Local Ranchers Are AGtivists
I’m Susan Allen. Several years back working for the Food Fore Thought foundation I coined the word “agtivist” and when Open Range returns I’ll tell you how some ranchers I know carry this mantel. Today the majority of the ag conferences I attend promote the same message; that farmers and ranchers need to do a better job of communicating with consumers. These seminars typically teach how to blog, tweet and twitter and while this is all great given the long hours in the saddle or on equipment it’s not a practical expectation that ranchers have the luxury of aggressive PR. There are other creative ways to reach consumers. Several Eastern Oregon ranchers showed they were Agtivist’s when they hosted a group of urban students from Portland’s Sunnyside Environmental School through the 4-H urban/Rural Exchange. Initiated several years by OSU’s extension services today getting selected to visit an eastern Oregon ranch and play cowboy has city kids begging for a chance. This year Todd Nash and his wife Angela hosted two seventh –grade girls who took part in a cattle drive and fed cattle off of a flatbed. At the Schaafsma ranch another Jr. High student loved bottle feeding calves but also experienced the harsh reality of ranching with the death of a cow. The memory of ranching for a weekend will have a big impact on all the participants. The Schaafsma, Nash and other Eastern Oregon ranching families that hosted these students are true Agtivist, by teaching America’s young people, many generations removed from ranching where their food comes from
