Talking Agriculture with Mike Rowe

Last weekend Stacy and I had the privilege of meeting with Mike Rowe.  If you haven't heard of Mike you've probably been living under a rock for the past six or seven years.  He's practically become the face of the Discovery Channel with his hit show Dirty Jobs and along the way he's also become the face of the American worker. 

Through his experiences doing Dirty Jobs across the country he's come to realize and appreciate that everything we have is either grown or mined from the earth.  Along with that his appreciation for the people that do that work has grown.

Out of that the mikeroweWORKS.com website was born.  It's a site dedicated to educating people about the importance of skilled trade workers, including farmers and ranchers.  Through that Mike happened to find my youtube video where I dumped a bottle of Yellow Tail wine on the frozen ground to tell people that they had made a donation to the world's wealthiest animal rights group, the Humane Society of the United States. 

Our work with the Farm American project also caught Mike's eye and they featured a blog post of mine about the program on their site.  When it turned out that we were all going to be in Atlanta at the American Farm Bureau Federation meeting we were able to finally meet in person. 

Mike and his team were very interested to hear about our efforts to advocate for agriculture, including our work with the Farm American program.  Mike gets a lot of requests to be spokesman.  In fact he was the most sought after spokesman in the world in 2010.  His name has been thrown around many times in the world of agriculture as someone that would be a great spokesman for our industry.  But Mike can wisely see that we don't need a single spokesman, we need lots and lots of advocates for agriculture.  Mike isn't an expert in food production, not the way that farmers and ranchers are.  So while he is certainly willing to help share the story, ultimately we are the ones that need to be doing it. 

Mike also highlighted the efforts of the Farm American program as a great way for farming and ranching families to spread their message.  He was impressed by the unselfish efforts of Furniture Row to start the program because it was the right thing to do, not as a way to pay for a race team.  When you explain to someone all of the things we could do with Farm American to tell the story of agriculture it starts sounding too good to be true.  One look at the race car proves the intentions of Furniture Row though.  There's not a single mention of Furniture Row on the car.  That really caught the attention of Mike as it has with so many others. 

We are really looking forward to a continued partnership with Mike and his team at mikeroweWORKS.com to tell the story of agriculture.  Mike is a genuine guy who was a pleasure to meet and visit with.  He's certainly a friend of every hard working American and as he put it, a big fan of "chewing and swallowing".  It was a real pleasure to spend a few hours "chewing and swallowing" with him last week. 

You've heard me telling you to be an advocate for agriculture, now hear it from Mike Rowe.

Farm American Update

SD Cattlemen's Association

Today we are at the South Dakota Cattlemen's Association annual meeting in Aberdeen.  There are lots of great speakers here including Gregg Doud, chief economist from NCBA, Randy McKee, one of the best estate planners in the country, and Amanda Nolz who will be talking about social media. 

Being involved in your industry organizations is extremely important and it's why we are involved in several. 

Have a great day!

2010 Trailblazer Award Winners

When Joe Roybal called me late this summer to say that Stacy and I had been selected at BEEF Magazine's 2010 Trailblazer Award honorees I was pretty much speechless (which doesn't happen very often).  My first thought was that we probably weren't old enough to be a trailblazer in the beef industry!  Never had the thought crossed my mind that we would be considered for an award like this.  We didn't set out to win any awards when we started telling our story but we truly appreciate it. 

So a big thank you to Joe and everyone at BEEF Magazine for thinking of us!

Here's a link to the 2010 BEEF Magazine Trailblazer Award article.

It's Time To Do Something Different

I’ve been talking a lot lately about the Farm American Project. One of the reasons that I’m so excited about it is because the goal is to promote the Farmers and Ranchers that grow the food we eat. For years we’ve had commodity specific programs with a very narrow focus of emphasis. These programs certainly have their place and I am a big supporter of them. However, I truly believe that we need to embrace this program because it will promote the individuals in our industry.


We’ve seen the need to humanize farmers and ranchers for quite some time now yet it seems that very few have implemented strategies to accomplish it. Farm American is in a unique position to get it done. This project would allow 160 million consumers to meet the farmers and ranchers that grow all of their food.

