Today we have a (Elara-has-had-too-much-coffee-and-dirt) podcast interview with Andrew Conroy, B.S., M.S., PhD, who is a two-time Fulbright Scholar, professor at the University of New Hampshire, and man who can claim way too many other accomplishments to mention here.
Dr. Conroy has wrote the book on oxen (Really. He wrote more than one, and you can follow the link below to buy them for yourself). On more than one continent, he is the guy that everyone mentions when someone wants to know more about how to hitch draft animals up to do something.
Please join Elara and Dr. Conroy as they talk about the good doctor’s journey through a life in oxenland, and the joys of different breeds and places. You’ll have to imagine them surrounded by shady green pastures, with two curious Kerry Cattle and a very energetic young dog providing the background excitement.
Today we speak with Dale Cunningham, who is the patient and personal man responsible for training the equine portion of the patrol. Second, we have Officer Emily Herbpst, who rides a mustang and is a small but mighty person who I have the feeling “don’t take no guff off a bartender.” (Thank you, Mr. McMurtry).
We got to meet them and their horses Ollie and Maverick at this year's National Western Stock Show in Denver. They were very gracious with their time to speak with us about the horses and Mounted Patrol unit. One of the most important things that these units do is what we saw them doing in spades at the National Western this year. They are incredibly effective goodwill ambassadors. They make the whole idea of the police department approachable. Young people and old, English speaking or Spanish or German, whether someone is from the city or a rural area – you name it, we saw all types of people come up and hold a hand up to the equine officers for a sniff. They were thronged. And with the horses there, people kind of forgot to be so reserved in front of the officers, who were all there in full gear with holstered gun and taser and pepper spray and bullet proof vests. In many towns, policing used to be more about the guy that keeps an eye on the community, but is a part of the community, walking about doing rounds on patrol. The officer in small towns often knew not only where you lived, but was likely to take you home to your mother for punishment if you gave him cause. How did we ever get away from all of that? It’s kind of sad, really. The police are supposed to be here as members of our communities, but often times all we hear about is the bad stuff.
In this episode of Vicarious AgriCulture we visit Matt DeVader from Kansas at his Rocky Top Ranch. Where among the hills and trees of Northeast Kansas, he produces Katahdin Hair Sheep, poultry, heritage hogs, and garden produce using responsible agricultural methods that steward both livestock and land. All while raising his son in the joys of farming.
This episode is sponsored by the RE Synergy Foundation: Content for the Sustainable World
Well, we are proud to announce that we will be bringing our new series, Vicarious AgriCulture to this YouTube channel each month. With the help of the RE Synergy Foundation and our viewers this series will follow your host Elara Bowman as she travels and talks all things ag. So please let us know what you think and if there's someone you'd like us to interview. We hope you enjoy the show.