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Rural and urban education
Rural education in easy words
Rural education in easy words
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Volunteer work is not just about helping those less fortunate, it is also about keeping a community alive. This specific area of Texas is kept alive through agriculture. One specific branch of agriculture that is important to this area is cattle ranching. A group of ranchers of come together to form a group to help sustain ranching for small ranchers. Within this group I have come to learn the true meaning of hard work and helping your neighbor. My specific volunteer work taught me that it takes a “a village” to survive within the world today. The duties that were assigned to me happen over a long period of time and include: Hay bailing, round-up multiple times a year (horseback), castration, branding. spraying for skin bacteria/bug, vaccination, …show more content…
Cattle production is essential to both the development and stabilization of Southeast, Texas. The only solution is for the younger generation to understand the importance of the survival of the cattle industry in order to maintain a way of life. Eight to ten ranchers have banded together and try and survive the flood of “big business”. I participated within this volunteer group over the past year. I was introduced to this group by my Grandpa who is a member. I have to say that these men work hard in order to survive and they “cut me no slack” in teaching me how to support my …show more content…
I have to say that each rancher is specific in what they require and how their stock is divided. Due to the individual ideas within the volunteer group, I have learned a variety of important information. One is watch your toes. You never know when a cow is charging. You must stay away from workers that are as “wild” as the cattle. You must always be aware of your surroundings. Most important is to listen and do not get side tracked. The operation runs smoothly as long as everyone knows their job.
This volunteer program has taught me to respect every bite that you eat. Behind every meal is hours of labor intensive work and sweat. I have also learned that nothing in life is free that in order to survive within an agriculture community that every neighbor counts. Small community ranchers and farmers would never survive without community input and work. I plan on continuing my work within this group, because it has taught me what it takes to be a “true”
Hasheider, Philip. How to Raise Cattle: Everything You Need to Know. St. Paul: Voyageur, 2007. Print.
Joel Salatin is a 57 year old farmer who has been farming full time since 1982 on his farm “Polyface” which is located in Swoope, VA, where he is somewhat of a local legend in farming. “The farm services more than 5,000 families, 10 retail outlets, and 50 restaurants through on-farm sales and metropolitan buying clubs with salad bar beef, pastured poultry, eggmobile eggs, pigaerator pork, forage-based rabbits, pastured turkey and forestry products using relationship marketing” (Salatin, Polyface.com). Mr. Salatin utilizes a unique method of farming, a fact which makes him so profoundly interesting. The style in which he farms his land is termed “mob grazing”. Mob grazing is the process in which different animals are rotated at different times throughout the farms’ fields. He is an advocate not just for the human well being but for the world’s ecological sustainability and the continuance of growth.
Agribusiness is a growing profession across our nation. Each year our Legislature introduces new farm bills requiring additional need for in-depth studies and introduction to the ever changing farming system. The ranch manager becomes the caretaker of crops, livestock and other animals. A lot of their time is spent outdoors and in meetings with farmers and government agencies. They are basically on call, whether they are tending to farm matters; working and meeting with government agencies; and/or speaking to local communities sharing various farming techniques, they are constantly busy. Ranch managers are an integral part in agribusiness, their focus is to manage and produce a successful farm operation while maintaining required government
Ranching - Agricultural Marketing Resource Center. Deer (Venison) Ranching - Agricultural Marketing Resource Center. N.p., n.d. Web. The Web.
volunteering is a person who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task. In this report i will talk about the different types of volunteering in the:
Many people may ask, “What the heck is the Cattleman’s Association?” Normally, the first thoughts that fill people’s minds when they hear “Cattleman’s Association” are: farmers, cows, farms, rednecks, dairy, beef, steaks, hamburger, milk, and so on. Many of these “stereotypes” prove true and many not so much. My experience with the KCA (Kentucky Cattleman’s Association) may be limited, but its roots run deep in my hometown and my family. Although a great number of my family members are in the KCA, I couldn’t tell you the first thing about them, which inspired me to “get to know” them.
The drought and drop in the market price of beef caused most of the cattle ranchers to leave Arizona. During the height of the Cattle Boom, ranchers stocked one cow per five acres. However, ranchers in Arizona today stock one cow per 65 acres (Guido 2). Modern day ranchers now are keeping “a keen eye toward future climate challenges, and are tuning their ranch operations to the environment” (Guido 1).
