3 Ways to Advocate In Person

Shaye Koester  00:02

Hey, hey, it’s Shaye Koester and I’m your host for the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast where we connect you to ranchers and beef industry enthusiasts who can help you build a more profitable operation and improve your lifestyle.  Are you looking for a community of ranchers who support and challenge you to be more profitable and proactive? Then sign-up for our monthly RancherMind events. RancherMinds are mastermind events for ranchers to come together once a month and find solutions for their own and the industry's challenges.   Do you want ranch management advice, RIGHT NOW? Sign up for my weekly newsletter and I’ll send you a pdf with 22 Ranch Management Tips from the ranching gurus who have been on my show.   Follow @cattleconvos on Facebook and Instagram and message me what topics you want to hear more about and book me as a speaker for your next event.   With that let’s see who our guest is today and connect you to a new resource to improve your own operation and lifestyle.

Shaye Koester  01:29

Hey, folks, guess what? It's Shaye. You just listened to my intro, but it's just me today I'm doing another solo episode, I've actually come to kind of enjoy these. So we'll see what it brings for next year. But I just want to kind of hop right into today's topic. And I want to talk about advocacy. I want to talk about advocacy in general, but mostly tangible ways that you can start advocating in person. Now the reason we're going to talk about advocating in person is that I know some of you have reached out and talked to me and said, you know social media is not your thing. And I get it, I don't do a lot of advocating on social media, I actually prefer to advocate in person and find some of those methods to do so. So first, let's, let's take a second to set an intention for the show. So my intention, as I record this, as I prepped this, and as I edit this is to offer you tangible ways that you can begin advocating and understand where to start with that process. And understand that it can be completely unique to you. And it doesn't have to be what everyone else is doing. So that is my goal. That's what you are going to get out of this episode. So what is your intention for listening to this? Why are you listening? And why do you tune in every week? So with that, let's get started with what advocacy is.

Shaye Koester  03:03

So, advocacy, it's a buzzword in the ag industry, as producers we are pushed to do it. And I think that's important. Now, on the flip side, I find it frustrating when there's misinformation about beef misinformation or about any industry, or any product out there is frustrating. And it's not right. I don't believe it's right in my heart to share facts that aren't true to share biased research studies to skew numbers or data or anything like that. It's simply not right. But the fact is, is that it's out there. And as beef producers, it is important for us to share the truth in some capacity. Now, you may say, Well, you know, I research. This is kind of girly, but I research hair products before I buy them. So I understand. I personally research, some other nutritional supplements. I do research on, you know, what type of foods might be the best to buy, like, you know, I look into it, I do that consumer research, but it's kind of frustrating, you know, well, why doesn't the consumer look into beef? Why don't they trust us? Why don't they look into that?

Shaye Koester  04:22

Well, it is frustrating. And I've said that 10 times already, but at the same time, it is our job to tell that story to these other companies. They market to us, they talk to us. They share about their products, we in turn need to do the same. Now it's difficult because we feel like we're on a fight. It feels like maybe we're not on the proactive end and we're constantly on the defensive end. And so that makes a challenge but that's also on us to continue sharing our stories so that we're not always active defensively and we can be proactive. So as you think about advocacy, I want you to think about it in a different light. If thinking about it defensively makes it frustrating or makes it hard for you to want to share. Think about it in the sense of you talking about what you do what you love. Think about it in a proactive light, where you are reaching someone else who maybe hasn't heard it, you don't have to think about it as always being on the fight. Think about it in a proactive manner, where you're able to market this wonderful, nutritious product that helps us live our lives to the fullest. So now, why do I want to talk about in-person advocacy today? Well, like I brought up earlier, social media advocacy isn't for everyone. I personally do a few posts. But most of my social media is targeted towards the rancher. I intentionally set the algorithm up to connect me with more ranchers and I, you know, set that up through my posts and et cetera. And just the content I put out. So advocating on social media isn't necessarily something that's on my heart. But I would say that advocating in person is, and this looks different for everyone.