No matter what we raise or how we raise it, consumers want to meet us and learn more about us. We all win when consumers get that chance.

Some people and ag companies have looked at this project and thought it’s not worth the effort. Here’s what I know for sure, the past strategy of thinking that there are groups of people that don’t need to hear our story has put us in this troublesome position. That means we have to think in new ways and move in new directions to have our voices heard. We can’t be scared, we have to be confident. The ag companies that step up and help make this a reality will prove themselves to be the true leaders in ag business because they will recognize this as an opportunity. It will be clear that they intend to be partners with Farmers and Ranchers for generations to come.

I want my children to have the same opportunities that I had to be involved in agriculture. In order for that to happen we need to let consumers know who we are and why it’s important that we are here. The opportunity is being given to all of us to get that done. It only remains to be seen who will take advantage of it.

It’s time to work together.

AgriTalk and Farm American

I want to thank the crew at AgriTalk for having Pat Driscoll and myself on the air this morning.  The Farm American Project is an unprecedented opportunity for farmers and ranchers to share their story with the American public. 

In order for it to become a reality next year we need everyone's help.  We need the help of individual producers to spread the message of the project AND we also need them to encourage agri-businesses to support us with their funding. 

You can read the entire story of the project by clicking here.

mikeroweWORKS.com Helping Share Our Story

I just wanted to say a quick thank you to the team over at http://www.mikeroweworks.com/  for volunteering to help us share the story of the American Farmer and Rancher.  Mike Rowe and the entire team are certainly big supporters of the hard working men and women that make this country what it is. 

I really appreciate them posting my blog article on the Farm American project.  If you haven't seen it yet you need to check it out.  http://www.mikeroweworks.com/2010/10/farm-american/

Farm American

We’ve been saying it for a long time in agriculture, we need to be proactive in our efforts to educate the consumer about domestic food production and the farmers and ranchers that grow it rather than being reactive to the latest inaccurate accusations from an anti-ag group. There’s not a better way to do this than to tell our story one person at a time and let consumers get to know us, let them meet a real farmer or rancher. But we’ve also talked about how great it would be to tell our story on a bigger stage to a bigger audience. With limited resources and opportunities it hasn’t happened yet, however, that is about to change.

I truly believe that the opportunity we have been looking for has just landed in our lap. Even more amazing than that is it’s coming from someone with no ties to agriculture at all yet he realizes the important job that farmers and ranchers have and wants to help tell the story of the 21st century agriculturalist. His name is Barney Visser and he owns the Furniture Row chain of furniture stores. Like most farmers and ranchers, Visser is a self-made man and a great example of what you can achieve with hard work. He started with a single store in Denver selling an invention of his called the bean bag chair. That single store turned into the fastest growing furniture chain today which includes brands like Denver Mattress and Oak Express.

Visser recently formed the Furniture Row Racing NASCAR team but unlike most teams he wanted to use his to promote worthwhile causes when possible. When he was presented with the idea of promoting the American farmer and rancher he knew it was the right thing to do. At one time he had 800 employees in Colorado making furniture for him. Unfortunately he had to eventually close it down though because he couldn’t compete with less expensive imports. Reflecting back on that experience Visser stated that it was bad enough he now has to get his furniture from overseas, the last thing he wanted is his food coming from there. So over the past year he has spent millions of his own money developing the Farm American project.

The Farm American project has several facets to it. Visser has generously offered to turn the Furniture Row Racing team into the Farm American team. The Farm American car ran at three Sprint Cup races this year and we were fortunate enough to be at the final running a few weeks ago in Fontana, CA where we got to meet Visser and his family and the entire race crew. The paint scheme is beautiful on the car and really stands out among the rest of the field because it’s not cluttered with advertisements. Along with this, we want to develop a traveling interactive display that would be set up in the Fan Zone at every race. It would include having local farmers and ranchers there to share with consumers what they do, a real farmers market, farm machinery simulators and other great teaching tools. Research has shown that this segment of the project can reach 33% of the American public every week.

