Agricultural News
Tammi Didlot Reflects on Her Year as American National CattleWomen President
Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:39:28 CST
Next week in Tampa, Florida, Oklahoman Tammi Didlot will be handing over the gavel as the president of the American National CattleWomen. Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays spoke with her recently and will have her as his guest on this weekend's "In the Field" segment on News 9.
Didlot says her organization has a unique role to play in bringing together consumers who enjoy eating beef and ranch women who enjoy producing it.
"We have a National Beef Speakers Bureau that does just that. It kind of gives people permission to eat beef. It shares the whole production story from pasture to plate. And we actually train our speakers-- even if they come at the industry from one area or another--we actually train them to understand the whole process so that they can speak intelligently to people who are really trying to understand where their food comes from.
"And we have to do a good job of that. We just can't assume that people know. We have to be good ag advocates. And I think you're going to see a lot more of that. The Unites States Farmers and Ranchers Alliance just announced their Faces In Agriculture. We are a part of that as well. We spend some time working with our other animal alliance associations and affiliates in really trying to work closer together to make sure we have a united front in explaining the whole animal production and where your food comes from."
Didlot says her year as president of the ANCW was filled with numerous highlights and she has hopes she can continue to speak on behalf of her fellow beef producers.
"The one thing that I hope to take away from this is that I will continue to be a voice for the industry and not say, 'OK, that was cool and it's done.' I don't think you're ever done. But I think, also, you have to look at ways that you can maybe open my eyes and explain truly how we do things. And we have to be a strong advocate for our industry. And we can't just assume somebody else will take that role."
She says that, despite all of the adversities that cattle producers are facing due to the drought and a sluggish economy, the mood in cattle country is surprisingly upbeat.
"I have to say the people in the beef industry, and in agriculture in general, are the most optimistic people that I've ever met in my life. Because it would be easy to just go, 'Man, this is a bummer. We're at our lowest cow herds in 60 years and everything is kind of going up as far as prices go.' You always wonder what's around that next curve, but the reason we do what we do is because we enjoy it. And I think that, really, for the most part, people are just trying to stay positive and they'll get through this.
"That's the one thing about people in the country-they just get through. There's always a challenge. You know weather is something you can't bank on. And that's nothing new. It does wear on you. And I will have to say that people are a little more afraid right now as far as their nerves are kind of shot because of a lot of the challenges that they have. But, I think that overall people are trying to be optimistic and we keep praying for rain."
You can watch Tammi Didlot on "In the Field" Saturday morning about 6:40 on News 9.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show- and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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