PESSIMISM THROWS A WET BLANKET ON WHAT SHOULD BE FOOD HEROES

Dec 30, 2021

Producers and the public don’t always agree. But lately, they’re united in their struggle beneath the weight of a heavy, wet blanket of pessimism, leaving them uninspired and lacking hope as the New Year unfolds.

Consider how things have changed since a promising spring and summer. Back then, supply chains were starting to recover, trade and travel had resumed and optimism was in the air. On the farm, record yields were forecast for some commodities. Equipment sales were strong. Farm visits returned and farmers’ markets thrived.

Producers had come out of the pandemic as heroes, feeding the world with grace and cool heads.

But it’s a different story today. Adverse weather, labour shortages, inflation and of course the Omicron variant have taken a toll on confidence and optimism, on and off the farm.

For example, in December, a Gallup poll showed that although financial markets were holding steady, Americans feared a stormy horizon. The Gallup Investor Optimism Index, which checked in +39 in the summer, fell to +10 as the year end loomed.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.