The next phase of the plan also highlights the commitment and generosity of Barney Visser. He is going to allow us to use all of his retail locations across the country to promote farmers and ranchers as well. This will include in-store displays featuring local farmers and ranchers as well as promotional material included in their advertisements. Visser has even offered to re-paint all of his delivery trucks to match the paint scheme on the Farm American car. This would reach another 30% of the American public.

Finally, the Farm American car and traveling educational exhibit could be available for various other functions, including fairs and shows.

When you add it all up, this project could reach nearly 200 million people. That’s an astonishing number! Unfortunately, it will take some money to bring this project to it’s full potential. As I mentioned earlier, Mr. Visser has already put a couple million dollars of his own money into it to get it off the ground. Now it’s time for agri-business to step up and help the farmers and ranchers they depend on to tell their story.

The Farm American project will need to raise $22 million in order to implement all of the components and operate for a full year. Now I know that seems like a big mountain to climb but in reality it’s not. When you think about the economic impact that agriculture has on this country and the importance of this issue, that’s a small price to pay to educate our consumers. It would be tough for individual farmers and ranchers to raise that kind of money so that’s why we need ag businesses to step up.

We need agri-business to realize that they need to become partners in our efforts to tell the real story of modern agriculture. It’s been great to see some companies realize this and trying to do what they can to help. For those, it’s their opportunity to become part of something even bigger than themselves. If there are companies out there that feel it’s not their responsibility to help tell this story, then they have a shockingly short-sighted view of what needs to be done. I plan on asking all of these companies, both privately and publicly, to help with this project. Their survival depends on our survival.

So what do we need from you? We need your voices. We need your passion. We need you to help share the story of the Farm American project so we can share the story of the American Farmer and Rancher with 200 million consumers. These ag businesses will need to hear from each and every one of you about why this is important. I am going to commit to giving my business to the companies that support this project and will encourage all of you to do the same. It's also important for me to stress that neither Visser or Furniture Row Racing will be profiting from this project.  They are doing it because it's the right thing to do. 

Above all else, we want this effort to stay very positive! The anti-ag groups like to stoop to that level on a regular basis. We don’t have to, our message speaks for itself. So thank you in advance for keeping all of your comments very positive and helping us make this incredible project a reality.

Let me know if you have any ideas, comments or questions and stay tuned for more updates!

NASCAR Team Promotes Ag

This weekend, Stacy and I have the incredible opportunity to attend the NASCAR race in Fontana, CA as guests of the #78 Furniture Row Racing Team.  This past year the team created a car that pays tribute to agriculture and the American farmer and rancher.  This weekend will be the last time this year that the car will be run. 

We are really excited to see the Farm American car run and learn more about the incredible opportunities we have to teach consumers about agriculture through this amazing program.  Over the weekend we will be updating our followers through our blog, our Advocates for Ag facebook page and twitter account. 

Please take a look at some of the great things this race team is already doing to promote agriculture and stay tuned!! 

National Beef Ambassadors Contest

This weekend have the distinct honor of being judges for the National Beef Ambassador contest being in Rapid City, SD.  If you are in the beef industry and aren't familiar with the Beef Ambassador program, you should be.  These young adults have always impressed us with their passion for agriculture and especially beef production. 

There is no doubt in my mind that the Beef Checkoff money (or lack thereof) for this program is returned to our industry ten-fold.  You can't buy the enthusiasm and dedication that we have seen year after year from these young leaders. 

Along with judging the competition, we will also get to share our story with everyone coming to the contest at the Sunday morning breakfast.  This generation of young producers will spend their entire ag careers knowing that educating consumers and telling their story are very important.  That's why I know our future is in good hands. 

For more information check out the National Beef Ambassador website. 

Move In Day Is Getting Close

Moving wouldn't make it on my list of fun things to do, but the good news is that our family is getting close to being able to move in to our new home.  All of our things are packed and sitting in stock trailers or a garage just waiting for this long weekend to get here.  It looks like we will be able to unloading finally.  It's been a very busy couple of weeks and as you've probably noticed, the blog and facebook page have suffered from my lack of time recently.  We are certainly looking forward to getting things back to normal very soon, whatever normal is for a farming/ranching family of five.  Someday's I think chaos is the norm, but I wouldn't change it for the world.  Have a great upcoming Labor Day weekend!

