Making connections under the Big Sky
Post by 2016 Montana Summer Program student Sarah Coleman
Time Marches On (Or Does It?)
Our time in Montana is quickly waning as we approach our last few days under the Big Sky and all the moments are bittersweet. Part of me feels as though I could skip my plane and live here forever; while the other half desperately wants to go home to see my family and friends. Our small group has grown into a family, identifying everyone’s quirks and peculiarities; finding the likes and dislikes. Most importantly we have learned how to work together, to feed off of each other’s knowledge in order to aid one another. Every one of us comes from a different background with many different experiences and life lessons that have been learned; each sharing with the group as we continue to learn things about each other every day.
The experiences drive me. I always find myself surprised at how naïve I can be about other people’s backgrounds. Not everyone had the opportunity or blessing to grow up on a farm in the rural community of Blair, South Carolina. They don’t know all the “ins” and “outs” of living off the land or the sometimes harsh realities of being a farm kid. To be completely honest, I don’t either, because I’m still learning and growing with each passing moment. I learn something new every day, whether I am home on the farm, at Clemson, or here in Montana. My dad always taught me to have a respect for the land and all of its inhabitants; to put back into it more than I take away. I cannot think of one time in my childhood where I resented growing up on a farm, because I thought and still believe, that it’s one of the coolest things in the world. I am and continue to be blessed by my roots.
Making Connections.
Everything I learn I try to relate back to home. The improvements that are being made in the agriculture industry are mind-blowing (at least in my eyes). The past few days have been full of connections, interactions, and realizations. We continued our focus of management and nutrition, but observed all of the research that goes behind the various practices. There are so many people devoted to finding not only the most efficient way to produce livestock for consumption, but also how to utilize agricultural practices sustainably. Livestock production is a large industry that incorporates many different branches of science, one of the most predominant being genetics.
What goes into making the best possible cow? Some of that depends on the breed, but for now we can talk Herefords and Black Angus. Line 1 Herefords, were the first cattle breed to have their genetic makeup sequenced. Essentially, they were the starting point for what would change the cattle industry. Where did this sequencing occur? Fort Keogh. We had the honor of visiting this facility where so many breakthrough studies have been completed. There were several studies presented to us that I found very interesting. The two that I found to be the most interesting were about (1) beef cattle longevity when managing them under a limited feed intake and (2) identifying the primary variables that affect the fertility of beef cattle. After reading through bits about these studies and listening to the brilliant minds behind them, it occurred to me that what they were saying seemed like common sense. How could no one have thought of this before? This is breakthrough science that is literally walking around in front of us just waiting to be noticed. These people aren’t doing this research for themselves, they’re doing it for the farmers, ranchers, and agriculture industry as a whole.
In one of my earlier blog posts I posed the question, “What does one think of when they think prairie?” Well, I’m asking the question again but covering a broader range. “What do you think of when you think Montana?” Many would say great mountains, roaring rivers, and amazing places to hike. What is at the heart of Montana though? What has carried the people through when energy companies and the like have boomed then busted? Agriculture. A practice that has been around for hundreds of thousands of years. It’s the past, present, and future. They are all connected. While conserving the past Montana is working towards making advances for the future agriculture. As I mentioned earlier Fort Keogh is the USDA research facility; it used to be a remount post for the military. It has major historical significance, in the aspects of the history of the state of Montana and the groundbreaking research being done there. The other fort full of history is Fort Ellis, located on the campus of Montana State University, where graduate students do research on sheep. I used the word conservation earlier because they are putting these facilities to use, bracing on their history to drive them forward into the future. Preservation would simply have these areas “stay the same”, stuck in the past.
Montana is the land of boom and bust, whether it be economically or ecologically focused. However, there are breakthroughs being made. People are not conquering but working with the land, studying its every change. It all circles back to agriculture, the foundation of the state. Agriculture has been both the rock and downfall of many people, but it still holds on, just as it has a firm hold on my heart.
