I’ll admit that I wasn’t the first to see Oprah’s latest assault on the agricultural industry. In fact, just as I refuse to listen to country musician Carrie Underwood because of her affiliation with the Humane Society of the United States, I also never watch Oprah’s talk show because of her blatant attacks on the animal agricultural industry over the years.

But Oprah’s sweet, right? Everybody thinks so. Well, while she may have allowed the opportunity for both sides of the argument on her talk show series, “Where Our Food Comes From,” Oprah certainly didn’t have agriculture’s best interests at heart.

Now before I permanently solidify my cozy position on this soapbox, let me direct you to American Cowman, where Kindra Gordon has written her commentary on our favorite superstar. You can join the already heated discussion there, or you can leave me your thoughts on the blog. I’ll even make room on my soapbox for you to step up and join me.

more

I have always stood by the fact that if you want to learn something new, you only have to look to someone with a lifetime of experience and ASK. I have never been afraid to lean on a friend or an industry professional to guide me through my personal life and professional career. I guess people like to help others, especially young people. This is something we shouldn’t forget in these financially challenging times in agriculture. Surely, you know someone that has weathered a storm like this before. Undoubtedly, that person has sufffered through much tougher times and has the perfect advice on how to get through it.

My lead headline on BEEF Daily today is “Tips Can Help Producers Through Tough Times“. It provides great guidelines for reducing input costs and marketing your calves more profitably. I encourage you to read the article, but I think you should take it one step further. Ask someone for advice. Now, I don’t just hand out advice, I follow my own, as well. So I asked my dad and grandpa their thoughts on the current state of the industry. It quickly turned into what the future looks like for young people, and here is a small sampling of what they had to say…

more