My name is Keiran Bray, and I love agriculture. I have lived on my family’s ranch, Bray Ranches, since I was 2 years old. That’s 15 years of growing a love for agriculture. Having said that, I have learned a lot in the time that I have been on the ranch. I have learned what matters most when it comes to taking care of cattle, and other animals, along with how to be a hard worker.
But through all that, one of the most important things that I have learned is that so many people do not understand the importance of ranchers and farmers. So many people don’t understand why we do what we do.
For example, why we brand cattle and wean their babies. People think that’s wrong and that it shouldn’t be done. … but that is actually an important part of ranching, and it doesn’t hurt the calf.
As I got older I started to realize this more and more. I started to realize that these people don’t understand the impact that we have on their lives. Just think about it, without us there would be no food in the grocery stores. No meat, no bread, no ice cream. Can you even imagine a world without ice cream?
As I started to get more involved in the advocacy part of agriculture, I noticed that the majority of voters are people that think what we do on farms and ranches is wrong, and that it needs to be stopped. These are the same people that introduced us to Proposition 16, and the reintroduction of wolves in Colorado.
From their point of view, they are saving the animals and creating a better place for all to live. What they don’t understand is that what they’re doing is actually hurting the agricultural industry, making it worse for the animals. As much as I hate to admit it, it’s not all their fault. As agriculturalists we should be educating these people, all people, on the importance of agriculture. Now I’m not saying that we aren’t trying to educate the public; what I am saying is that we are not being loud enough for everyone to hear. The other side is louder than we are, so our viewpoint is not getting out for people to listen to. That’s why there is so much conflict between farmers, ranchers and the public, because they just don’t understand.
That’s why I’m here. My goal for this column, Ag Talk, is to educate the public on the current events that are happening in the agricultural industry — whether that be the reintroduction of wolves into Colorado, or beef prices, or even subjects like why we need guard dogs in our herds. I want to teach people the importance of agriculture. That way, when they go to vote on bills related to agriculture, hopefully they will have a little more of an understanding of what is in front of them than before.