Before beginning my volunteer work I faced quite a dilema. Where could I influence children, help them develop their leadership potential, educate them about agriculture, and have fun-all at the same time?
The seemingly simple term “rancher” is commonly misinterpreted. The term rancher may bring to mind a guy riding a bucking bull or horse in a western movie or maybe a tough looking guy without much brains raising cattle on the prairie. Other people think of a farmer. Actual ranchers specifically raise cattle, while farmers raise crops, hogs, and poultry. Modern ranchers are hardworking men and women who live off the land raising cattle for consumers. Despite popular beliefs, it takes a lot of knowledge to raise cattle. American ranchers use business and technology skills to raise cattle. Even with these skills, they are still at the mercy of Mother Nature and gamble with her every year.
These ranchers are the ones who absolutely have to keep all the cows and calves alive. If one dies, more profit is lost. These “middle class” ranchers are the ones who struggle from year to year to make payments, but they love what they do and will not quit. Middle class ranchers are the ones who work day in and day out with little rest to continue to prosper. Feeding a family, continuing the tradition, and improving the cattle industry are just a few goals which these ranchers seem to strive for. Many people who live in town don’t understand the ranching industry. Shipping is when all the young calves are weaned and sent off to feedlots, where they will be fed out until they are old enough to butcher. Ranchers only get paid once a year, which is called shipping season. When income only comes in during September, October, or November, payments have to be set up for annually rather than monthly. For example, vehicle payments are made annually, usually set up to be made around November or December, as their calf check has come in and money is now available. The ranchers credit must also be outstanding as they are leaning on bank notes to get them through the year. Once shipping season rolls around, all the notes and payments can be made from the year. The Stimpson Brothers Ranch Incorporated, which is the family ranch which I live on, struggles from year to year, but doesn’t know any different lifestyle. Everyone grew up this way, are raising their kids the same way, and will die on the place, exactly how their parents did. They struggle to make ends meet and only have enough to get by, but they enjoy the life they live and are happy with what they accomplished. The countless hours of dedication and hard work only gave them more pride in the operation and industry itself. These hard working and determined ranchers are what the real ranching world is all
Specifically, volunteering brings in revenue from nonprofits and “free” work. In fact, in 2009 an estimated value of $169 billion dollars was contributed to America in volunteer participation (Corporation for National and Community Service). Volunteers bring an unexpected abundance of revenue that appears in unpaid work. In addition, it enhances communication within a society. Significantly, volunteering provides insight from first hand experiences for the community’s wants and needs and if these wants and needs are being met by volunteers communicating their volunteer experiences (Young). When there is better communication within a community it is easier to understand what the wants and needs are for a society to better function. Finally, it provides services in many different forms. For instance, in a local sense volunteers can benefit many sectors such as public works and transportation; public safety, health, and human services; parks and recreation; and support functions (Young). Like stated above, it is evident that there are many different types of volunteer jobs that can be done and anyone can help by using their personal strengths to better the community. Overall, there are many economic benefits that are brought to a community that essentially leads to a safer
Volunteering enables a person to develop new skills that he or she would otherwise not have been able to develop. Unlike most other organizations, a charitable organization is happy to give positions to passionate, though inexperienced, individuals who desire to help others and benefit the community. Therefore, an individual with little experience in a field of work can gain meaningful skills that he or she can use in the future. For example, while I volunteered at the hospital this summer, I learned about the daily work lives and professional duties of doctors and nurses. Had I not volunteered, I would not have learned about these things. I was always interested in the medical field, but volunteering at the hospital let me explore my interests and en...
A reflection of my volunteering experience can be summarized in two words: Life-changing. It is hard to explain the feelings that occur when you involve yourself in selfless acts for your community, such as volunteering. There is a feeling in your heart that you cannot ignore, maybe it is the happiness you feel or the overflow of emotions in helping others. In other words, it is a feeling in which you want to share with others. Maybe with a friend, maybe a classmate, maybe a family member, or maybe even a stranger. Either way, spreading how life-changing volunteering can be is a great start to making a positive change in your community by simply by involving others.
Volunteering benefits a person by building connections with peers, improving family life, expanding career skills, overcoming self doubt, having lasting life impressions, and creating new opportunities. Just a small act can make a huge difference in someone’s life. The future is dependent on the individual person and the people they surround themselves with. Just a few hours will change both the volunteer’s life and the one that is in need.
...gement of grass must be taken. On farms where grassland management is poor, rising beef prices will be eroded by rising costs.