Cyndi's Two Cents

Following through

Fourteen years ago this month I began writing a commentary for this publication.  Although there are weeks when it is challenging to put into words that which is on my mind, I appreciate the opportunity to do so.  I do not expect everyone to always agree with what I have to say.  As a matter of fact, there are those who purposefully find fault with everything I have to say.

The topic of many of my columns over these many years has been “standing up for agriculture” and “telling your story.”  My hope has been to motivate those of you in the agriculture industry – farmers, agribusiness, educators, ranchers and bankers – to use your voice to tell the truth about what you do.  I don’t always get it right.

The “great divide” between those who produce the food, fiber and fuel and the consumer of such didn’t happen overnight. The current fragmentation of the agriculture industry didn’t happen overnight. The economic mess we find ourselves in as a country didn’t happen overnight. The obesity problem we have in this country didn’t happen overnight.  The out-of-control regulatory environment didn’t happen overnight.

The “fix” for any of these problems isn’t going to happen overnight. Finding balance is going to be a challenge. Standing up for what we believe in takes diligence, patience and most importantly, it takes action.

It infuriates me to listen to a self-proclaimed expert speaker or blogger talk about the evils of animal rights groups like Humane Society of the United States without offering some solutions or action steps that the recipient of this information might take. I was trained as an educator, so I call it a homework assignment.

What good does it do to get everyone at the cattlemen’s meeting worked up and worried about the anti-animal agriculture machine running the livestock industry out of this country if this self-proclaimed expert doesn’t offers some advice about what we, as individuals, communities or organizations can do?  For your sake, I hope the blogger you are reading or the speaker you are hearing is a consumer of news and facts.  I hope the opinion presented is based on an interpretation of that factual information.

It is exciting to see the grassroots swell of support for American agriculture today. I’ve heard from many of you that have challenged the curriculum in your child’s classroom because it was rife with untruths about animal agriculture. Others took the time to investigate where money from the church collection plate is spent once it leaves the community, and after discovering HSUS received a piece of it, went to work to keep that money in the local community. So many of you are reaching out to neighbors so they have a better understanding of the mysteries surrounding your hog barns, corn fields and those anhydrous ammonia nurse tanks.  And, some of you have taken a good hard look at your on-farm practices and opted for changes that are more environmentally responsible.

You are keeping an eye on proposed legislation at the state and federal level and calling lawmakers to voice support or opposition. You are monitoring your local newspapers, radio and TV stations for misinformation. When the news reporter covers only one side of the “livestock odor” story, you see to it he hears from agriculture’s side.

There will be challenging days ahead in 2017 and beyond. There are financially –motivated false prophets on every side of a movement; but you are no longer sitting on the sidelines chatting with one another about the “great disconnect.” You are arming yourselves with facts and getting in the game.