Wake Up Call

It's that time of year. The nights are getting cooler and I start missing the fact that I can't be working with the calves that have been weaned. It's the middle of the semester and I can't seem to get a grasp on things. I sure do need a ride outta here. But this morning seems to have started this day differently.

I finally made the decision that I am tired of late night studying and the feeling that I can never get things done before morning classes. So I have reset my alarm to 6 so I can get something done about it. I can really start to tell that fall is right on its way to Oklahoma. Yesterday I really noticed that some of the leaves are drying out and starting to change, and as I stepped out on the deck this morning before sunrise it was cool enough to see my breath. Makes for a great start to the day. But for a jump back to reality I had to jump right into studying for my Meat Science exam today.

My speech class has been assigned our group project for the semester. We have to select a problem and propose a solution. As I got to thinking what I could suggest for a topic to a group that is not involved in Agriculture, I began to think about society perception of the Animal production industries and the whole, boring organic/natural foods discussions. Why is it that so many people have a bad perception of the animal production industry in America? Why is there such an uproar about the safety of food from animal products and the push for 'natural' foods? I think it is partly due to our neglect of sticking our neck out there and doing something about it. We can sit here, moan and complain about all the false statements that are being said, and never do a thing about it.

I had the opportunity to work with some people this summer that had no clue about ranching or cattle handling. I was really surprised about their views of my job, and what they thought of the cattle industry. It was an eye opening experience to how close-minded I am to how people think about cattle ranching.

So I have decided that I want to propose as our topic the natural/organic foods issue? What better way to find out what people think about animal production and the reality of these food options than to work with them and find out what they think. It should be a good opportunity to discuss the topic and present a solution and the facts to the class. It may only be 25 people, but if I can bring up the issue and make 25 people really think about why they are paying more for food with a certain label, AND realize the facts about their food production, it's 25 more people that I can reach. If we all asked only 5 people about what they think of animal industries, there would be a major change. THINK ABOUT IT!