Guest Blog

“And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:25)

Every producer meeting I attend and every time I go to the local sale barn, I can’t help but notice the gray hair everywhere. It speaks to the wisdom accumulating in the cattle industry, but it also poses some scary questions: “Where are the kids?” and “Who will lead this industry into the future?”

Four generations. As I sit here writing this, it dawns on me that I represent the fourth generation in my family to raise my own cattle and participate in agriculture. It is more than a lifestyle – being a rancher is who we are, not what we do.

How many times has your spouse said something like “Honey, it will only take a couple of minutes, but I sure could use your help”?

The power of our thoughts is an amazing weapon that can work for or against us. When I was 19 years old, I used to work for a cow outfit in East Tennessee for one of the finest stockmen you’ll find anywhere.

Due to my husband's new occupation as a full-time rancher and truck driver, we have been debating whether to add to our family. Not with children, mind you, because that ship has already sailed – but with a four-legged, hairy kind of addition.