I don't tell this to people right off the bat, but I'm not from here.
That part isn't so bad though, it's where I'm from that get's people...
I have been denied jobs, tips, conversations, and friendships because of it.
And because of this, I have actually learned to use this factoid as a rapid way to sort people out for myself when I need to.
Most people tell me they would never guess that I am from Lake Forest, a suburb of Orange County, in Southern California.
I have now been in Wyoming for 12 years, and I am anxiously awaiting the day I have lived here longer than I have lived anywhere else.
One thing I learned quickly, when I moved to Wyoming, is that the culture demands a self-immersion for survival.
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I gladly, and rapidly, obliged.
It is the same principle you would probably want to adopt while travelling to a new country, in order to gain the most fruitful experience.
Learn the language, listen to the music the locals like, learn the priorities of the people, find out the good places to go and eat and see, really get into it, walk it, taste it, breathe it, learn the religions, the traditions, the superstitions, cherish the generational knowledge, learn and honor the history, and try your absolute best to withhold the judgement that tries to creep in from your outside perspective.
There is a sense of urgency and dedication to the process, when you meet a new place that you so avidly would love to call Home.
There are so many places in this great state where I feel held and loved- like a spirit is coming up off the land that I just can't get enough of.
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If you can get used to the wind, it's truly God's Country.
To live in God's Country I have learned to abide by a few rules to integrate myself with God's people in this place.
What most people think of when they think of Wyoming are Cattle Ranches and Cowboys.
I have been lucky enough to work on a few different cattle ranches over the past decade.
When I think back to some of those experiences, and how I had so much to learn, some of those lessons make me smile and even laugh.
I thought you might enjoy hearing about them BJ.
So, here they are.
A city-kid's rules for survival in the Cowboy State:
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Always look for the next thing...
Run ahead (well walking briskly would be better, since running tends to spook animals) to open the gate everyone will be going through next. Start looking for the next tool needed for the job before it's needed. Move over to fill a hole that an animal could run through when pushing a herd, before that hole gets too wide. Always be on the look out for the next thing that needs done to help the job go more efficiently.
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If you think you know the answer, you probably don't...
Humility and restraint are some things I work on daily. I'm the kind of person who loves to jump right in, because it feels good to solve problems and to be of help. However I have learned that most times, it's best to assume I don't know the best way to do something and to see how someone else might tackle a problem, before I jump in with my idea for a solution.
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Close your mouth...
This one may not be what you think. There are two main applications for this one. One is very literal. Close your mouth! When you are working cows through a chute, horses in a corral, shearing sheep, etc. substances of all kinds tend to really fly in this Wyoming wind! Shut your mouth! Unless you want natures super-charged probiotic dose, haha! It's happened quite a few times to me. The other is a little more figurative- humble yourself enough to listen fully before you speak. I have learned that we all have two ears, two eyes, and one mouth for a reason. I'm still working on this one constantly!
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Work hard sleep hard...
The best way to sleep well and feel great is to get as much physical labor, outside, as you can, every day. Nothing makes me sleep as good and feel as great as a long hard day of work.
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There is no space for waste...
There's no time to waste, and no room for wasted resources. In agriculture, margins are thin and time, effort, and diesel use up money. I have been on operations where they pay attention to details down to each pass of a tractor while stacking bales. It's so useful to be aware of how many trips it takes to get something done. It's valuable to pay attention to how far the tools for a job are stored from where they are used on a regular basis. One awesome resource for learning how this concept applies to many aspects of life, is The Lean Farm- a book by Ben Hartman.
And one bonus rule for ya!
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Smile through the Grit in Your Teeth...
Nothing compares to working harder than you ever thought you could. It's awesome to push ourselves past our perceived limits every once and a while and ranching seems to push the boundaries on what I think is possible, quite often. Something that comes along with ranch-life is learning to celebrate the small victories, and remembering to look around and find something to appreciate when the days get challenging and when things don't always go the way I hoped they would. When it comes down to it, I know I can always appreciate the chance to work with animals. No day is truly the same with animals around, and having the chance to work in the food system at its most basic resource level is pretty, dang, cool!
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What did I miss?
I'm sure you have a rule or two that would apply to ranching and to life.
Reply to this email- I would love to hear your thoughts, objections, and/or reactions to what I have written this week.
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If you are interested in meeting several local Farmers and Ranchers and want to get an idea of the Local Food Landscape in Wyoming, consider attending the Wyoming Food Coalition's Annual Conference in Riverton, February 1st-3rd.
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One of my favorite modern authors, Sarah K. Mock who wrote Farm and Other F Words and Big Team Farms, will be there as a keynote speaker!
You can sign up for our conference HERE.
I look forward to getting lots of people who all value local food and the future of ag in Wyoming, all together in the same room in February!
Until next time.
-BJ and the Taste of the Wind Crew
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