Tis the Season...

For conventions! At least for cattlemen. It doesn't seem to matter which part of the country they're from, now through the end of January, or February is the slowest time of year on a ranch. Montana's cattlemen's convention often conflicted with other ranch priorities, so we've missed several over the years. We have the freedom to pick our own priorities now-- so we're going! Early-- since besides being on the Board of Directors, Ray is also on the Executive Board now.

A lot of important work gets done at convention that affects the livelihoods of a lot of working landowners. Not only is Montana vastly overwhelmed by non-ag interests in Washington DC, non-ag interests carry a lot more clout right here at home too, than they ever have in the past. We've been fortunate to have a good ranch lobby in both places that helps to stave off ever-increasing pressures; most of which come via federal lands issues, endangered-species issues, and a social attitude that animals and recreation are more important uses of land, than renewable natural resource harvest and production. Most never stop and think-- or even care-- that the only NEW money entering an economy comes from the harvest of natural resources. Other “income” is simply recycled $$$.

There's fun stuff too. After spending hours in meetings and trying to come up with solutions and a united voice on difficult issues, there's the Trade Show. A lot of important stuff actually gets done there as well. Regardless of what industry you're in, there is nothing to replace face-to-face social networking, and just plain neighborly visiting to spark new ideas, and shore-up the aging, sagging fabric that is at the very foundation of a prosperous nation: family farms and ranches in a free-market economy.

Not even Facebook.

That's the way the Creator intended it to be. The very idea of private property and the best way to manage that property-- such as“rest-rotation” (EX 23:11) comes right out the Bible, from books such as Exodus, Deuteronomy, Ezekiel, and Job —which was actually the earliest book in the Bible.

In fact, one way God punishes a nation is to fill it up with “beasts of the field” (EZ 32:4) You don't need to worry about “endangered” species. The “creatures”, including the earth, belong to the “Creator”, and He is quite capable of managing them any way He sees fit. What you DO need to worry about is making God angry enough that He uses His beasts against you.

Anyway, farming and ranching are one of the first institutions of civilization. During speaking engagements for environmental stewardship, when promoting the idea of managing for profitability and sustainability by using cattle as tools, we've always used the verse in PS 104:14:

“He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth.”

That pretty much says it all. Food is pretty important.