In The Spotlight

By Matt Woolfolk, Field Representative & Commercial Marketing Director

This past weekend, my travels took me to Tennessee for a little family time mixed in with work. I sat down with my family to watch the Miss America pageant on Sunday evening. My 16-year-old nephew actually suggested this activity and he was very interested in the proceedings of the contest. He provided entertainment for the rest of us by comparing and analyzing each of the beauty queens’ walks down the runway. His reason: “I don’t want Miss America to be structurally unsound”. I’m glad to know that he was listening to my lessons on the importance of structurally sound cattle, but I worry that he may be taking it to the extreme when checking out the girls on TV!

All kidding aside, there was a really great part of the pageant that we as cattle people can take value from. As each member of the Top 15 was announced, a short video was played with each woman telling about their childhood. When Miss Arkansas was announced, she explained in her video how she grew up in agriculture. She was a farmer’s daughter who was active in 4-H and she showed cattle with her sister. It was neat to see someone with such a public platform speak positively about our industry and how it has helped her grow as a person. Although she did not advance into the top ten, she was one of my picks to win it all because of her message and how much I appreciated her willingness to promote agriculture on the national stage.

As an industry, we need more people like Miss Arkansas. We see public figures all the time doing commercials for organizations like PETA and HSUS, but those willing to step up and be a spokesperson for animal agriculture are few and far between. There are “a few good men” out there using their celebrity status to promote agriculture, but not near enough. We can’t rely solely on a celebrity spokesperson to speak for agriculture. As an industry, it’s up to those of us within the business to promote our cause and share with the general public that our goal is to provide food for the people of this country and worldwide. Each and every one of us can be a part of spreading the message. Farmers and ranchers are the celebrities of agriculture! Approximately two percent of the U.S. population works in agriculture. Yes, we are very much in the minority. But the opportunity is there to reach the other 98% (about 312 million people) and share what we are doing to raise healthy food to put on America’s dinner table, providing food for more people with fewer resources than ever before.

As Beefmaster breeders, we’re always discussing better way to promote our breed. It’s also important to remember that we’re a part of a bigger group, the agriculture community, which needs as much positive promotion as we can give it. Those that attack agriculture seem to forget that their food doesn’t get created in the back room of the local grocery. Let’s remind them of all the hard work that goes into feeding the world.