Becoming Somebody Worth Knowing: Bringing Up The Average

GW GW COMMUNICATION MESSAGE Becoming Somebody Worth Knowing: Bringing Up The Average

By Jake W Renner

I grew up my entire life with a personal mindset that to be "somebody," I needed to be surrounded by people I felt were already "somebody." I have heard multiple times throughout my young adult life, "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." Take a second and ask yourself who you spend most of your time with (outside of your family) and what impact they have had on your life in the last week, month and year. Growing up in a small rural community in Kansas, I was lucky enough to be raised by parents who continuously led by example and showed my siblings and me what it meant to give back. My parents worked harder than anybody I knew, as I am sure you remember yours doing. Because of the roles my parents played within my community as the city clerk, fire chief, resident umpire, and bus driver, it was not uncommon for me to hear daily from them, "Don't forget to act like a Renner and be a leader." Back then, I wasn't sure exactly what that meant aside from the obvious avoidance of anything or situation that I wasn't brave enough to tell them I'd done when I got home.

What does any of this have to do with the beef industry and our role as stewards of the land? Whether we like it or not, technology is becoming second nature to most. Those who have not yet adopted its convenient nuances are not far behind for many reasons aside from the fact that it will soon be unavoidable. News travels fast. In the blink of an eye, a picture, screengrab or comment on an article can be posted stating something along the lines of, "Local ranchers let cows stand outside with snow on their backs in the storm to freeze”. See, people are watching. But are they? The unfortunate reality is that some of these accusations placed upon the beef community's men and women are just that, assumptions, and misinformed ones at that. Fighting the negative rumors surrounding our lifestyle from misinformed consumers is an uphill climb that we cannot win. If you read my article last year, I discussed why it is important that we, as agriculturalists, educators and leaders, answer the difficult questions pertaining specifically to animal production and land use.

In recent news, a decision was made by a highly influential group of individuals to abandon meat for a day. Shock and awe rattled the beef community across the U.S., to no surprise. Supporting the individual(s) who keep an activity, event, trend or movement against the agricultural way of life goes against everything we feel internally to be worthy and true of a hard day's work.

Shun the non-believer, you might say. How do we take a situation like those in recent news and make them suitable for us? We support those who continue to fight the good fight. We must remember that there are still many others who need our support now more than ever. Now is the time to show our respect and support to those who continue feeding cattle, complement our mindset, understand our practices and have taken the time to support the agricultural way of life. Be the one who helps those who support us. Now more than ever, our fellow cattlemen and cattlewomen need us. Here are the five ways you can heighten public awareness and make a positive difference without lowering the bar: 1. Stop sharing news articles surrounded by negativity. At the end of the day, your "share," even accompanied by a well-written and scholarly rebuttal, is still another share for them. 2. Make public the day-to-day activities you and your family go through that make growing up in the agricultural community worth respecting. 3. Before getting defensive when somebody asks why you raise cattle or eat beef, take a second to ask them why they do not and find common ground in their reasoning. Maybe you both have kids and want to feed them the most nutritious options

available. Perhaps they do not understand that caring for cattle looks different from caring for a dog or cat. It sounds small, but something as simple as sharing the same concern like family health, sustainability, etc., can open their eyes and start a constructive conversation that might not otherwise have taken such an opportune turn. 4. Tell your story. I cannot say that enough. It does not have to be a blog on the internet or a new fancy social media account. Taking five seconds out of your day to tell somebody what you did this morning and the impact it makes on these animals' lives will resonate further than you imagine. 5. Stay positive. It is easy to hunker down, slap on our war paint, and brace that shield for war. Positivity and sharing the truth will go much further than arguing with those who want to argue. Chin up, there is so much to be thankful for and share with others. So, do it.

Consider the five people who make up your "average". What positivity are you bringing to their table? After all, people are watching, so act like a leader. Be somebody. F