2 minute read
Message from the President
Keeping the lines of conversation open
Our partnerships are vital in telling rancher’s stories
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BY MARK PRATT ICA President
We’ve certainly turned the page to late summer and as we close out July and open August we can look back at events that were held on your behalf. First the Summer Roundup, and second, the 20th annual Governor’s Trail Ride. These events help to not only keep conversations going, but start new ones as well. Topics ranged from managing recreation and updating fencing laws, to financial budgeting and range monitoring for management.
On the people front, though every public land agency is struggling to get a handle on it, we’ve yet to find much of an effort being made to address the negative side of recreation. There is a multi-institutional Recreation and Tourism Initiative whose focus seems to be primarily promotion. I understand not wanting to have another job; we struggle with it here on the ranch every day. However, we all know, “We’ve been discovered and we’re not going back.” That seems like a pretty good reason to get our stuff in a pile. During the Trail Ride we saw land scars that without intervention will only get worse. You can certainly understand why there are more and more locked gates. And the longer it takes to make a plan, the more upset people will be when they can no longer go where they used to go. ICA continues to collaborate with others on the agency level and there will be more to come on this topic…
On the other hand, we have more opportunity now than ever to tell the positive story of ranching and how managed grazing works with other uses to enhance the range. Partnerships with outdoor enthusiasts will yield bigger dividends as Idaho becomes a bigger draw.
The theme of this month’s issue is Cattlewomen. Besides active involvement in support agencies such as the Public Lands Council, the Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission and the Idaho Beef Council, women contribute to ranches in a myriad of ways, from an added set of hands and eyes to a different point of view. They serve as managers, truck drivers, cowhands, cooks, accountants, and monitors of everything from finance to rangelands. They attend parent teacher conferences, recitals, ballgames, FFA conventions, rodeos, and attend to everything from slivers to broken hearts. During a visit to our ranch by a couple from Australia, Gus said of Ann, “She’s the Minister of War and Finance.” Here’s to all of Idaho’s Cattlewomen who keep us all afloat.
