How do you explain to someone who has never left the city what a grain bin is? I have never contemplated this question until today.

I received a phone call this morning from a truck driver who had a delivery for our family feed mill. He needed directions and was hoping I could help him. I quickly realized this gentleman was directionally challenged as he had no idea which way was East or West, North or South. He was in the wrong town and had missed the road leading to our town. After what seemed like hours, I finally got him on the right highway coming towards our mill. I told him to turn right at the two big grain bins that sat next to the highway. He said, “What’s that?” I told him it was a large round circle that was silver, that it held corn and beans. He said, “I have no idea what you mean.” I then told him it was a round building that was silver and had a point on the top like a cone. He said, “I have no clue what you are talking about.” So I tried a different approach, I told him to look for the elevator. To this he replied, “What do you mean? I hate driving in small towns.”

By this time I was trying not to laugh. I knew this gentleman had never been to rural America before. In his mind I was speaking a foreign language. I was running out of ideas of how to explain what a grain bin looked like over the phone. I finally told him to call me when he went past the junction of two roads and I would talk him the rest of the way to the mill. He did call me, and when he saw the mill, he said, “I have no clue what I am looking at, it looks weird. These don’t look like no buildings I’ve seen before.” When he came inside the mill, I quietly told him he was looking at a grain elevator, or a feed mill, and that the large silver structures were called grain bins. He said, “this is weird. I can’t wait to get home.”

My experience today reminded me that the majority of our society has no idea what a grain bin looks like, much less what it is used for. This was a shining example of why agriculture needs to engage with our consumers on a daily basis. The next time this truck driver is told to turn at a grain bin, he will know what a grain bin looks like and what it is used for.

As for me, I am working on a better way to describe what a grain bin looks like!

When considering the Christmas Season this year, consider the purchase of a "real" Christmas Tree for your home or office. Did you know that more than 95% of Christmas Trees are recycled? Millions are grown each year employing near 100,000 people connected to near 20,000 farms. This is exciting stuff. The season is coming quickly and the purchase of a real tree is just one reminder of the many ways we can support farmers.

I recently received my WWII magazine in the mail. I enjoy reading the articles and skimming through the pages. This month there was an article about Thanksgiving during WWII. It spoke of the rationing and the supplies that were unavailable for purchase to make the perfect Thanksgiving dinner. Some folks had chicken instead of turkey and recipes had to be set aside with the restrictions on meat, butter, and sugar. Betty Crocker said, “At the end of the day, let us be sure we can say I worked for freedom today. I served at least one food from each of the basic seven food groups. I prepared the food I served with care. I wasted no food this day.” These people strived to serve well balanced, nutritious meals with the burdens that were placed on them by war.

Today in America, we are blessed to have full shelves in the grocery store; we can go in and buy just about anything our heart desires. As a cattle rancher, that makes me very happy. I wake up each morning excited to produce beef for our great nation. I am very proud of my family’s 93 year operation and the great heritage that has been passed through the generations. Just as my great grandfather did, we continue to care for the land and the livestock. The daily feeding, caring, and checking of the cattle comes first in all the management decisions we make here on the ranch. As a fourth generation rancher, I am very concerned about the misinformation that is being spread by radical, agenda driven organizations.

With the daily articles, news segments, and attacks from opinion movies, I am saddened that our industry is constantly under attack. It's unimaginable to think that there is an agenda that truly wants to take my product and all meat products off the shelves. These activists are not just twisting the truth; they are targeting the meat industry with outright malicious and blatant lies in their effort to ultimately make this a meat free society.

Everywhere we turn, we see yet another attack against meat. A recent Larry King show questioned the safety of beef and attempted to scare consumers with guests that advocated a vegan diet. Then, Tony Gonzalez of the Atlanta Falcons, has been promoting his new book, “The All Pro Diet”, where he eats a diet low in animal proteins and high in plant foods. And recently PETA had a Halloween ploy, portraying Ronald McDonald as the evil animal abuser in an attempt to scare children away from eating meat. What is happening to the well balanced diet?

As we start to plan our Thanksgiving meal this year, let's remember those WWII families that didn't have all the food choices available to them. Let's be sure that our menus contain items from all the food groups and be thankful for our freedom to choose. We must have the freedom to serve well balanced meals to our families.

I recently read the following tweet on Twitter, “It makes me sad when farmers attack other farmers because of different production methods. Come on people we are in this together!!!” I couldn’t agree more. There is room for all sizes and types of agriculture. Production methods may vary, but all farmers have the same goal and that is producing the best product they can.

This afternoon I purchased some corn fed beef at the grocery story. Why? Because my family raises corn-fed beef. Despite my preferences, there are other folks out there who may prefer grass-fed beef. I have many friends who raise grass-fed beef, and I’m glad that there are folks out there who want to buy their product. So it is truly sad when one kind of farming attacks the other. I realize we are all trying to promote the products we grow; however, there are positive ways to do that without attacking the other’s production methods.

With the world’s population expected to exceed 8 billion by the year 2025 all types, sizes, and production methods of agriculture will be necessary. To face the challenges that lie ahead we must stand untied, for as the saying goes, “United we stand, divided we fall.”

This week "CSI: Miami" falsely portrayed agriculture to millions of viewers, implying farmers and food-industry professionals don’t care about the health or even the survival of consumers. As Tim Burrack, a farmer from Iowa, put it in a recent blog post, "It was malicious propaganda based on distortions and lies about the common practices of modern agriculture. Call it “un-reality TV.”

More and more we see the media portraying agriculture in a negative light. Tim's comment about 'un-reality TV' really stuck with me. Reality TV has become overwhelmingly popular in the last few years. You can find a reality show about anything you want, from college life to family life, from being a survivor or being the biggest loser, but I don’t recall seeing one about farm life.

Why isn't there a "Reality Farming" show? There’s plenty of excitement on a farm or ranch, and each day is always different. A reality farming show would allow our consumers to see first-hand what we do on a daily basis to protect our food supply, livestock and environment. And it would definitely be entertaining. Don’t believe me? Watch a husband and wife sort hogs, or work cattle. Or better yet, follow the blood-soaked farmer to the emergency room after he is knocked down by a cow. Now there is some real life drama! If you prefer looking at metal, there are plenty of tractors, combines and equipment that needs worked on; some days you even have to dig them out of a muddy field! If you prefer drama in your reality TV, there is never a dull moment when you work side by side with your family trying to beat the weather to plant or harvest a crop! And last but not least, there are numerous lessons to be learned from being on a farm or ranch.

Instead of watching "un-reality TV," or CSI: Miami, I'm ready to watch Reality Farming! I wonder which network will make my dream come true?