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American Gothic--back in style?What is the proper image for us in agriculture to present? That topic was the subject of discussion during a recent gathering of the Kansas Farm Bureau county presidents. I don't think we spend enough time discussing this critical issue. It was Matt Perrier from Eureka, Kan., who positioned it best. "Twenty years ago, we in agriculture decided we needed to present the business image and put on suits and ties. Now that "business" image may be hurting us as much as anything." I couldn't agree more with Matt but it does need further discussion. There is certainly a negative aspect that comes along with the old image of a farmer and his pitchfork, and our kids don't always handle it so well. I doubt I need to tell anybody that I pretty much look like someone from a rural background every day. I basically dress, off of the ranch, just about as I do every day at home working cattle--with the exception of maybe an ironed shirt and less-faded jeans minus any remnants of cellulosic biofuel digestion. I think it is very important that we present an image that connects us to the land. A business suit like the computer software salesman wears just should not be an example that we want to follow. Some of the best conversations I get into are in airports or on airplanes simply because I wear a black hat, a pair of Wranglers, boots and a wild rag, all of the time. For me, right behind the American flag, the cowboy hat signals a message of American patriotism and agriculture more than anything else you can do. Interestingly, though, it was the youngest member of that Kansas Farm Bureau audience who stood up with concerns about Matt Perrier's statement. He said, "I don't want to be perceived as a hick." I wonder how many of you know that many of our nation's young people are chastised for their rural roots. In fact, it is scary just how many teenagers I interact with each year tell me they try to hide the fact that their parents are farmers because their peers call them backwards, rural hicks. We cannot underestimate the influence this pressure has on our nation's agricultural youth. Image is shaped not only by what you wear but also by what you say. How you dress creates a first impression but the full image of agriculture that you convey includes what you say in the first five minutes that you open your mouth. The proper image for all of us in agriculture must be one of commitment: a commitment to the land, the animals and our local communities. Agriculture recently lost the Proposition 2 fight in California because the image of modern agriculture is not the correct one. Sixty-three percent of the California voters voted to ban cages and crates because they believed the image of agribusiness was only concerned about profits instead of the animals. The proponents of Prop. 2 accomplished that by continually throwing out terms like "industrial agriculture" and "factory farms." That brings to mind something that concerns me as much as the attacks from outside of agriculture and that is the failure to defend from within. Darren Williams, executive director of communications for National Cattlemen's Beef Association, is currently telling people, "There is nothing wrong with calling our operations 'factory farms' or 'industrial agriculture.' We do it on a large scale and that is what we do." I am here to tell you once we start adopting the terminology the vegan groups have created to use against us, animal agriculture is in trouble, for sure. This, to me, represents a true lack of understanding about the image that most closely aligns with the history and the future of American agriculture. Since 1776, American farmers and ranchers have worked tirelessly to find a way to efficiently convert natural resources into human consumable products. Today, we are the best of any nation in the world at providing the essentials of life from the ecosystem without harming that natural balance. I believe it is vitally important the image we present every day of the year, all day long, is one that puts the emphasis on God, family and the land. When our kids are confronted with the suggestion they are backwards simpletons, have them remind these folks that many in our nation spend 51 weeks each year at work so they can afford to take their family on a vacation and experience our way of life for just a week. Shoot, most of them will pay dearly to come help with farm or ranch activities that we often take for granted. Typically, the people who are the most critical are simply jealous because they don't have what we do. Once again, the people who make their living in this business are the most passionate about making sure their kids can do the same. We can surely find a happy medium somewhere between overalls and a business suit because, most of all, it is the pride we portray, the passion that we exude and the desire to share our story with the world that will help us recreate a positive image for agriculture in the minds of our consumers. Editor's note: Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.FacesOfAg.com, or e-mail Trent at trent@loostales.com. 11/24/08 Date: 11/20/08
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