I recently received my WWII magazine in the mail. I enjoy reading the articles and skimming through the pages. This month there was an article about Thanksgiving during WWII. It spoke of the rationing and the supplies that were unavailable for purchase to make the perfect Thanksgiving dinner. Some folks had chicken instead of turkey and recipes had to be set aside with the restrictions on meat, butter, and sugar. Betty Crocker said, “At the end of the day, let us be sure we can say I worked for freedom today. I served at least one food from each of the basic seven food groups. I prepared the food I served with care. I wasted no food this day.” These people strived to serve well balanced, nutritious meals with the burdens that were placed on them by war.

Today in America, we are blessed to have full shelves in the grocery store; we can go in and buy just about anything our heart desires. As a cattle rancher, that makes me very happy. I wake up each morning excited to produce beef for our great nation. I am very proud of my family’s 93 year operation and the great heritage that has been passed through the generations. Just as my great grandfather did, we continue to care for the land and the livestock. The daily feeding, caring, and checking of the cattle comes first in all the management decisions we make here on the ranch. As a fourth generation rancher, I am very concerned about the misinformation that is being spread by radical, agenda driven organizations.

With the daily articles, news segments, and attacks from opinion movies, I am saddened that our industry is constantly under attack. It's unimaginable to think that there is an agenda that truly wants to take my product and all meat products off the shelves. These activists are not just twisting the truth; they are targeting the meat industry with outright malicious and blatant lies in their effort to ultimately make this a meat free society.

Everywhere we turn, we see yet another attack against meat. A recent Larry King show questioned the safety of beef and attempted to scare consumers with guests that advocated a vegan diet. Then, Tony Gonzalez of the Atlanta Falcons, has been promoting his new book, “The All Pro Diet”, where he eats a diet low in animal proteins and high in plant foods. And recently PETA had a Halloween ploy, portraying Ronald McDonald as the evil animal abuser in an attempt to scare children away from eating meat. What is happening to the well balanced diet?

As we start to plan our Thanksgiving meal this year, let's remember those WWII families that didn't have all the food choices available to them. Let's be sure that our menus contain items from all the food groups and be thankful for our freedom to choose. We must have the freedom to serve well balanced meals to our families.

I’m currently working on an application for an Ag Promotion Grant from the Minnesota Farm Bureau Foundation. Our county Farm Bureau would like to host our 2nd Breakfast on the Farm in June 2010. We held our first in June 2008.

What started as early morning ramblings in our milking parlor in the fall of 2007, morphed into a perfect opportunity for us to “tell our story” by June 2008.

One of our goals was to communicate the economic value of animal agriculture. With that in mind, I asked for volunteer and monetary support from the business connections we had. I was pleasantly surprised by their reaction, it was usually “when is it?” or “how can I help?”. They were asked to attend wearing their work uniform, we wanted the public to see the people employed by animal agriculture. Our nutritionist, DHIA fieldman, and 2 AI company representatives lead the farm tours. The wife of our DHIA fieldman was the perfect person to run the information table. Our veterinarian wanted to set-up his own booth, and had video of the ultrasound we use to pregnancy check the cows. A local lamb and wool producer asked if she could set-up a booth.

Not only did the local agri-businesses volunteer, but we had the local 4-H clubs keeping the tables clean, and they set-up a petting zoo. The local FFA chapters ran our state’s Farm Bureau Safety Trailer. Our county Dairy Ambassadors made an appearance also. I originally asked them to be on hand to serve milk and cheese; they called me back and asked if they could also do some activities for the kids – wonderful! Our local Sheriff’s Reserve was on hand to assist with parking. We had other people who volunteered to do a shift serving the food. The list could go on and on.

On the big day, we had about 400 people attend. Due to the efforts of our many volunteers, it truly turned into a family event. I remember a lady made a point of coming up to me during the breakfast to thank me, she made a point of telling me that she brought her 2 grandkids from the metro area with her, this was the first time they had been on a farm. After talking with people who had lead tours, and other members of our farm, we had a lot of conversations that day that “told our story”.