Heading East!

We are on the road today headed for the East Coast.  Tomorrow we will get to share our story with a groups of hog producers.  It should be a great time and we are looking forward to getting more people to advocate for agriculture! 

It's Moving Time

Some people have heard and some probably haven't yet but our family is making a move.  After Stacy and I graduated from South Dakota State (Go Jacks!) we moved out to the western part of the state and we have been living there ever since.  But 12 years and 3 kids later, it's time to start a new chapter in our lives.  We will be moving to north central South Dakota where I grew up by the end of summer. 

While moving is certainly a big challenge and a lot of work, we are excited about it.  I'm going to be back working on my family's diversified farming and ranching operation and Stacy will be able to continue on in her job as well from here. 

Since we are making other changes in our lives, I've also been thinking about new ideas for this blog as well as with our other social media outlets.  I've been fortunate to hear that many people have really enjoyed following us online so I don't want to move to far away from what people have come to expect from us but a little change is usually good.  So stay tuned, I'm looking forward to sharing more and different information on my blog.  And if anyone enjoys doing some heavy lifting, I've got just the project for you! 

A Busy Week

It's been a whirlwind week so far here.  The end of last week found us in Montgomery, AL speaking to their Young Farmers Summer Conference.  As always, the young farmer groups that we get to speak to are a lot of fun. The passion for raising food and families in Alabama was very strong in that group and there's no doubt in my mind that we have some great new advocates telling the story of agriculture down there. 

From there I got to present at the Agricultural Media Summit on my use of social media in telling my story.  Getting to meet so many of the people behind the articles I regularly read was certainly a treat.  There were lots of fans of Advocates for Ag there.  It was humbling to hear that so many of these professionals in ag communication were appreciative of our work. 

This morning I had the distinct pleasure of speaking to our local Kiwanis club.  It's always a treat when you get to speak to the hometown folks.  I shared some of my story with them as well as highlight the agenda of anti-agriculture groups like the HSUS and others.  I'm glad to know that everytime I get the chance to do this that there are a few less people in the world that will ever donate to them. 

I have to quickly pack a bag and then head for Mitchell, SD.  This evening we are presenting at a beef production workshop.  It will be great to see some good friends of ours in the cattle business there. 

After this week is over though the real work will start.  Spring wheat harvest should get rolling next week and that will be the priority for me.  Food production should be a priority for every human being but unfortunately that's not the case.  That's why it is so important that those of us in agriculture are not only growing food but also telling people where it comes from. 

Putting All Our Eggs in the Social Media Basket

I wanted to highlight this well written blog post from Will Gilmer of Gilmer Dairy Farm. Like Will, I have used social media as a way to share my story about agriculture. But, we must remember that these are just someof the tools we have to educate consumers about where their food comes from. I've always said that tweets and status updates will never replace the handshake and looking another person in the eye while you share your story. Follow this link to see what Will had to say.

Spring is Here

It's been a few days since I posted on here. It seems that spring work with the cows has kept me busy for the past couple of days. It reminds me of the FFA t-shirt I saw today. It said "Bustin' ours to feed yours".

Feeding the world isn't an easy job. It's made even more difficult when we have armchair farmers and ranchers spreading misinformation about the incredible job we do in agriculture. Even though it can get discouraging, there are always reasons to be excited about the future of agriculture.

We are fortunate to have the truth on our side. Just this week, Celeste Settrini, president of the CA Women for Ag, saw something being said about meat production that wasn't right. EarthBound Farms, an organic vegetable growing operation, produced a youtube video that claimed eating meat was destroying the environment. Knowing that wasn't right, Celeste contacted EarthBound and asked if she could visit with them about the video. After her conversation with them, they decided to pull down the video.

Some people in our industry would have walked away after seeing the video thinking there's nothing they could do about it. The real leaders in the business of farming and ranching see things like that as an opportunity to share the truth and it's making a difference.