Time Marches On (Or Does It?)
Our time in Montana is quickly waning as we approach our last few days under the Big Sky and all the moments are bittersweet. Part of me feels as though I could skip my plane and live here forever; while the other half desperately wants to go home to see my family and friends. Our small group has grown into a family, identifying everyone’s quirks and peculiarities; finding the likes and dislikes. Most importantly we have learned how to work together, to feed off of each other’s knowledge in order to aid one another. Every one of us comes from a different background with many different experiences and life lessons that have been learned; each sharing with the group as we continue to learn things about each other every day.
The experiences drive me. I always find myself surprised at how naïve I can be about other people’s backgrounds. Not everyone had the opportunity or blessing to grow up on a farm in the rural community of Blair, South Carolina. They don’t know all the “ins” and “outs” of living off the land or the sometimes harsh realities of being a farm kid. To be completely honest, I don’t either, because I’m still learning and growing with each passing moment. I learn something new every day, whether I am home on the farm, at Clemson, or here in Montana. My dad always taught me to have a respect for the land and all of its inhabitants; to put back into it more than I take away. I cannot think of one time in my childhood where I resented growing up on a farm, because I thought and still believe, that it’s one of the coolest things in the world. I am and continue to be blessed by my roots.
Making Connections.
Everything I learn I try to relate back to home. The improvements that are being made in the agriculture industry are mind-blowing (at least in my eyes). The past few days have been full of connections, interactions, and realizations. We continued our focus of management and nutrition, but observed all of the research that goes behind the various practices. There are so many people devoted to finding not only the most efficient way to produce livestock for consumption, but also how to utilize agricultural practices sustainably. Livestock production is a large industry that incorporates many different branches of science, one of the most predominant being genetics.What goes into making the best possible cow? Some of that depends on the breed, but for now we can talk Herefords and Black Angus. Line 1 Herefords, were the first cattle breed to have their genetic makeup sequenced. Essentially, they were the starting point for what would change the cattle industry. Where did this sequencing occur? Fort Keogh. We had the honor of visiting this facility where so many breakthrough studies have been completed. There were several studies presented to us that I found very interesting. The two that I found to be the most interesting were about (1) beef cattle longevity when managing them under a limited feed intake and (2) identifying the primary variables that affect the fertility of beef cattle. After reading through bits about these studies and listening to the brilliant minds behind them, it occurred to me that what they were saying seemed like common sense. How could no one have thought of this before? This is breakthrough science that is literally walking around in front of us just waiting to be noticed. These people aren’t doing this research for themselves, they’re doing it for the farmers, ranchers, and agriculture industry as a whole.
In one of my earlier blog posts I posed the question, “What does one think of when they think prairie?” Well, I’m asking the question again but covering a broader range. “What do you think of when you think Montana?” Many would say great mountains, roaring rivers, and amazing places to hike. What is at the heart of Montana though? What has carried the people through when energy companies and the like have boomed then busted? Agriculture. A practice that has been around for hundreds of thousands of years. It’s the past, present, and future. They are all connected. While conserving the past Montana is working towards making advances for the future agriculture. As I mentioned earlier Fort Keogh is the USDA research facility; it used to be a remount post for the military. It has major historical significance, in the aspects of the history of the state of Montana and the groundbreaking research being done there. The other fort full of history is Fort Ellis, located on the campus of Montana State University, where graduate students do research on sheep. I used the word conservation earlier because they are putting these facilities to use, bracing on their history to drive them forward into the future. Preservation would simply have these areas “stay the same”, stuck in the past.
Montana is the land of boom and bust, whether it be economically or ecologically focused. However, there are breakthroughs being made. People are not conquering but working with the land, studying its every change. It all circles back to agriculture, the foundation of the state. Agriculture has been both the rock and downfall of many people, but it still holds on, just as it has a firm hold on my heart.