Shaye Koester  06:18

So one way that I personally like to advocate in person is when I'm traveling, a lot of times, I take Ubers, from the airport to my hotel. Well, you get into big cities. And I like to just start a conversation. You know how long you've been an Uber driver? Yeah. And they'll talk and more often than not, they always ask, Well, what do you do. And instead of shying away from what I do, and not talking about it, I talk about it openly. I talk about it proudly. And I say I'm a rancher and a podcaster. And my podcast talks about the ranching industry as well. I really have always loved and I'm passionate about beef production. And I get to talk about that. And I always get led into some of the most amazing conversations. I had one Uber driver told me that, you know, he appreciated me sharing and explaining the different segments of the beef industry, because he had some friends who had cattle, and he had, you know, kind of thought about going in on some with them as well, at least that's what he told me so, but he didn't understand all the different segments of the beef industry and what it looked like on a larger scale outside of owning, you know, a smaller amount. And so, we talked about that. Then there was another time I had an Uber driver and he told me that, you know, traditionally, I mean, his family was originally from India, where the cow is sacred. So they did not consume beef. But he had been living in the United States for almost his whole life. He said, when he goes to his parents house, they don't eat beef. But every now and then he does go back to beef. He said there was a period in his life, where he did eat a lot of beef. And then he said, Well, I'm recovered, and I'm a vegetarian again, but then he goes, but sometimes I still go off that diet and have beef because it does taste so good. And so then I was able to go into a conversation and ask him I was like, So what makes you not consume it all the time. If you do like the taste of it, if you do like it in your diet, and he had concerns about health, he had concerns about how it was raised. And we were able to talk through that. And I was able to point him to some resources as well online where he could research that himself if he wanted to. Do I necessarily know if he did it? No. But do I know that I gave everything I could in that scenario? Yes. So that's just one way is to bring it up in your conversations and be proud of what you do and don't shy away from it. Because you're the expert about what you do everyday day in and day out. That doesn't mean you have to be an expert at everything related to the beef industry. But you're an expert and you know what you do and you know your story and only you know your story and that is something that you can relate to other people about.

Shaye Koester  09:23

Now as far as other methods of sharing in person go, I would recommend finding another organization to work with if you want to take some on solo go for it. But I would recommend looking at into your state cattlemen associations, your state beef councils, and local 4-h or FFA chapters. Really any organization that you can work with that is already putting on events. And you can tie beef into that event in some capacity. So whether that's, you know, your 4-h or FFA chapter, maybe they have a petting zoo. And that might sound a little cheesy. But I remember being a senior in high school our FFA chapter had a petting zoo. And the amount of kids we connected to agriculture that day, even though we lived in a rural community was insane. And it was really eye-opening for me, because people got to see a bottle calf, they got to see pigs, they got to see chickens, you know, they got to see horses, they got to see real animals. And so maybe it's you find a way to help them. Maybe you find a local Ag in the Classroom program, or find another organization that can connect you and you can read a children's book to an elementary school class, and you can connect them to agriculture, and you can talk about what you're doing there. So those are a few options. And maybe you're selling beef directly to consumers, which is already a great way for you to connect because you're providing the beef. But as you're at that farmer’s market, talk more about the nutritional value of beef talk more about how you raise cattle, strike up a conversation with someone who passes by. It can be as simple as just starting with, how's your weekend? Are you enjoying this weekend? The weather is nice. Just see if they want to stay and chat longer. If they walk away, they walk away, but you're not out anything for trying.

Shaye Koester  11:33

Now, you may be asking like, what, what does good advocacy look like? Where do I start there. And it's not something that you have to start from scratch with or start alone with, I already mentioned that you are the expert in what you do day in and day out. And that's your biggest thing. From there, then I would really say connection is the biggest point. At the end of the day, we are all still people. And as people, there are certain parts about us, that bring us all together. Maybe you're both moms, maybe you're both dads or grandparents or aunts or uncles or brothers or sisters, maybe you both like the same sporting event or sports team, maybe you're both in the same yoga class or gym program, maybe you go to church together or it's just someone else. Or you know someone else in your school system, you're on a different board or organization together outside of agriculture. Everyone has a connecting point with someone else, somewhere along the line, wherever that may be. Now use that to be a part of that organization. And bring your experiences and your knowledge to that organization. And just ask yourself, Well, how else can I relate beef to this organization? Whether that's talking to someone, making sure beef is served that that next organization's meal, whatever it may be, so find that connecting point. And quit isolating yourself and saying, I'm just a rancher, right? Yes, you're a rancher. But you're also a person and a person who is involved in other areas somewhere. So just dig a little deeper and say, How do I connect to other people who are not farmers or ranchers. And once you find that connecting point, really just listen, don't focus so much on the conversion, focus on the conversation. And a part of a conversation is you listen and you ask questions. It's not all about you talking. If they asked you a question, talk back, if they ask you a question about is beef healthy? Do you treat your animals? Right, whatever it may be, answer it. But ask them questions and show that you're interested and work on being interested in not interesting when you're having those conversations. Now, sometimes, we get asked hard questions that we don't know the answer to. And I would not let this discourage you from continuing to share the beef story. You don't necessarily have to well, for example, in one of my advocacy trainings because I'm I am a part of the Trailblazer program. In one of my trainings, we did mock interviews. And in those mock interviews, I was asked a very hard question about the feedlot industry. And I know a little bit about the feedlot industry but my expertise area, my lane and I like to stay in my lane is cow-calf, right. The seed stock producer, the commercial producer, I like cow calf, that is my lane. I have learned about the other segments. I know enough about the other segments but I am not an expert. And so simply So, what you do in that scenario is you say, I'm not the expert on that. But I can tell you that from my what I do, this is how that works. Or you can say, I'm not the expert, but I do know of one if you'd like to contact them with questions, or I'm not the expert. But here's a website with more resources. Or let me go find some resources for you from the expert, you don't have to answer questions you're not comfortable with, you just have to stay in your lane and talk about what you do and why you do it and share your story.

