From the Ranch: I’m a Proud American Producer

It's easy to see that I’m very proud to be a part of the agriculture industry.  Each week I share stories, topics, news or information I find interesting and moving about the industry that provides the most basic needs for society.  I’m proud of the heritage I was raised with by farmers and ranchers that loved the land, the livestock and the good Lord that provides it all.  I didn’t really think it was possible to love a lifestyle and work more, until I went on vacation outside of the country and I realized what a truly incredible industry I get to be a part of.

In life we often believe that what we experience is the norm.  We assume that the way we do everything from cooking dinner to putting on our pants is not only the normal way, but the way that everyone does it.  But that couldn’t be farther from the truth and until we experience life in another way, we never really appreciate what we have.  

I was just coming out of high school when I realized that while ranchers in Montana and Idaho both raise cattle for beef, they could do it so differently.  I grew up in an area criss-crossed with rivers and creeks that allowed for season long irrigation.  Our rotational grazing meant we would return to previously used pastures once they had grown up again.  I was surprised to learn that my counterparts on the Idaho desert relied on Mother Nature to provide the irrigation and were happy to have only one go grazing their various pastures.

This small example quickly taught me how operations in the same industry producing the same end product could go about it in various ways based on what resources they had.  I learned to expect differences, variations, and adaptations within the industry and even appreciate the differences.  And even still, I was surprised to find just how different it can be a whole world away.

Recently visiting the small country of Costa Rica, I have the fortunate opportunity to experience agriculture half a world away.  The developing country depends on their agriculture industry for 6.5% of their GDP and 14% of their labor force using only 10% of the land.  This might not seem like much, but in a country whose lifeline is tourism, these small numbers are actually
quite significant. 

These producers are quite literally farming and ranching in the jungle, waging war against the dense wilderness that constantly threatens to take over their operations.  The very posts they use to build fences, soon sprout and grow into new trees as they are constantly watered and nourished.  

Outside the few major cities of Costa Rica, the infrastructure and roads are very primitive.  The narrow, potholed roads may connect the rural country together, but certainly limits what sort of vehicle can make the drive from point A to point B.  This in turn meant that their equipment, anything from tractors to horse trailers to big trucks, was small and limited.

Large operations of Costa Rica were more similar in size to what we might consider a large hobby farm here in the US.  And not only could they sustain a family or two, but even gave the family a status of being wealthy.

I could go on and on describing the differences of agriculture between the two countries but I think you get my point.  We wake up each day with the same type of work to carry out, but the way we go about that work- the scale of the work, the tools at hand, or the miles to cover- are vastly different.

So many of the differences we experience in our two industries is due to the advancements in technology, constant research and refined innovation.  And through all these advancements, we have created an industry that has the ability to help feed the world in a highly efficient and sustainable way.  

In a time when it seems like our practices, ideals, and livelihood are under constant attack, I am so proud of how far our industry has come, the challenges we have overcome, and the reach our products have around the world. I’m not just proud to be a producer, but I’m extremely proud to be an American producer.