Grazing, we need some help with this fight.

This is the third blog post I have written about grazing, and I’m sure won’t be the last.

An Instagram post popped up on my feed the other day from an environmental group that made me realize we better start talking a lot more about grazing, I guess we are still on the hook for harming public lands.

In this post the environmental group claimed that rich private land owners and grazing permittees are trying to keep the public off public lands. This of course is propoganda used to push their agenda and scare folks all in the name of “saving the west.” I have never heard of a permittee including us, and I have been around many of them my entire life ever utter the words, “we want the public off public lands.”

So, I began to reply to this ridiculous accusation, then I quickly paused and gave it second thought. I don’t want my family and our business in the crosshairs of this group. That pause made me furious! Individual family farms and ranches afraid to push back on wrongful accusations that could devastate their livelihood, in fear they may be the next target. Even in this blog post I won’t say the name of this environmental group for fear of retaliation. That’s just how much powerful these groups have become and anyone who has been in a lawsuit with one of them knows this is true.

This is exactly what these groups want. If no one is pushing back against their narrative they win. These non profit NGOs have the time, money, (including our tax dollars through government grants) and recourses to come after our permits, they are well organized and gaining traction.

So of course I can’t just sit back and do nothing, none of us can afford to do that. I decided I would pass this on to the organizations that represent us. So I forwarded the environmental post on to R-Calf, California Cattlemen, NCBA, Society for Range Management, US Cattlemen’s, National Grazing Lands, CA Farm Bureau, and National FB. I also sent it on to Discover Ag and UNWON (they are social media influencers that highlight AG related issues.) And last, Range Magazine, they are always so good at shining a light on AG. This is the message I sent with the post-

“(Blank) environmental group is stepping up their propaganda on social media, and individual ranchers like us, are afraid to respond or push back in fear of retaliation on our grazing permits. This group is very organized accusing permittees of wanting the public kicked off public lands, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I am urging you to get active on social media and elsewhere to push back. Also take a look at their website, they are very organinzed. I am afraid if we don’t get organized on this issure that soon we will be standing around wondering what happend to out grazing permits.”

So far I have heard back from California Cattlemen, R-Calf, and Range Magazine. they all thanked me for passing the info on and asked that when we see posts like this to send them on to them. I appriciate them replying, and I appriciate all they do for our industry but I can’t help but feeling we are behind the eight ball on this issue and others.

Agriculture gets it from every direction but it almost always leads back to the climate and the environment. The false narrative that Agriculture is to blame for environmental problems, has taken root and it is not letting up. Of course AG organizations are helpful with education, litigation, and in so many ways, but it feels like we are still loosing in the court of public opinion. Environmental groups have taken this fight to social media and have affectively pushed their propaganda in the seven second attention span of most people who scroll, which lets be honest are most people. These environmental groups can make just enough since in a short amount of time with statement like “saving the west,” or “keeping the public on public lands.” folks that don’t know better like, share, and even donate, believing that cattle are the problem without knowing the whole story. These groups have learned the language of this generation, and they are using it to demonize ranchers who have been stewards of these land for decades.

I went back through the social media of some of the organizations that represent AG and it seem like they are talking mostly to their member, not the general public. They are not identifying the problem and solving it in seven seconds to thousand for free. They are advertising their next meeting or convention, or giving long talks on policy. It is great to post about those things, but I wish they would talk directly to folks who aren’t in agriculture. The folks who don’t understand why there are cattle on public lands, and what that has to do with their dinner plate. We have to win with the general public. If we don’t win public opinion we have lost the battle.

I am no social media expert but I have used it to promote my business and agriculture. I can think of several topics off the top of my head that could be used in a short clever reel or post. Like- who is growing your food -how do cows help mitigate fire -how do cows help the climate. There are endless topics, and there are countless people in AG that are ready to like, share, and repost that content. We need to remember that most the population isn’t involved with agriculture, we need to talk to them directly about subjects that they might not know about. The good news is that we have facts and data on our side, we don’t need to use scare tactics and propaganda.

I certainly don’t have all the answers, but we in agriculture need the help from AG organizations and media on this issue. We have to have someone between the farmer/ rancher and these very powerful environmental organizations. We as individual producers can’t compete, fight or even push back against them without putting our businesses at risk. We also can’t do nothing.

So please if you are a member of an AG organization let them know we need their help to push back against this kind of propaganda. If you are an AG organization I urge you to get busy on social media getting your message out. Consider hiring a twenty something social media PR team to step up your game, and even repost environmental nonsense with facts and data to debunk their claims. If you are in the media please shine a light on these issues. And, if you are a consumer of beef continue to support US producers! It is going to take all of us doing everything we can to keep food production in the hands of independent US producers and these grazing permits are a big part of it. Thank you for your help!