Here we are, January 2017 and the second class of students are starting out in the Applied Sustainable Ranching(ASUR) program at Thompson Rivers University (TRU).
“Bright eyed and bushy tailed” might describe the young people enrolled in this program.
In case you don’t know where this phrase comes from, it originated as far as I know from a (then) catchy tune from the 1950s, a country hillbilly or pop tune by Jimmy Wakely and Eileen Barton.
I checked this out because I didn’t want to inadvertently insult any young person who steps up to take a part in rebuilding and advancing agriculture in this age.
Always when my mother used this phrase, it was taken as a compliment.
My compliments to this group of students, as they begin their program. There were two late starting students from the first year who missed the first course because they registered late.
They too were still bight eyed and bushy tailed, although a little wiser about the ranching industry.
Because so many people coming into the education in agriculture have no experience on operating ranches, we take them to visit a half dozen operations and see operations from North Cariboo to South Cariboo and in between.
Getting out into the field happens after the students are welcomed and given some words of wisdom from some of our elders in the business. Then they are introduced to the TRU world and the learning platform: all the computer-based system of communication and online resources.
Online learning coupled with face-to-face learning is the best possible combination for results.
After a short two years of “instruction” and skill building these students should be ready for starting their own businesses, making a contribution to the family ranch or applying for jobs in management or supervising in agriculture.
They are the future for agriculture. New entrants or reskilled people from within the industry give hope to our older generation who hope there is a receiving hand to the torch we toss their way.
Happy and full of energy they catch the torch.
So we take them visit operations who have survived and thrived after a lot of years. And we take them to some new operations or at least ones that are under new management.
At the six operations they get to see, hear and question people collectively have some 350 years of experience and still like their jobs.
They see cow-calf, yearling, feedlot, bale grazing, silage and hay, vegetable production, horse, sheep, relacement cattle (heifers), specialty cattle, value -adding (butcher shop and custom feed preparation), finishing and tourism.
They travel through different elevations from 1,500 feet in Quesnel to 3,700 feet in Lone Butte. Above all they get to see the faces and personalities of agriculture. They (the students) at least respect the work that farmers and ranchers do.
Consumers can get behind these young people by putting food producers up on a pedestal. If you eat you’ve gotta love farmers.
We try to inculcate in the students the pride of a respectable job well done.
David Zirnhelt is a member of the Cariboo Cattlemen’s Association and chair of the advisory committee for the Applied Sustainable Ranching program which started at Thompson Rivers University in Williams Lake this January.