Blame it all on my roots. I showed up in boots. And ruined your black tie affair…

Alright, I’ll be the first to admit, a black tie affair, is probably the last place you’ll see me show up. However, I do have friends in all the great places. Towns with a cafe, service station, and if they’re real lucky a bank, would be the most likely places where I’d show my face.

I'm not that big a fan of skyscrapers, concrete, and traffic. I guess I could describe it by saying I feel dirty just walking through downtown in a big city.

What is interesting is that I cannot think of many places in the country where I could drive and not have friends within driving distance, and its all thanks to my connections through Agriculture. From the Cascades of the Northwest to the beaches of Florida. In the D.C. metro and even sunny San Diego, I can think of Ag connections every where. Not only are these people acquaintances, but these are the kind of people who will invite me in for a meal and want me to stay all day swapping stories and comparing notes. You just don’t find that on the streets of New York, or for me even Santa Fe.

While Anna and I had an interesting experience in Santa Fe this past weekend, to say the least (another story for another time), we had tons of fun in the quaint little town of Estancia, New Mexico. Here’s a shout-out to the Lutrick Family and the Estancia FFA Chapter. Estancia, which is Spanish for “place of rest,” is not the type of town that gets visitors on a daily basis, but Shane and his family were great hosts. An area nestled in the Estancia valley, surrounded by cattle ranching and with great sunset views, it is well worth the trip. We were treated to a great meal fixed at his grandmother’s local restaurant, a drive around the pastures of their ranch where we helped with a few of the feeding chores, and some great hospitality and friendship. Too bad we couldn’t have made the visit early in the summer, because I’m sure there would have been many return visits. It’s visits like this that make me love this life I live in the cattle business.

A place like this suits me best, where drivers wave at ever passerby and the front door is always open.

More than anything, I would love to jump on a plane and hop across the country to meet all of the great people I have met through online networks. There are so many great people across this country involved in Agriculture,and I would love to meet them all. But neither time nor money can allow for that now. Maybe I can chip away at that goal one trip at a time. Until then, I see ya on my next post.

Don’t for get to enter for your chance at a free pair of Justin boots in the AgProud Christmas Giveaway. Enter through December 16 and special coupon code good until December 18.

Published by Ryan Goodman

Ryan Goodman works in grassroots advocacy as a communications consultant with beef cattle farmers and ranchers across the United States. He is a proud alumnus of Oklahoma State University, with studies focusing on cattle reproduction and nutrition. Ryan's experience in the beef industry range from family farms and ranches in several states to large feedlots and non-profit policy organizations. Ryan is an avid trail and ultrarunner, proudly showing how beef can be an important part of a healthy diet and active lifestyle. Find Ryan on social media as @BeefRunner.