Hi all. Completely new to cattle. How I got here…
After spending quite a bit of time around the Mediterranean, especially in the South of France, I noticed the connection people have with their food and its sources. You buy local products and you know where it came from, often direct from the producer In many places, the agriculture defines the region and the people. Whether it's lavender, tomatoes, chestnuts, pigs, or grapes, there is a passion for agriculture. Their Market Day culture really helps to reinforce this.
That is a sharp contrast to what we see here at home, where most people think, "My food comes from the grocery store." They are completely disconnected from the source of their food, and don't care. It doesn't matter that a local farm has been producing the best tasting tomatoes for the past 5 generations when the grocery store has a cheaper basket of tomatoes, shipped in from 5000 miles away that were grown in foreign country where the soil, fertilizer, and handling are completely unknown and uncontrolled. Consumers have turned their food supply into an Amazon model where it's the variety and lowest price that matters, not necessarily quality.
I think this leads to an overall mindset where there is no longer respect, nor care, for the farmer. If one fails, no problem, we just source their products from elsewhere and go on with life. An idiot dancing on TikTok is seen as more valuable to society than a farmer who feeds thousands. The only time I hear about local farms is when they are turned into a new subdivision called "ThisUsedToBeTheXXXX Farm"
Unfortunately, this mentality will lead to there be no agriculture left. This is why my wife and I decided we wanted in on this fight. We want to try and use the knowledge gained gained through our success in other business to help reconnect people to the source of their food, and care about where it comes from. Cattle appealed to us more than farming, so here we are.
Not all pollyanna about this and know that story-book tale isn't going to make the very tough road any easier. Trying to educate ourselves as much as possible while searching for a place to setup base.
Located in Florida.
After spending quite a bit of time around the Mediterranean, especially in the South of France, I noticed the connection people have with their food and its sources. You buy local products and you know where it came from, often direct from the producer In many places, the agriculture defines the region and the people. Whether it's lavender, tomatoes, chestnuts, pigs, or grapes, there is a passion for agriculture. Their Market Day culture really helps to reinforce this.
That is a sharp contrast to what we see here at home, where most people think, "My food comes from the grocery store." They are completely disconnected from the source of their food, and don't care. It doesn't matter that a local farm has been producing the best tasting tomatoes for the past 5 generations when the grocery store has a cheaper basket of tomatoes, shipped in from 5000 miles away that were grown in foreign country where the soil, fertilizer, and handling are completely unknown and uncontrolled. Consumers have turned their food supply into an Amazon model where it's the variety and lowest price that matters, not necessarily quality.
I think this leads to an overall mindset where there is no longer respect, nor care, for the farmer. If one fails, no problem, we just source their products from elsewhere and go on with life. An idiot dancing on TikTok is seen as more valuable to society than a farmer who feeds thousands. The only time I hear about local farms is when they are turned into a new subdivision called "ThisUsedToBeTheXXXX Farm"
Unfortunately, this mentality will lead to there be no agriculture left. This is why my wife and I decided we wanted in on this fight. We want to try and use the knowledge gained gained through our success in other business to help reconnect people to the source of their food, and care about where it comes from. Cattle appealed to us more than farming, so here we are.
Not all pollyanna about this and know that story-book tale isn't going to make the very tough road any easier. Trying to educate ourselves as much as possible while searching for a place to setup base.
Located in Florida.