My Beef With Society

You Wanna Know What I'm Gonna Be When I Grow Up?

Two Words:

Beef. Producer.

AKA Rancher AKA Hick AKA Redneck.

You Wanna Know What else? My parents and siblings have always been extremely supportive, as well as a few other family members. But outside of them, for my entire life I've gotten flack for it. Ever since I was in junior high school when I started meeting with school counselors I was always told I should be something like a doctor or a lawyer, I was even told once that a job like that was more dignified. Another time I was told my chosen path was a waste of my people skills. Well, today I am here to defend my dream and stand up to my naysayers for all the internet to read. Er, maybe I'm just here to get on my soapbox. Feel free to skip over this post if you're not in the mood. 

FIRST: Doctors and Lawyers are wonderful, the world will always need them, but that is a cliche to success that EVERY student is told.

Consider this: Doctors are there when you get sick and/or need surgery. Lawyers are there when you are in trouble/need a divorce/need representation. RANCHERS and FARMERS are there to produce your food. I will take food over getting sick or getting in trouble ANY day. Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to be successful in the profession of food production. The individual is in charge of their financial well-being. After all not ALL doctors and lawyers are financially stable. Likewise, not all farmers or ranchers are financially stable. Every person must learn for themselves how to be fiscally responsible.

SECOND: The job of a Farmer/Rancher is extremely Dignified.

I don't know what it is about today's society, but for some reason everyone seems afraid to work physically hard for a living. Being a laborer is considered to be a bad job. I feel the exact opposite. In my opinion, no work is more fulfilling than work where I break a sweat and get my hands dirty. Have any of you ever worked out in a garden, tilling up the ground, feeling the dirt in your hands, noticing the creepy crawlies who complete the ecosystem, planting your seeds or seedlings to produce something beautiful or delicious? It is marvelous! I'm religious, so for me it is also a testament of God's grace and presence in all aspects of our lives. To be able to go to market with your beef or pigs or chicken or vegetables or fruits or grains is a job worth holding your head up high for. What could be more dignified than bringing forward a product that you kept nourished and produced for the well-being of everyone else. It's a job that revolves around providing for the greater good of others.

THIRD: My desire to go into Beef Production is NOT a waste of people skills.

Truth: the farming and ranching lifestyle is a very rural and isolated one. Lie: farmers and ranchers lack social skills and do not socialize with one another. It is quite well known that in the cattle world Branding is a busy time of year. It is a time that brings together friends and neighbors to help one another and get a large task done efficiently and quickly. It is also well known that barn raising is another task that brings together friends and neighbors. Both situations are often accompanied with food, music, story-telling, games, and friendly banter. However, did you know that Cattle Associations all over the country also meet several times a year for forums, conferences, clinics, etc? They meet to discuss innovative machinery and technology, ways to help one another, methods to improve output, new business plans, and methods for improving advertising. These societies can be found on every kind of level from international to small chapters in places like colleges and universities. In my own university chapter of the Cattleman's Society we learn about new ways to channel genetics, advertise product, utilize land, and even start our own operations. We have keynote speakers and meet with people in the industry so that we can network for jobs, internships, and just general contacts. Being shy will not get you anywhere, you must develop your people skills.

So why do I bother stating this?

I'm not sure if I felt like being stubborn. I don't know if I felt like being snarky. I do know, however, that I believe some of societies views to be a bit skewed. I believe that a person's success is not based solely on the amount of money they make, the size of the house they live in, or the type of car they drive. I measure success by the lives a person touches, the happiness they experience, and the opportunity they've taken to make their dreams a reality. Granted, one should not pass up an opportunity to be successful in an area they hadn't considered out of stubbornness, but I think there's a certain amount of a stick-to-your-guns attitude that everyone should have. I want to be successful because I make my dreams a reality, have a family, and touch the lives of many. Because success is relative. This is life as seen through the the rose colored lenses of Nat. 

I'd love to have your input! Leave a comment, a message, or an email. And as always, have a great day!!