I’m one of the lucky few who can legitimately say they were “born and raised” on a farm. My family had, what today is considered a “small family farm.” We only had two quarter sections divided into different fields for hay, silage, crops, and pasture. We bought and sold stocker steers, and grew our own feed and bedding for them. They grazed pasture in the summer and were sold to the local feedlot come fall.
From a young age, my personal favourite part of the farm was the cattle, and going out to check pasture. My excuse to “check fences” was to get out and see what new and cool bugs and flowers I could find. The cattle part is another story to tell. I had names for a number of them, and got pretty good at picking out the missed bull[s] from the steers.
I was also fascinated with the nature around and on the farm, from bugs to plants to the variety of wildlife that would pass through now and then, such as bald eagles, moose, deer, foxes, songbirds, hawks, coyotes, rabbits, owls, and grouse. I would study books on different wildlife, from moose to wolves to snowshoe hares and learn as much as my little brain could process. Only until university did my fascination with plants and identifying them truly begin. Since after graduating and getting more into forages and natural ecology did I start gaining a reputation for being a bonified plant nerd and botanist!
And then, Dad passed away from a farm accident in December 2007. Talk about a sudden life change and a heavy-hearted one at that. One of my biggest fans and supporters was unexpectedly called away from this world forever, and life hasn’t been the same since.
Yet, my passion for agriculture and nature has remained strong. This is mainly because no one has been able to discourage me from it; instead, they (family, friends, and colleagues especially) recognized my context for such passions and have supported me every step of the way.
Since starting university, I received a helluva reality check on how lucky I am in where and how I’ve been raised. I found out the hard way that most people have never been blessed with the same experiences and knowledge I’ve gained since Mom and Dad first let me venture outside (and receive a wonderful, warm, purrty welcome from a friendly neighbour’s barn cat; true story). I felt this desire to share that knowledge, and the best way was, and still is, online.
Yet, since graduating with a BSc in Agriculture in 2015, I’ve learned so much more than I imagined. My job as a forage-beef specialist with the provincial government introduced me, ironically so, to the concepts of Holistic Management and regenerative agriculture. More than that: how managing the landscape using ruminants can help heal the land and bring natural ecology back to its healthy state—mind-blowing stuff. And I’ve seen it in person.
After learning all of these, I could only create a platform to share my findings, experiences, and new knowledge. Hence, Praise the Ruminant was born—well, sort of.
Praise the Ruminant results from many other forgotten blogs I’ve created, then renamed, changed, and renamed again. They all had the same mission: to share my experiences and educate the public about cows and cattle, busting myths and providing scientific facts that debunk the ridiculous urban (or vegan) myths out there.
However, Praise the Ruminant is much more than facts on cows and cattle or ruminants in general. I chose the name because ruminants are part of a great ecological “system” that encapsulates soil, animals, plants, and people. Since I love ruminants, plants, ecology, and nature and how they all work together, why not create something like this?
Far too few recognize the power of the ruminant animal; too many are set against her. I fully understand that I have a huge job busting myths and showing the world how valuable these animals are to us and our existence, but I’ve been more than ready to forge a path and take it on. I hope you’re willing to join me, too!
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