I Couldn't Have Said It Better

Sometimes people outside of farming are much better about telling agriculture's story than people that live there everyday. A trip I took the last week in June couldn't have illustrated that point any better.

I traveled to Lubbock, Texas, organizing a one-day conference on sustainable agriculture production. It featured some great speakers, and I hope to share their presentations with you soon. The people I met traveling between Manhattan, Kansas, and Lubbock couldn't have been more different.

On my way to Lubbock, I met Ed. He was a beef-loving Texan who raved about the great beef at United Supermarkets, complimented the juicy steaks at Saltgrass Steak House and explained how he converted his wife from well-done to medium-rare steak. He was a walking-and-talking beef ambassador.

On the way home, I met Cindy, a chef from Arkansas. She was reading The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. We talked about what she liked about the book, and I offered some first-hand experience about some of the book's misconceptions.

Honestly, I wish I could have taken her right out to my family's farm and pointed to the great things we do in agriculture every day. When I got home on Thursday night, I discovered someone got that experience I wished I could have provided Cindy.  My friend's blogs were buzzing about the latest post from nutritionist Ryan Andrews.

Andrews received a bachelor's degree in exercise science and master's degrees in exercise physiology and nutrition. The guy is a health expert and vegetarian, and his latest blog post is about his visit to an eastern Colorado feedlot. Andrews covered all the misconceptions most folks have about modern agriculture, and he couldn't have painted reality any better.

Take a few minutes to read about his experience, and take notes. It's worth remembering his experience the next time you talk with consumers about modern agricultural production.