Shaye Koester  15:32

Now, I want to take a moment to talk about some resources. Because this can a journey. And so I just want to talk a little bit about some resources to help you on this journey. If you haven't done your Masters of Beef Advocacy, I would recommend doing that. And so you can just Google Masters of Beef Advocacy. And from there, it'll take you to the website, and you can register and get approved and go through and take that course, it really doesn't take that much time. Fall is busy. If you have time this fall, do it I'm not going to tell you to stop. But I always took them during the winter, I've done it a couple of times. So I would take it during the winter, it really gives you some more advocacy tips keeps you up to date. And then you also have other resources that are available to you after the fact to help you continue on that journey. I would also recommend getting the BQA certified if you're not already. The reason I say that is because that's something that will be beneficial to you as you advocate, just when we talk about good practices for handling cattle and processing cattle. So I would recommend doing that as well. So that's beef quality assurance, Google that. And then, if you're interested in being in more programs, you know, I've enjoyed the Trailblazer program, I would gladly talk to you about that. But also, there are other programs such as like, Elevate Ag or other influencers out there who are putting together programs for you to share your story and advocate about agriculture. Now, if you're just looking for other resources, facts and figures, beefit'swhat'sfordinner.com has a lot of great resources too. I go to that one frequently, one for my own purpose to find new recipes. But also, just to look at some of the infographics and information they have there, it's already in a very easy-to-share format, they're easily citable, as well. So those are just some resources.

Shaye Koester  17:39

But that's really all I had. This is a quick episode for you guys. But to wrap things up, I'd really like to hit on three points. The first point being, it's up to us to be proactive about advocacy. And it's up to us to think about it differently. Remember that advocating is not always us being on the defense and fight. It's us being proactive and marketing our product and providing the consumer with the honest information they deserve. The second point I want to share is that advocacy doesn't have to be on social media online. There are a lot of ways where we can advocate in person. So find local organizations that your beliefs align with, and are doing great things in your local community on our state or national level. And connect with them. Say you're interested in advocating and being involved and ask how they can use you. Ask how you can get involved and start making those differences and those changes. And remember, even if you only connect with one person, you're still making a difference. And the third point I want to say is go to some of those resources, whether it's MBA, beefit'swhat'sfordinner.com or BQA and continue the learning process. There are a lot of resources out there. There are a lot of free resources out there, there are good paid programs out there, determine what's right for you. And, you know, those are the three points. I'm gonna throw a bonus on there. Set a goal. When do you want to start implementing advocacy into your life better, maybe it's you're just more intentional, when you're on an airplane or in an Uber or in the grocery store, whatever it may be. Set a goal for what advocacy looks like in your life, and how you can share not just the beef story, but your beef story because that's what's going to connect with a lot of people and that is what is going to make the difference. So with that, if you have questions. Comment, find me on Instagram @cattleconvos or Facebook wherever you listen on. Comment on whatever platform you're on. Let me know. I'll get back to you. And have a great day folks.

Shaye Koester  20:03

And that's a wrap on that one folks. Thank you for tuning in today and joining in on the conversation. Be sure to take this a step further and take the advice you learned and implement it on your operation. If you want to have a conversation about it, head over to my social media and send me a DM by following @cattleconvos and connecting with me there. Have a great day