I hope everyone of you will take opportunities like this.

Yellow Tail Was Tipping Point in Decade Old Animal Welfare Debate

The Humane Society’s Battle With Farmers Began Right Here in Florida
By Kristen Hinman
published: April 15, 2010

Around about the lunch hour in Vale, South Dakota, on February 5, a 33-year-old cattle rancher finished a morning of blogging, then stepped outside with a bottle of wine and a Flip video camera.

“Hello, my name is Troy Hadrick. I’m a fifth-generation United States rancher in South Dakota,” the man ad-libbed to the camera while standing amid a small clutch of cattle. “I recently found out that Yellow Tail wines is going to be donating $100,000 to the wealthiest animal-rights organization in the world, the Humane Society of the United States — a group who is actively trying to put farmers and ranchers out of business in this country. That being said, I cannot and will not support a company who is doing such a thing. This is the only thing I know to do now with this last bottle of Yellow Tail wine that was in our house.”

In his cowboy hat and Carhartt jacket, Hadrick paused to cock the bottle of white at shoulder height, flick his wrist, and send the contents pouring to the snow-covered earth like a stream of piss.

“I hope you will do the same,” he concluded. “Thank you for supporting American agriculture and the family farmers and ranchers in this country.”

Five minutes later, his 54-second “Yellow Tail Fail” clip posted to YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, Hadrick finished his chores and skedaddled with his family to the Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo. Back online that night, he was shocked at the viewing stats for his maiden voyage on Internet video.

First it was 500. Then several thousand. The tally kept climbing until, as Jim Klinker, the Arizona Farm Bureau’s chief administrative officer, terms it, “Yellow Tail done turned its tail and run!”

Within two weeks the Australia-based wine giant announced it was rescinding the remainder of its $300,000 pledge to the Washington, D.C.-based Humane Society.

The frustration shared by Hadrick and others had been bottled up for some time, but not in recent memory had a Humane Society donor buckled under such public pressure. Only a week later, Tennessee-based Pilot Travel Centers announced it would stop collecting Humane Society donations at its chain of roadway rest stops. Then the Dallas-based Mary Kay cosmetics company publicly clarified that a personal donation by an employee’s wife to the Humane Society had been misconstrued by the group as a corporate sponsorship.

Hadrick’s social-media sensation seemed to represent a tipping point in a battle that has had modern food producers playing defense for nearly a decade. It’s farmers vs. activists.
Agriculture vs. animal rights. Read More

Here’s a pretty good run down of what’s happened in the last decade. I’ve never seen anyone involved in animal agriculture be able to survive by abusing their livestock. The HSUS continues to make those claims, but it flies in the face of common sense. Farmers and ranchers are the true caretakers of these animals. Working with them everyday makes you very aware of what it takes make them thrive. It also makes you very aware of what happens when they aren’t taken care of. The HSUS is in the business of raising money and passing laws. Who’s the expert in the discussion of animal welfare? The answer seems simple to me.

Jolley: Pacelle, Yellow Tail & Mary Kay

Jolley: Pacelle, Yellow Tail & Mary Kay - What A Tangled Web We Weave
By Chuck Jolley
03/12/2010 07:13AM

My “Five Minutes with Wayne Pacelle” interview was written as a news piece which means loaded questions are not permitted. A loaded question is something like the infamous “Have you quit beating your wife, yet?” It presupposes guilt and gives the respondent no options at claiming innocence.

The comments that came after the interview was published have no such limitations. What makes them interesting is their unedited nature. Anyone can comment and go on the attack or mount a fevered defense. I’ve just reviewed all those cards and letters and found no fevered defenses of Wayne Pacelle or the HSUS. It’s to be expected, of course, considering the vast majority of the Cattlenetwork audience is Ag people who have a serious bone to pick with HSUS.

But here is the real reason. With millions of people chattering constantly on social web sites, it’s impossible to fool all of the people all of the time. Some of the time, maybe. The problem, of course, is people will find out about little excursions with the truth and they get very angry when they do. People who play fast and loose with the facts generally don’t like the harshness of public opinion when they’re found out.

