Al Gustin

Years ago, many small towns hosted feeder calf shows in the fall. They provided a chance for commercial and purebred cattlemen to show how their breeding programs were working.

Then there were bull shows in the winter – at Bismarck, Dickinson and Drake. Pens of yearling bulls were displayed, and the owner was given the opportunity to talk about his or her program.

I remember how bad some of those old fences used to be. I recall fixing fence around some pasture that Dad had rented. You could hardly call it a fence. In one spot, an old bed spring had been tied up to block an opening where the cows had broken through.

General Mills has hired consultants who work directly with those producers. The consultants do comprehensive soil tests, document soil carbon levels and do insect inventories. Then they work with the farmers to build soil health through the use of cover crops, crop rotation and integrated crop-livestock systems.

A consultant told me, “General Mills realized that if they were to get a consistent supply of high-quality grain, they needed to make sure farms and ranches were profitable, and the quality part relates back to the health of the soil.”

In early March, I went to check the cows in the calving pasture near the yard. There, probably cleaning up after a cow had given birth, was a bald eagle. The frequent bald eagle sightings of recent years are another reminder of how the mix of wildlife on our farm has changed.

We are enjoined to find a job we love. It’s a favorite of commencement speakers: “Choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” A veteran farm broadcaster who I know and respect wrote, “I was always so radio-crazy that I arrived at work early and left late.”

One who thinks agriculture’s reliability should not be minimized is Neal Fisher, administrator of the N.D. Wheat Commission. Fisher cites statistics that crops and livestock, combined, have generated between $7 billion and $8.5 billion in all but two of the past 12 years. If you add crop insurance and government payments, Fisher says, the annual new wealth from those two agricultural sectors has been between $8 billion and $10 billion in all but two years since 2008.

Over the years, there have been many such trade team visits to North Dakota and many return visits of North Dakotans to overseas markets. I had the privilege of reporting from a trade mission to Egypt and Jordan in 1976 and one to Japan and China in 1982.

The occasion was the addition of one more name to the list – Ray Erbele of Streeter. Erbele was described simply as “rancher,” but he has been so much more than that – educator, marketer, industry servant and mentor.

The scholarship applications listing the students’ accomplishments and goals were all impressive. But I found the letters of recommendation especially revealing. Here are some of the comments made in those letters. “Well-organized, passionate and dependable.” “Her work ethic and determination will push her to succeed in everything she undertakes.” “Responsible beyond his years and looked to for leadership.” “Outstanding student leader and citizen.”

I was never an accomplished cattle judge. In fact, the first time I had to judge, formally, was in college. Unlike most of my classmates, I hadn’t had the benefit of years of 4-H or FFA livestock judging. Assessing a “class” of four steers or heifers, ranking them and then giving oral reasons to defend my placings was, for me, a daunting challenge.