A rancher is more than a man who feeds cattle; he’s a man that feeds you.
Right now, he is caught up in an epic battle to save the only life he ever knew.
God Save the Cowboy, give him strength to stand, trying to take his land.
Those three lines are from a song written in 2021 by Karen Staley, a tremendously powerful songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. As we bring 2021 to close, one thing is for sure: the removal of property from private landowners, in my opinion, underway. Whether it is through government programs or selling land to the highest bidder that sells for far above and beyond a price that would cash flow an agricultural operation. Look at what it takes just to pass the farm or ranch on to the next generation; the taxes alone frequently cost more than the heirs can afford to keep the land in the family.
As the ARISE USA tour held 57 events in 37 states, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to share conversations with folks beyond Rural America about the land grabs that have been put into play. To clarify this complex subject for our urban friends, I was able to connect the dots between these land grabs from food producers and food availability in the urban areas. The more land that is controlled by someone other than the local farmer or rancher, the greater the risk to the nation’s domestic production of food.
On numerous occasions I shared conversations in urban areas about how food production is a means of national security. While we in agriculture have been talking about this for a couple of generations, the most common response I heard from urbananites was, “You know, I never looked at it that way but I see your point.” I also learned that it can be so very effective to educate folks with something other than a sermon or speech; something like a song!
The song written by Staley, “God Save the Cowboy,” was an excellent lead-in to the entire conversation because she was able to capture the entire issue in a song just 3:30 minutes long. That clearly is the lesson learned for me in 2021. Why I didn’t learn it quicker is the topic for another day but before you can educate others you must deliver the message in an approach that captures folks attention.
I continue to get these messages but I’m not sure I react quick enough. For example, in 2020 with the release of the movie by Forrest Films called “The Stand at Paxton County” I learned that the big screen and the movie business can be an excellent educational tool. Just stop for a moment and think about the generations of misinformation that contributed to the current scenario we find ourselves in. Too many times in the past we have complained and boycotted what Hollywood or Nashville have done instead of learning a new approach. Yes, I am here to tell you it is high time for a new approach to an old tune.
Nonetheless, the real issue at hand is keeping the multitude of families in rural America on the land. The cost of inputs works against us, the tax base works against us, the government can partner with NGOs to work against us and yet we still choose to fight the greatest challenge we have and that is Mother Nature just so we can survive to face the second level of challenges that follow.
The group “God Save the Cowboy” was founded in Montana by a group of six women who witnessed the disappearance of their neighbors, with all the land being swallowed up by Wall Street investment groups. It is still going on as another tract of ranchland went out of production this past week. The other powerful line that Staley put in the lyrics of this song is this: “It is going to take a miracle for him to have a prayer,” and from that standpoint I hope we take a moment to share with all of our family and friends the importance of that prayer. If you are not spending a record amount of time praying today, then I imagine you most likely just don’t get it. I do believe faith, family and freedom are at the core and in the end we win but let’s not lose unnecessarily along the way.
Editor’s note: The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not represent the views of High Plains Journal. Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.LoosTales.com, or email Trent at [email protected].