And now we have the most recent incident involving HSUS and their list of corporate sponsors. We all know about the infamous [yellow tail] wine incident. The Australian winery, wishing to curry more favor in the American marketplace, mistakenly contributed $100,000 to HSUS. They thought they were backing a fine, upstanding organization that enjoyed widespread good will and did good works in saving animals in distress.

The backlash started immediately. Using social networking, the Ag community roared its disapproval highlighted by Troy Hadrick’s now famous Youtube video.

Over 12,000 people and a dozen curious cows have watched as he marched into a cattle pen and poured his last bottle of [yellow tail] wine onto the ground.

[yellow tail] blinked and rethought their generosity. America’s cowboys enjoyed their triumph. Then came the Mary Kay debacle.

Time for America’s cowgirls to take center stage. They protested and Mary Kay’s response was quick and to the point.

Maybe it’s time to call the chief execs of each of those companies and ask just two questions: “Do you realize HSUS is using your good name to promote their agenda?” If he does, then the proper follow up question is, “Do you fully understand their agenda?”

A yes to both questions means Troy Hadrick will have to grab one of their products, march back into that cattle pen again and do his thing. Here’s hoping he won’t have to turn his back yard into a solid waste disposal site. Read the Entire Article

I’m with Chuck, I don’t want to have to turn my back yard into a solid waste disposal site either. ~ Troy

Sioux Falls Argus Leader Interview About Yellow Tail

South Dakota rancher's wine-dumping online video faults Humane Society
Effort protests donation from Yellow Tail
Thom Gabrukiewicz • tgabrukiew@argusleader.com • February 19, 2010

In a tan, worn Carhartt jacket and black cowboy hat, South Dakota rancher Troy Hadrick is an unlikely digital folk hero, a viral warrior.

But there he is on YouTube, pouring out a bottle of Yellow Tail wine - by the looks of it, a nice sparkling white - onto the snowy, hoof-trampled ground with his winter-coated cattle looking on. The act is in protest of the company's $100,000 donation to the Humane Society of the United States.

"My concern is with the Humane Society of the United States, which isn't connected at all with the dog and cat shelters in our local communities," the fifth-generation Vale rancher said Thursday. "This is an organization that's pushing a vegan agenda in this country, and that concerns me. That donation is going to go to efforts to try and put me out of business, and I'm just not going to support a company that does that."

And viral efforts such as this one can be disastrous for companies, especially in the age of instant information, said Maggie Holben, a public relations expert from Lakewood, Colo.

"That's what we fondly call a crisis," she said of YouTube protests such as Hadrick's. "You have to circle the wagons, you have to respond and you have to tell people who you are. Is there a trick remedy? No. It's honesty." Read More

My Interview With The Australian Broadcasting Corp. about Yellow Tail

Facebook campaign forces policy change by wine company
Friday, 26/02/2010

An online campaign by American farmers has forced Australian wine company Yellow Tail to stop supporting animal welfare groups.

The farmers called for a boycott on a Facebook page called Yellow Fail, after the company donated $100,000 to the Humane Society.

Yellow Tail has now agreed it will not donate to animal welfare campaigners in the future, after more than 3000 people joined the online site.

Cattle rancher and internet campaigner Troy Hadrick says it's the first time farmers have used social media to win an animal welfare debate.

"Sometimes there's been questions about is it worth our time to be involved in social media and are we wasting our time?" he says.

"But this is the first time we finally all got on the same page.

"We were selling the same message, and we basically, in just a few weeks' time, forced a multi-national company to change the future course of its donations."

This is the video that took Troy Hadrick less than five minutes to make but made him the face of the campaign against Yellow Tail.

Related Audio:
An online win for farmersListen to this report by Cameron Wilson on the social media pressure that forced Yellow Tail to rethink its animal welfare donations. MP3

The online opportunitiesListen to this extended interview with South Dakota rancher and internet campaigner Troy Hadrick on the effectiveness of social media. MP3

Link To Article