01/13/06 Promotion

Promotion The American cowboy and rancher has great advertising appeal. Some people think we aren't using it properly. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be right back to explain. The cowboy and rancher image has always forced fared well in advertising campaigns. The problem some people like Nevada state senator Dean Rhoads sees is that image too many times promotes other products and never promotes the ranching lifestyle and the worth of that lifestyle to the nation. John Spitler, livestock editor for Western Farmer-Stockman magazine agrees with Senator Rhoads and says one of the main reasons ranchers don't promote ranching and its worth is because of an innate independence that says, "leave me alone and I'll leave you alone." But both men acknowledge that this attitude needs to be changed in today's world where so many urban people don't even know a rancher or farmer and this creates the misinformation gap that causes problems for production agriculture. I personally think the first and only information urban dwellers receive is from organizations that would like to see agricultural production curtailed or eliminated. Public relations campaigns in Idaho and Nevada do inform the public as to the worth of grazing public lands and the benefits contributed to others by the ranchers leasing these lands. John Spitler says Americans need to understand the significance of their nation's agricultural producers before it's too late. "We don't want to become as dependent on foreign food as we have energy." I couldn't agree more. I'm Jeff Keane Western Farmer-Stockman  January 2006