RSS

Tag Archives: AG Kawamura

Adventure trip with AG

AG and Pat with the handyman jack

Our friend AG Kawamura came to visit us from California, and to represent Solutions from the Land at the AgroForestry tour Pat organized. He had an extra day and we wanted him to have a true range agriculture experience while he was here. AG raises strawberries, green beans and other tasty commodities, so he is a true farmer, but had never tended sheep camp before.

Sure enough, as we were pulling the sheepcamp up the VERY rocky road to Bridger Peak, we heard a bang, followed by dust billowing out to the side. Soon we were looking at a really really flat tire. We had a handyman jack and a spare tire (and Alejandro’s pet lambs, Susan and Cunadita) in the back of the truck.

After a lot of jacking by AG, Pat and Tiarnan, they managed to get the flat tire off and the spare tire on. I was indeed helping by sitting in the driver’s seat with my foot on the brake.

Pat and Tiarnan taking a turn

AG and Tiarnan removing the lug nuts

a teaching moment

AG with the spare, and Susan the lamb

Susan supervising

 
2 Comments

Posted by on August 14, 2022 in Animals, Family, Folks, Folks who help us out, Sheep

 

Tags: , , , , ,

COP26–Solutions not Agendas

Sunset from the International Space Station (NASA)

It is challenging to summarize the experience and outcomes of attending COP26 as delegates representing Solutions from the Land (SfL). SfL focuses on land-based solutions to global challenges.

Our team carried the message that agriculture, livestock production, and forest health offer solutions to mitigate methane emissions. Farmers Ray Gaesser, Lois Wright Morton, Fred Yoder and AG Kawamura, ranchers Pat and Sharon O’Toole, and SfL President Ernie Shea attended the COP26 over two weeks’ time.

We were told that past COPs agendas had hardly let agriculture, let alone animal agriculture, get their foot in the door. Deforestation was the only lens through which forestry was viewed. Pat said his fellow Board members who attended past COP meetings told him, “You better get somebody from livestock to go because you’re really being demonized.”

It didn’t take very long to realize that demonization of agriculture and forestry is a potential issue that we all need to be paying attention to.

Pat observed that the COP process has been really naive in its view of production agriculture and its ability to create solutions. “Chilling” is the word that Pat used to describe this view. “The conversations at COP26 did not indicate an understanding of the need for success in balancing production and conservation in the context of overall strategy,” O’Toole observed.

It was obvious that that meat production, rice production, and farmers in general were characterized in a negative way. The people who have gone to these COP meetings over the last years from all over the world say it’s only now that agricultural producers are recognized. Only now are agriculturalists having an ability to participate. Our team strongly conveyed the message that we from ag need to have a seat at the table.

Our path was made easier when United States Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack showed strong support for ag when he, along with Fred Yoder presented at the U.S. Pavilion.  Vilsack was very proactive in his support of agricultural production. This helped set the stage for the positive message carried by our team to focus on solutions, not agendas.

Here certainly was a feeling that there’s a lot of agendas about food production. Consumers have a very high level of concern without a very high understanding of production. Pat O’Toole said, “Luckily our family comes from a community of people who have been working on resilience in natural resources for over 30 years. We have example after example. On our landscape, a wetland that was created went from less than 40 species of birds to around 130.

“A trout passage program that made the entire watershed passable for trout from the main river to the heads of every tributary demonstrates agricultural resilience in terms of more efficient irrigation. This shows the vision of how we work together and use both our own initiative and programs from the Department of Interior and the Department of Agriculture to come up with solutions.”

Solutions include working with organizations which share SfL’s values. Intermountain West Joint Venture (IWJV) promotes “Healthy Habitat, Wildlife, and Communities.”

“The IWJV’s conservation delivery program brings people together to address complex challenges with broad-scale benefits for fish and wildlife, ranching and economic livelihood, and maintenance of the western way of life.” (IWJV.org)

Pat is the long-time President of the Family Farm Alliance, which advocates for irrigators. Their mission is to “Protect Water for Western Agriculture.”

“The Alliance is a powerful advocate before the government for family farmers, ranchers, irrigation districts, and allied industries in 17 Western states to ensure the availability of reliable, affordable irrigation water needed to produce the world’s food, fiber, and fuel.” (familyfarmalliance.org).

Partnerships in agriculture and forestry management hold a key to enhancing our landscape and atmosphere.

Earth’s atmosphere from space (NASA)

migratory ducks on wet meadow at Ladder Ranch

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on November 20, 2021 in Cattle, Events, Folks, Nature and Wildlife

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Solving the problems of the world at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering

Horseman Torran Duncan with Dad, saddlemaker and rancher Keith Duncan.

Horseman Torran Duncan with Dad, saddlemaker and rancher Keith Duncan.

As I said, we were WORKING!  Pat, our son-in-law  and meat purveyor Chris Abel and I were on the panel that discussed “Food Production and the West.” We were joined by California “urban farmer” A.G. Kawamura, and Family Farm Alliance Executive Director Dan Keppen. Since our roundtable was scheduled at the same time as Baxter Black’s show, we were wondering if anyone would show up. We visited with Dr. Black in the Green Room before the show, and I told him I hoped we didn’t draw away from his sold-our, lottery only show. Luckily, a goodly number of dedicated issue junkies showed up (or maybe those who didn’t draw a Baxter Black ticket–but, hey, a girl can dream!).

Pat, fellow Carbon County resident and wonderful singer Trinity Seeley, and baxter Black, probably discussing food policy

Pat, fellow Carbon County resident and wonderful singer Trinity Seeley, and Baxter Black, probably discussing food policy

Chris, Dan,Pat, Sharon, and AG discussing how to feed 9+billion people in a few years

Chris, Dan,Pat, Sharon, and AG discussing how to feed 9+billion people in a few years

Keynote speaker Temple Grandin with Chris Abel.

Keynote speaker Temple Grandin with Chris Abel.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on February 1, 2014 in Events, Family, Folks, Issues, Musings

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,