Home on the Range

Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam
Where the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day
Home, home on the range
Where the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Random songs seem to pop into my head at various moments in time, and I caught myself whistling this old tune, most familiarly sung by Yosemite Sam from Buggs Bunny, today. As it is a cloudy day today, I decided to give my roommate a lift out to the Cal Poly SLO dairy so that she could work on her lab, and so that I could visit the babies, of course! Her lab included making an observation on a milk sample that her class had taken. We quickly accomplished that task and then headed out to the calf barn where I met Daisy, Daffodil, Mater, and Buggs (all of course names which I awarded them). Upon greeting the little Jersey and Holstein calves, I immediately felt my mood brighten and a huge smile come across my face. I was sure of one thing the moment Daffodil started sucking on my fingers trying with all her might to get milk out my hand–cows make me happy. Of course the saying goes that happy cows come from California. However, I think the saying should go as follows: Happy cows from California make Californians Happy! Although that’s not as catchy as the real saying, I still think it applies. Just from that short journey to the diary to visit all of my cow friends, my mood has brightened, and I have realized how much I miss livestock.

Home, home in the dorm
Where the college students all study
Where seldom is heard a enthusiastic word
and the dorms are stuffy all day.

Again, not as catchy, but altogether true. I find that as a National Beef Ambassador I can always, no matter what, fall back on one thing: BEEF! Cows really do make me happy. I have made it a point to travel out to the Beef Unit or the Dairy Unit at least once a month to lift my spirits. Today’s trip to the dairy also made me realize another thing: Where would I be if I had not grown up around agriculture? If I didn’t have the familiarity of waking up to newborn baby calves in the morning or the familiar squeal of a pig here and there, would my udder (pun intended) fascination for agriculture be the same? The answer is sad but true. The answer is no. Having agriculture surrounding me is what makes me happiest, and everyone who harbors the same passion that I do within their hearts can use this to their advantage. Passion is power. I believe that if we, as an industry, work hard enough our passion can and will rub off on those who are not as familiar with agriculture. By sharing our stories and telling the real facts, we can all strive to boost America’s passion for agriculture just by starting with real knowledge.

Where the air is so pure
And the zephyrs so free
The breezes so balmy and bright
That I would not exchange
My home on the range
For all the cities so bright.

The last two lines in this stanza really hit home with me. I know that whenever I go home from college, I sprint up to the barn, take a big whiff of fresh country air, and take it all in all over again. It never gets old. I go most everyday here without the familiar quiet sounds, the fresh country air, the sweet smells of the cattle, and the lovely sight of my herd on the hillside. Of course the pictures are engraved in my mind, but a nice reminder every once in a while brings me back to my grassroots. It is then that I know I am extremely proud to be a country girl!

Until the cows come home,

Malorie