A farmer, a logger & a lobsterman
The title above sounds like it could be the set-up for a joke: A farmer, a logger and a lobsterman walk into a bar…
Instead, this was part of the conference schedule at the Northeast Dairy Management Conference, co-hosted by PRO-DAIRY and the Northeast Dairy Producers Association (NEDPA), which took place in Syracuse.
What do a logger from Montana and a lobsterman from Maine possibly have to say to a couple hundred dairy farmers primarily based in New York State?
Quite a bit, it turns out. There is something to be said for hearing from folks who operate in parallel industries. It can be insightful to hear how others are navigating and overcoming challenges, especially when those industries are grounded in resource management.
Bruce Vincent, based in Libby, MT, shared the story of his career in the logging industry. The heart of his talk was about public perception. He said, “If you think you have a PR problem in the dairy industry, try being a logger.”
The public sees trees as a fixed resource, not a renewable one. Although his operation plants thousands of trees a year and will only be sustainable if the forests are renewed, he has often been viewed negatively for cutting trees down. When a forest is fixed, it can lead to fire risk and disease. A healthy forest takes management, whether through thinning, selective cuts or prescribed burning of the understory.
Vincent has been an advocate for education about forest management as part of a healthy ecosystem and the importance of finding common ground with people who love the forest but do not make a living from it.
He tied this very closely to animal agriculture, as there are similar issues in how the public views animals when they do not make a living from raising those animals. He encouraged educating the public at every opportunity on the how and why of animal management. A dairy business would not be sustainable if those animals were mistreated or harmed. Well-managed land can provide many ecosystem benefits; it does not have to be left fallow to do so.
Animal agriculture, like logging, is visible, so the public has opinions and misperceptions. It is our job to correct the narrative and be at the table – otherwise, decisions and policies will be made without us.
Vincent challenged the farmers in the room to always ask themselves, “Am I feeding a fight or am I working to lead towards a solution?” (His book is “Against the Odds: A Path Forward for Rural America.”)
Lobstering and dairy farming are both legacy industries according to Ben Conniff of Lift All Boats, a marine economy training program for high school students in Maine. He pointed out that very few young people will choose a career in the fishing industry if they’ve never been on a boat, and the same is likely true in agriculture for kids who have never stepped foot on a farm. As a result, there can be huge barriers to entering these industries as an outsider, where many businesses are passed down by family members.
So, what was his solution? The waiting period to get a commercial lobster license in Maine is 14 years, but if someone completes their 1,000 hours of training before age 18, that waiting period is waived. Conniff founded an internship program where high school students are on boats once a week to get training hours and work toward obtaining those licenses.
He removes barriers by providing all necessary gear, purchasing the catch at market prices and offering free transportation and meals. It seemed more feasible to get a kid out on the water for eight hours a week rather than 40. It meets the students where they’re at and offers a chance to test out the experience before fully committing.
The result? After only three years, Conniff has grown from four participants per summer to 30, and 80% of students return for a second year. This past year, five students worked on commercial boats. And the program continues to grow.
Does this program directly translate to the dairy industry? Yes. The idea is to get farmers thinking about how to seek out the broadest pool of young talent and remind us that all resource industries, whether agriculture, fisheries or logging, need to be more open and welcoming places for young people to explore potential careers.
The next Northeast Dairy Management conference will take place in March 2028.
by Cheryl Bruce, who can be reached at Cheryl.Bruce@acscrops.com.
