Texas Agriculture, Volume 37, Number 7, January 2022 Page: 2
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A photo reminds me why ranching traditions, Farm Bureau are import
By Si Cook
COO/Executive Director
Nov. 21, 2021, marked 50 years
since I owned my first cow. I can re-
member this date only because I
snapped a black-and-white photo of
that cow the day we brought her home
to my grandpa's farm.
A picture of that cow, my Grandpa
in his prime on horseback and another
of me on horseback when I was about
the same age hangs in my office to re-
mind me constantly of where I come
from and why I am doing what I do.
Those pictures represent the pass-
ing down of a love for the land and
raising livestock that spans more
than a century between us.
Grandpa was an old-time cattle-
man from Fayette County, and I can
remember him telling me, "Son, I
think it's time for you to get in the cow
business." So, at 11 years old, that's
exactly what I did. And I have never
stopped or paused since.
For most of those 50 years, I had
to really want to be in the "cow busi-
ness," because it had to be done with
leased land and borrowed money.
Those of you who have gone that
route know the challenges involved.
The point is you have to love it and
want it. Anyone who has raised live-
stock for more than a few years under-
stands the variables, challenges and
complications that are thrown at you
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Pat D. McDowell, Shamrock
J. Walt Hagood, Wolfforth
Mark Daniel, SeymourJohn Paul Dineen III, Waxahachie
Kevin Wilkerson, Mabank
Warren Cude, Fort Stockton
Sam Snyder, Moraneach and every year. The years where
everything comes together-weather,
herd health and prices-are few and
far between, but they are the ones
that keep you going.
There are many variables that in-
fluence the livestock business that
weather and those old cows have
nothing to do with, however. Regula-
tions, taxes, false information, trade
agreements, supply chain issues and
a host of other things that happen out-
side of the ranch gate have as much
to do with your financial viability and
being able to carry on and pass down
a tradition.
That's the purpose of Farm Bureau.
There are things we have no
control over, and as farm-
ers and ranchers, we accept
that. We do have the ability,
together, to influence some
of the regulations that affect
our business from outside the
farm gate. It is sometimes
a messier job than slogging
through a winter cow pen to
feed, but just as necessary.
Grandpa would have a
hard time understanding
all the "new age" problems
that we face today as farm-
ers and ranchers. But then
again, not many producers
today remember farming These p
through the Depression or his agr
PRESIDENT
Russell Boening, Poth
VICE PRESIDENT
Pat D. McDowell, Shamrock
SECRETARY-TREASURER
Pete Pawelek, Poteet
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/COO
Si Cook
COMPTROLLER
Chris Daughtery
Mickey Edwards, Lampasas
John K. Griffith, Alto
PeteJ. Pawelek, Poteet
Allen Kaminski, SealyBrian Adamek, Victoria
Brian Jones, Edcouchthe drought of the '50s.
The point is we must get up every
day and face the many issues put be-
fore us if we intend to leave a viable
industry to those who want to follow
in our footsteps.
I look up at that picture in my of-
fice at least once a week. It reminds
me of why I still raise cattle and why
I spend most of my time in an office
and not on the back of a horse or on
a tractor.
I hope Grandpa knows that I'm do-
ing my part to help folks continue tra-
ditions worth preserving. Farm Bu-
reau is about leaders across the state
choosing to spend some time doing theant
same thing.
That level of commitment was on
full display at our recent annual meet-
ing in Corpus Christi. More than 750
Farm Bureau leaders took time to at-
tend and participate in this important
meeting. Some of these same leaders
are attending the American Farm Bu-
reau Federation annual meeting this
month in Atlanta, Georgia, ensuring
the Farm Bureau grassroots voice
from Texas is heard at the national
level.
Individually, we can do little, but
collectively we can help ensure that
those who choose the road less trav-
eled are able to do so.r + r - 4r
k Y _f 1r
KMoo;
I1hotos hang in TFB Executive Director Si Cook's office to serve as a reminder of
icultural roots and why he works for farmers and ranchers.
January 7, 2022 Vol. 37, No. 7
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New Canaan, CT (203) 966-1746.
TEXAS AGRICULTURE is published 12 times a year by Texas Farm Bureau, 7420 Fish Pond Road, Waco, Texas 76710,
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Publisher
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Texas Farm Bureau. Texas Agriculture, Volume 37, Number 7, January 2022, periodical, January 7, 2022; Waco, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1495408/m1/2/: accessed June 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.