state do every day. Why might someone not associated with agriculture care if there is a drought? Well eventually there will be a shortage of some kind of food and they are going to want to know why their grocery bill is going up. Connect the dots back to the farm for them and make them understand that farmers, equal food on their table.

It's important to share positive messages about food and farming in person and online. Tell your friends, both those involved in ag and especially those not, about what you do around the farm or in your projects. Take time at the county fair to talk about your show animals with fair goers. Let the kids walking around the fair pet your calf. Talk about the TMR mixer in your snapchat video and what you are doing with it. Tell stories about crop rotation and tilling the fields when you post a picture in the tractor on Facebook.

Let's take a second to talk social media. Social media is a strong marketing tool. It helps to knock down the barriers. Something as simple as sharing a photo or video helps showcase what you do on a daily basis. I've never seen an industry so passionate about what they're doing, so show people why you love what you do whether that's on the farm or in some other part of the ag-industry.

It's no secret when I'm at the farm for the weekend, because I am snapping away, showing my "city friends" all around the farm, and getting up close and personal with those cows! Not too long ago, I was a city boy through and through. Now, it's not uncommon to receive a selfie of me hugging one of the cows or bottle feeding the calves with the stupidest grin on my face.

It's important to think as a marketer. What I mean by that is think about the message you want to convey. What is it people do not get that you want to change? Start there. Show this message in a positive light. Change the negative perception that exists about the ag industry. Social media offers a unique way of communicating with the public because you are creating content people can engage with. A big advantage to social media is that someone can directly respond to what you're sharing. It's a great way to connect consumers to agriculturists.

I work for the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, which is a government agency dedicated to promoting all the fun things we have to offer here in Wisconsin. I am so proud to have the opportunity to promote ag-tourism as part of my job.

Now ag-tourism has been a buzzword recently. Even though, it means different things in different parts of the world, ag-tourism is defined by an experience that includes visiting or staying on a working ranch or farm, vineyard or agri-business, and having the opportunity to take part in the everyday workings of the destination. You might be able to assist with animal or crop care, harvests or cooking. It's an educational experience for the visitors and another source of income for the ag business.

In Wisconsin, ag-tourism is incredibly diverse. It includes an afternoon at a pumpkin patch, apple orchard or strawberry farm, a trip to a local dairy to milk the cows, getting lost in a corn maze, trying a fresh, squeaky cheese curd still warm from the vat, going to a petting zoo or farmers' market. It gives those who don't often have the chance, to see where our meat, vegetables, milk and other products come from. With these experiences, it's important to engage both children and adults. It's important to expose kids to these opportunities early. It's far easier to craft the minds of young people while they're still trying to figure out answers in life for themselves. But that doesn't mean you can rule out engaging the adults. Even though many of them already have an opinion in their mind about agriculture and what it means to them, it's never too late to learn and they most likely have questions.

Today, less than one percent of our nation's consumers live on farms, with many being four to five generations removed from even knowing someone that farmed. A generation of children is being raised who don't know how an apple grows on a tree or how a gallon of milk gets to the grocery store. It's kind of scary…

At the Department of Tourism and the Wisconsin Ag-Tourism Association (or also known as WATA) we invite consumers to get in touch with the land – whether that includes a farm-stay bed and breakfast or visiting a pick-your-own orchard or food discovery center. With these experiences, consumers have the chance to meet the producers, farmers, growers, brewers, bakers and cheesemakers who are directly responsible for bringing us local, Wisconsin products. Until I had the experience, I didn't know much about farming. We really need to get those customers to experience agriculture.

Currently in Wisconsin, and plenty of other states, there is a huge foodie movement. People are interested in and want fresh, locally-sourced foods. Events like dinner on the farm and pizza farms are increasing in numbers. Farm-to-table dining is blowing up in urban settings. Restaurants are promoting themselves as farm-to-table, meaning they get their food directly from the source to deliver to consumers.

I think it's important to mention diversity in agriculture is important and that is what really makes Wisconsin unique. We have a lot to offer. Large or small, conventional or organic, Jersey or Holstein… it doesn't matter, because people need to have a place to get their information on farming and ultimately, we are a small crowd and need to stick together.

My in-laws and brother-in-law's farm isn't an ag-tourism destination, but it acts as one on occasion. Those tours are important. Transparency is crucial.

The open-door policy is a growing trend, and if it's possible for you to do, whether you work on a farm, in a cheese factory, at a brewery or winery or in marketing for agriculture, reach out and connect with community groups. Invite them for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at what it is you do every day. There's interest out there. It might not seem very revolutionary or cool, being that you see it all the time. But some don't. Some grown adults have never had the opportunity to set foot on a working farm. Peak their interest and welcome them with open arms. With so much negative press in agriculture, this is a perfect way to say "We have nothing to hide. Come take a look for yourself." This goes for inviting the media as well.

Agriculture isn't always seen as being cool or attractive. Most think of it only as back-breaking labor, without an economic pay-off — and little room for career advancement. Agriculture means more than subsistence farming though. Today, you can explore career options in permaculture design, communication technologies, forecasting, marketing, quality assurance, urban agriculture projects, food preparation, environmental sciences, advanced technologies and more.

Farmers, businesses, policy-makers and educators need to promote agriculture as an intellectually stimulating and economically sustainable career—and make jobs in the agriculture and food system cool for young people all over the world. You may not be a farmer; neither am I. But there are so many opportunities in agri-business, journalism, ag marketing and public relations. My wife, Amy works in communications for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. She wanted to stay connected to the farm, without the day-to-day operation. I think it's because she isn't a morning person and didn't want to get up early to milk cows everyday...

I promote ag-tourism in my job with the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. There are countless opportunities out there to work in agriculture. You don't have to become a farmer to promote agriculture or work in the industry.

I now know where my dad became so knowledgeable about so many things, and my father-in-law is one of the smartest men I know. Seeing – and often helping with – the labor that goes into each day in agriculture gives me great appreciation for farmers and agriculturalists. Many farmers are a caregiver, veterinarian, midwife, mechanic and business person, in addition to being a spouse and parent.

Agriculture is lucky to be made up of so many knowledgeable men and women. The education, diversity and passion I have seen as an onlooker in the Wisconsin ag community is impressive. And this all starts with young generations. Participation in 4-H and FFA programs teach you invaluable lessons not only in the importance of the ag industry, but also life lessons in responsibility, the rewards of hard work and personal character. I urge you to get involved, or if you already are, stay involved, in agriculture. Become a part of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation or their Young Farmers and Agriculturists program. Attend events like Ag Day at the Capitol where you have the ears of our state legislators to explain what farmers and the ag industry need to be successful. Channel your passion for agriculture to make a positive difference for Wisconsin. We need you.

Now things are not always going to be easy to share agriculture's story – just remember Oatmeal the Steer. If I have learned one thing about farming, it's that sometimes it seems like nothing can go right. One time on the farm I stayed up until nearly 2 a.m. helping my father-in-law fix the TMR in the freezing cold. Another time I got the teat dipper kicked out of my hand leading to it getting all over my face (and yes I took time to Snapchat it before wiping it off…).

You see farming isn't always easy. Neither is being a leader. But if we work together and everyone does their part in sharing ag's story, we can make a difference.

Growing up, my dad used to always say, "Everyone should have to grow up on a farm." While I may not have done that, the tale sure has come full circle. I now, am what I like to call, "a part-time farmer and a part-time 'ag'vocate."