Our Best Tradition

Submitted November 1, 2010

Traditional management practices in agriculture might conjure up visions of horse-drawn equipment and truly diversified farms with numerous species of livestock and just enough farm ground to raise food and feed for one family. We think of one-room schoolhouses, single-stall outhouses and trips to both that were “uphill both ways in the blinding snow and scorching sun.”

Traditions in agriculture run deep, and in most industry editorials and discussions they are not always viewed as a favorable phenomenon. Quite often, traditions and the mindsets that surround them are blamed for many of our industry’s shortfalls. While history can be a wonderful teacher, it also has a tendency to hamper our creativity and desire to make progress.

That is why during a past beef industry conference, I was impressed with a quote that I heard one of my counterparts use in conversation. Near the end of our conference, Jason Peeler, Floresville, TX, shared the following statement with our group, “We all talk about the traditional nature of our industry, but the biggest tradition in the cattle business…is BUSINESS.”

While this might be considered a contradiction in terms, Jason went on to explain his theory. Farms and ranches have come and gone, but the majority of operations that have existed through the decades have one tradition in common—they treat their operation as a business.

Today’s society seems to harbor animosity toward businesses in general, especially “big business.” But the truth is that businesses—regardless of size—are what helped create the United States of America. Hard-working, creative, driven individuals who wanted to have their own piece of land, storefront or factory found ways to produce a good or service profitably.

As anti-agriculture and other organizations continue to encourage a civil war between “big, multi-national agribusiness” and “family farms,” let us recognize the importance of varied sizes of businesses in our lives. Like it or not, even small operations depend upon the technology, research and development and capital that large companies inject into our operations. And those large agribusinesses depend upon the deep traditions and work ethic that we provide to help their products or services function and make a profit.

And regardless of our size or management philosophies, the one tradition that I hope we all continue to share is one of business.