A country boy can survive

The interest rates up, and the stock markets down, you’ll only get mugged if you go downtown!

In 1982 Hank Williams Jr sang these lyrics, at that time I was but a year old. Well 40 Years later the same words sang true. The parallels of the song from then to now have some similarities to the world today, but the one thing that continues to prove true every time we see change is that a, “country boy can survive”

BY CAMERON MULRONY ICA Executive Vice President

bulls out when living in Oregon, and about 3 weeks later have the chance to turn out on stubble pasture for the remainder of the spring. The change of location and grass type would always create a gap in my calving window the following year. The challenge is the foresight to look at the stressors of today and realize the consequences at a later date.

Past ICA President Mark Pratt sent me a link to a podcast that aired on the Art of Range. It read an essay that was presented in 2005. The article was a presentation from Nathan Sayre that was converted to this essay read in the pod cast.

One of the key takeaways from this essay for me was that the sustainability of ranching is threatened more by social issues rather than ecological. Let me repeat that for the folks in the back, “the sustainability of ranching is threatened by social issues rather than ecological.”

February has arrived and as I laid out in the January issue we are seeing some changes this year in Idaho at the state house, at the national level within the halls of the chambers, across the street where the old onion patch is now a subdivision has grown in it’s place. Change is upon our state, and it is an evolution of change, not a one time adjustment, but as Hank reported in ’82. I’ll predict in ’23, a country boy will survive.

I have always tried to lean on my resources to find solutions. Solutions at times mean change, and as the evolution of our state continues, I challenge you to find solutions for not only your operations and your communities, but for our national issues as well. Change is stressful, we can see it in our cattle, we can see it in our friends and family. For example I used to turn my

Let us fast forward 17+ years!! We are looking at stressors in our industry daily, most of which are social factors. Have our ecological issues changed much in 17 years?? It’s my opinion that there have been changes to the ecological factors that relate to our industry. If you agree that climate patterns have changed, then you also have to look at the factor of time. Is the supposed climate pattern becoming inevitable, based on nature, and has the scale of time yet to be realized before we see the next shift in the pattern? Is it one that has been magnified by management of the resources of the planet? Well, that’s a conversation for another day, however the ecological changes that have faced industry are much fewer than the social perspectives that have challenged us in the same time frame.

I have asked myself since first listening to this podcast, what can I do to change the social perception of our industry, because as you know in time perception becomes reality. When in fact reality is but a figment of your imagination. However, if your perception can influence change, then your imagination can become reality. Where do we start?

We tend to fear the unknown, we push back on change, we like structure in our lives. Even us as “Cowboys” may not know exactly how the details of the day will unfold we like structure.

I have decided that the industry and our partners here in Idaho and across the nation need to continue to address the social challenges. No this is not a lightbulb moment; many have said this before and will continue to say it in the future. The thing that we need to remember is that we need to evolve with change. Embrace that the change is taking place and step out into the uncomfortable zone and help address the stressors of today that are going to affect the future, look at the tunnel and find a light to aim toward.

Idaho’s population is changing, the interest rate is up, and the stock market is down. The survey that was completed by our partners at the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission shed some light on what we might expect to see in the demographic. Now, I am not quoting the survey, but my takeaway was that the newest Idahoan’s are uninformed on the cattle industry, and the significance within our state.

CONTINUED, PAGE 10

CHAD

CENTRAL

C: 208.891.0324

JIM RYSKA

CENTRAL TERRITORY

C: 208.890.4312

KENZIE STEVENS

EASTERN TERRITORY

C: 208.731.2117

MARK NELSON

CENTRAL TERRITORY

C: 208.985.4942

TOM PEILA

P: 800.453.5318

F: 801.377.6927

BIG SKY TERRITORY

C: 406.596.2267

However, the good news was, the longer a person lives within our state the more they tend to support our industry. The experience of seeing the best stewards of cattle and our resources from the pasture to the plate help to alleviate some of the stress that comes with the change.

We cannot fear the unknown, we need to continue to address the social perceptions on our industry, we need to continue to provide resources for those that are “undecided about our industry”. We need to do all the things that continue to shed light on the success of our industry, and it’s continued resiliency and sustainable future.

Our association Staff and Leadership continue to work to help bridge the gap from “undecided” to “support” but we need the help of every member and supporter of our industry. Get involved, the session is just getting into the heart of the legislature, call your representatives and senators in Boise if you have a concern or praise for what they are doing. Call our office, or grab an ear at the upcoming bull sales or winter beef schools. We need to continue to work on the social aspects to our industry and the policy makers are a good place to work during the session, as well as your new and old neighbors at every basketball game, or the guy behind you in line at the grocery store. Idaho’s Cattle Industry is the backbone of our state. Send the message and praise the good things that we have done as we continue to evolve with the times. “A Country Boy WILL Survive”.

As 4th generation Preston, Idaho, cattle ranchers, we are building our family legacy as we take a systematic approach with sound judgement, balanced eye-appeal, and functional cattle that will thrive in our rigid conditions.

Our cowherd is backed with performance, carcass and maternal traits so we can sell bulls that thrive in the commercial industry from conception to consumption.

We take cattle ranching back to the basics of good-footed, hearty cows producing soggy calves every year!

DIRECTOR