CALF_News_December_2018_January_2019

42 CALF News • December 2018 | January 2019 • www.calfnews.net s agriculture continues to quickly advance and change, you can choose to embrace the future or cling to the past. In a world full of aging farmers and ranchers seeing some of the lowest com- modity prices in a while, it can be hard to have hope about the future.When all you see is a stack of bills piling up. All you hear is that no one wants to come back to the home place. All you think is how technology is starting to pass you by. What happens next? Even when everything feels like gloom and doom, there is one piece of being a cattle producer and crop grower that will never change: “Agriculture is unique, we all need it, and we always will. It is also a very interesting thing, [agriculture] is always changing, but it never changes. As we continue to develop the technology, we also see doors open and close. With the change comes opportunity.” Lee Reeve, Reeve Cattle Co., Garden City, Kan. The key to remaining relevant in this industry is always to be aware of the change and don’t let the door hit you from behind. Technologies on and off the farm continue to improve and create more jobs for the agriculture industry than its seen in a long time. You can do whatever it is that you would like to do and still be in the field of cattle or crop production. Do you like building computers and software? We need you. Do you want to design websites and manage social media? There are more jobs than you can imagine. Do genetics and number crunching make you giddy? Done and done. Are you someone who enjoys working in emergency and safety management? Many operations have an on-sight safety person. You (including all the parents and grandparents out there) need to keep your mind open and cast your net wide when thinking about where your place in agriculture will be. The business of food production has never been so diverse. Never before have there been so many outlets and opportu- nities for creating a niche program. We have organic, grass-fed, hormone-free, “certified” beef brands, conventional, and many other ways to market our product. I like to compare this opportunity to the Walmart phenomenon. You see, everyone likes choice, espe- cially as we have more disposable income available. You have savers and you have spenders. All types shop the aisles of Walmart. Do you know why? Because, for the most part, they can pick out whatever they want – and that’s options. A shopper may spend more on meat, choosing a Certified Angus Beef® or Certified Hereford Beef® steak, but make up the difference on some of their other groceries by purchasing the store brand. Another shopper may come in and need the cheapest option of every product, including their ground beef. And still, a third may come to the store without financial reservations. And that is ok. There is room at the table for all types of agriculture.Where this gets fuzzy and becomes a sore subject is when certain brands or finishes tout their product as being superior – this is wrong and unethi- cal. The point is everyone is welcome, and everyone is needed. This creates an amaz- ing opportunity for all of us! There Is Room at the Table A By Aly McClure Contributing Editor TOP LEFT: Eli Holle keeping his own detailed records of the calves worked that day. BELOW: Girls getting in on the action is nothing new. Savannah McClure likes to spend her days mooing and “testing” the rations at Circle Heifer Development in Garden City, Kan.