Here it is 2011 and everyone is working their New Year’s resolutions. In an earlier post I shared how I want to be better at sharing my story, but I also want to become more involved in the cattle community. If I want to make a difference, or if I want things to change, I have to become more proactive.

Here are 5 things I want to commit to in 2011 to become a stronger, contributing member to the cattle business.

  1. Join the State Cattlemen’s Association – Not only join the association, but become an active member. I will commit to attending county meetings and the state convention this year. Oh, and get those Cattlemen’s tags on my pick-up!
  2. Pay my Farm Bureau Membership dues – Supporting groups that lobby for Agriculture is important in this day and age when there are people outside the Ag business trying to influence our practices.
  3. Register to Vote – It is important to support politicians that stand behind agriculture. (Something I have failed to do in previous years)
  4. Subscribe to Cattlemen’s Magazine – Events across the nation influence the cattle business in my hometown. Being familiar with these events and open to others’ ideas is important to improving my knowledge base.
  5. Reading More – As I mentioned in a post last week, I have quite a stack of books collecting at the house. Reading more books about viewpoints opposing Agriculture will help me to better understand their views and why I believe what I do. But don’t worry, there are some of those classic western paperbacks stuck in there too.

This list will help me to get going in 2011 and act as a building block for becoming more involved in the cattle community. Taking on everything at once is not always the best route to getting involved, so this is my way of breaking it down, starting locally, and building from there.

I encourage you to make a list of 5 things that will help you to become more involved in your areas of interest. Your list may not look like mine, but hopefully this will give you some idea.

Let me know what you come up with. Do you have any more suggestions for my list?

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.