Over a year later, I still have people that I have never met before ask me when we are having another Breakfast on the Farm (the last time was in the post office parking lot). We are hoping to add more to it this time by having a scheduled time that we can talk about our farm, the care we give our cows, and what we do to protect the environment. It is my hope that we can reach even more people this time, and “tell our story”.

In the October 25, 2009 issue of Hoard’s Dairyman, an article entitled “Every Dairy Must be a Shining Example” by Kirk Sattazahn caught my eye. As I read the article, I thought about how it applied to our dairy operation.

One quotation in particular made me sit up and take notice “Having a well-managed, sanitary dairy with well cared for animals is no longer the way to get ahead in the industry; it is the ticket that allows you to be in the industry.”

Wow, the more I thought about that, the more I realized how much truth there is to that concept. As an industry, we are starting to come under intense focus by the consumer, and groups who do not want us in business.

Like with anything else in agriculture we are only as strong as our weakest link. Every dairy, no matter its size, has its place. However, there can be no room for the dairies that do not have acceptable animal husbandry and environmental practices.

I believe this concept not only applies to dairy, but to all aspects of agriculture. What can you do to improve your farm or ranch best management practices? This is a question I constantly ask myself, especially after a new anti-agriculture video or article is released.

We need to unite to give consumers a clear message and tell them our stories. One of the strengths of the activist groups is their strong, clear, emotional message. We need to tell our story! We need to unite our voices, and do the same thing.

Last week I had the opportunity to see some of New York’s finest battle it out in front of the judges. Young Farmers from across the state came together for the state semi finals of the Discussion Meet to see who would surface as this year’s top four finalists. For those not familiar with the Young Farmer and Rancher contests, this is a great way for our members to show off their speaking skills, and test their knowledge of pressing issues that affect the agricultural industry.

As I watched the contestants go head to head, I was impressed by the professionalism and confidence that each participant brought to the table. However, some were more prepared and better trained to face their opponents and block any jabs that came in their direction. Others, unfortunately, found themselves up against the ropes and struggling to find the right words to keep the discussion moving forward.

After the first round, the contestants went to their corners to strategize how they could go the distance. They knew they would have to stay on their toes and be ready to stick and move when the timing was right. Contestants anticipated the moves of their opponents and the discussion moved swiftly. Topics such as immigration reform, food safety, environmental regulations, and the public’s perception of American agriculture all made their way to the table.

By the final round of verbal sparring everyone was mentally exhausted. In some cases the 15 minute bell couldn’t come soon enough. Those who weren’t as prepared didn’t even know what hit them, but fortunately no one ended up throwing in the towel. Meanwhile the more experienced and seasoned contestants looked onward with the hopes of taking home the purse.

After going to the scorecards the judges came to a majority decision on the four finalists that would journey to the state finals this December in Rochester, NY.

This is obviously an exciting time as hundreds of young farmers and ranchers across the nation are preparing to participate in this year’s state leadership competitions including the Discussion Meet, Excellence in Agriculture Award and the Achievement Award. Congratulations to all those who are advancing to the next round, and thank you to those who were brave enough to step into the ring.

I recently read the following tweet on Twitter, “It makes me sad when farmers attack other farmers because of different production methods. Come on people we are in this together!!!” I couldn’t agree more. There is room for all sizes and types of agriculture. Production methods may vary, but all farmers have the same goal and that is producing the best product they can.

This afternoon I purchased some corn fed beef at the grocery story. Why? Because my family raises corn-fed beef. Despite my preferences, there are other folks out there who may prefer grass-fed beef. I have many friends who raise grass-fed beef, and I’m glad that there are folks out there who want to buy their product. So it is truly sad when one kind of farming attacks the other. I realize we are all trying to promote the products we grow; however, there are positive ways to do that without attacking the other’s production methods.

With the world’s population expected to exceed 8 billion by the year 2025 all types, sizes, and production methods of agriculture will be necessary. To face the challenges that lie ahead we must stand untied, for as the saying goes, “United we stand, divided we fall.”