Demystifying the Cowboy Through His Song: How Cowboy Poetry and Music Create a Common Language Between Multiple-Use Conserservationists and Foerever-Wild Preservationists to Meet the Goals of Sustainable Agriculture

Ladd, K.Y., and R. Brain. 2013. Demystifying the Cowboy Through His Song: How Cowboy Poetry and Music Create a Common Language Between Multiple-Use Conservationists and Forever-Wild Preservationists to Meet the Goals of Sustainable Agriculture. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems 37:659-671 doi: 10.1080/21683565.2013.763886.

There exists a common misconception in life that farmers, ranchers, cowboys and the like are self-proclaimed ‘conquerors of the land’. The reality however is that the vast majority have a deep respect for their land and are interested not just in economic profitability, but also environmental stewardship. This misconception may have arisen from the apparent negative views towards outside interference from governments and conservationists. While each group have their own best interests in mind, they seldom appreciate the efforts and ideals of farmers and therefore fail in attempts to communicate their ideas effectively.

Conservation groups often battle with the agricultural sector; one side arguing for the creation and preservation of natural biodiversity and the other striving to make a living while providing food for many (including, one can assume, many of the conservationists themselves). Many of these opposing groups however would experience long-term success in their respective missions if they worked together rather than apart in situations when they share common goals. Bridging the two sides however requires a common language. This article centres on one such language that has arisen in a surprising place: cowboy poetry and music.

As it is such a fundamental element in their lives, the majority of cowboy poems tell of a connection to the beauty of the land and the animals that share the land with them. These works help to create a sense of place and meaning that creates sustainable ideals that are more complex than those derived from economic means. This is because the art and music come from and address human values including cultural practices, social interactions and human feelings which greatly influence individuals, social groups and institutions. Art has also been shown as important medium for communicating scientific information; finding bridges between the scientific community and the general public is arguably equally as important as any other separate community groups (Curtis, Reid, & Ballard, 2012).

Organized cowboy music festivals occur right across the USA having originated in Elko, Nevada in1985. At these festivals, traditions are passed on, ideas are shared and community spirits blossom. Trough the proclaiming of environmental values and traditions at these festivals, the shared goals of the multiple-use conservationists and the forever-wild preservationists are highlighted and can begin to coalesce. A key factor in the effectiveness of this medium in providing outreach beyond the farming community is that it is both entertaining and morally and intellectually supportive. Non-ranchers and environmentalists alike have a place where they can appreciate and support farmers and their actions, providing the framework towards realising and achieving common goals. Those who attend these festivals find others who value sustainability as well as new ways to practice sustainability conveniently. This both increases the likelihood of them continuing these behaviours as well as making them more likely to shape and pass on these attitudes and behaviours to future generations. This driving force in community spirit at these events helps forge bonds between different groups; by interacting on this level, they can better understand each other’s viewpoints in an environment that promotes expression and individuality. Perhaps the best way to put it, as the authors say, is ‘in short, art builds a bridge between different lifestyles’.

Discussion group reception

One of the more novel aspects of this paper is the fact that it explores the use of creative outlets in approaching social challenges. Communication is science is a large aspect of what we do; effective communication can be the difference between the ‘right’ ideas being taken-up by people and suffering negative backlash from people when there is a communication breakdown. 

As we saw in the above paper, encouraging people and groups to adopt creative outlets for important aspects of their lives can greatly facilitate understanding between different social groups. What I was most interested in was discussing how we may apply the concepts from this article in a more local sense.

The misconceptions raised in the article are also widespread in New Zealand, as are the many cases of negative reactions towards external interferences in farmer’s livelihoods. Check out some of the links below for examples:

Farmers fear protection rule a land-grab

Farmers fear loss of control of their land

Ex-mayor warns of Coromandel policy backlash

Farmers happy to allow SNA surveys on land

Council backs away from SNA extentions

In New Zealand, we do not have cowboy festivals at anything near the scales seen overseas. Here instead our farming community congregates annually at A&P shows, which sadly are more tuned into promoting agriculture and it’s service industries rather than of encouraging the encouraging the creative expression of individuals. If we were to attempt to introduce change into such a farming institution as the A&P show, we must proceed with the ‘the end of the wedge’.

Finding ways to encourage expression and communication between farming groups and conservationists and other communities was a reoccurring theme of the group discussion.  The need for effective communication and education to raise awareness and support for collaborative action and behaviour change is becoming more important in the context of global environmental issues, including biodiversity loss (Curtis et al., 2012). One such application involved the Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust, a non-profit organisation that promotes conservation and sustainability on the Peninsula through working closely with landowners, agencies and other community groups. The Trust has the potential for creating a platform for farmers to come along and share their particular views and insights about what it is like to live their lives. These events could be used to give positive feedbacks to farmers about the good work that they do, letting them know that we want to work with them to achieve common conservation goals.

The role of Lincoln University in all of this was also mentioned. Just like with encouraging the communication between different community groups, so too could we encourage communication between different research departments. This would benefit everyone, including ourselves, as there are many cases of different groups working on the same topic from different angles(e.g. shelter belts), with little or no communication on matters. Lincoln University has a very large influence on the farming community, and the numerous community education days are a good opportunity to communicate the values of conservation to the general farming public.

Action points from the meeting:

1. Enquire into exactly what the university means by ‘best practices’ on its model dairy farms; in particular, enquiring is it uses environmental sustainability as a measure of success

2. Invite farmers and other professionals from the agricultural sector to speak at the Eco-pathways seminars so as to gain an appreciation for what they do

3. Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust: Focus on Farms Art, Music and Poetry events

Questions:

What are the most important ideas that we want to put across to the agricultural community in regards to ecology and/or sustainability?

How might we convey conservation ideals to those that do not identify with not only science, but art and poetry as well?

Curtis, D. J., Reid, N., & Ballard, G. (2012). Communicating Ecology Through Art: What Scientists Think. Ecology and Society, 17(2 C7 - 3).