Common Sense Agriculture's Blog

Oprah Winfrey

I recorded the Oprah show, Go Vegan For A Week,  that aired last week with Michael Pollan as a guest and the topic being veganism. I finally had a bit of time to watch and digest what had been said. Because society is no longer connected to the food that they eat, shows such as this tend to make me a bit nervous. Call me paranoid, but when a major celebrity, a popular documentarian and an author are giving advice to a million plus people on “healthy” eating, I get skeptical. On issues pertaining to health and diet, consult a doctor and for information on agriculture, talk to a farmer or rancher. There were three primary “nuggets” that I thought were of significant importance, one of which I found myself in partial agreement with Michael Pollan and another with Oprah Winfrey.

First, I was impressed by the inclusion of the video from Lisa Ling’s visit to Cargill. While it may have been “shocking” to those not familiar with the beef industry, it represented how agriculture has changed by blending efficiency, quality and animal welfare. Cargill, as shown in the video, has implemented modern technology, handling methodology and designs by Temple Grandin that reduce stress on animals. What I really appreciated about this video was the fact that a major company was willing to allow cameras to enter one of their facilities to share their part of the agricultural story. Read more…

This is a follow-up to my recent post “Behavior, Brand, Impact.”  

Social media has opened a door of opportunity to promote businesses, organizations, events and projects. How does a person go about deciding what to “RT” on Twitter, “Share” on Facebook, “Link” to in a blog, or “Upload” an endorsement on You Tube? Do you quickly show support based on the recommendation of a “friend” or “follower,” or do you carefully analyze situation and the individuals involved?

Your image or brand is affected not only by what you say and how you say it, but also by what and who you choose to support, endorse or promote. Read more…

The other day, after returning from Atlanta, I was going about my daily routine, thinking I was in four-wheel drive and proceeded to get stuck. After getting out of the truck, looking things over, checking my hubs, then looking at my dash panel, I realized I had not been in 4 wheel drive. After locking my four-wheel drive, I easily pulled out of the mud and proceeded, simply by transferring  from a single wheel attempting to drive the vehicle to four wheels working together in unison.

This situation got me to thinking about the relevance of my getting stuck in the mud and how it metaphorically applies in the real world.

Example 1: Federal government is “stuck in the mud” believing they know what is best for the individual.  Isn’t it time to “lock in four-wheel drive,” work with the people and allow the individual the opportunity to choose what is best for themselves? Read more…

Over 6,000 family farmers and ranchers converged in Atlanta, for the 92^nd Annual American Farm Bureau meeting. Each individual represented a unique ingredient of what collectively makes up American agriculture.  Over the course of four days, old acquaintances were reunited, new friendships were forged, valuable information was gained, lessons were learned and the policy to guide Farm Bureau through the next year created through the ingenuity of grassroot family farmers and ranchers. Read more…