It’s About Loving What You Do
“Loving What You Do” now that is the secret to LIFE. If you love what you do, you are asset to your family, community, and mankind. Think about it, your enthusiasm and that smile you are sporting, will be reciprocated back to you, and pretty soon you have the whole room sharing in the love that makes you happy.
What makes all of us happy is a lot of things: watching our children grow up to be wonderful caring adults, watching those heifers that you were questioning turn around and become something special, and watching our industry become stronger. Yes, loving what you do sure does make life grand, especially when you appreciate all the blessings that come your way.
Loving what I do is an understatement, heck, talk with me once, and you will know that I love life to the fullest. Life is to short, not to make the most of it for you and those around you. It is very important to myself and the Florida CattleWomen’s Executive Board to love our Association and the Beef Industry. Think about it, we would be lousy leaders if we did not love and care for our membership and the industry.
Alright, let me start sharing all the great things that has happened this past month. Starting with the stories, I promised I would share with you, picking up where I left off from last month’s article. In mid January, Florida CattleWomen, along with the Florida Cattlemen, converged on our yearly “Boots on the Hill” legislative visits, and what visiting that took place is something to report about. Florida CattleWomen, in an effort to make a positive impact while visiting the capital, set out early in our planning stages, by making appointments with elected leaders. Thank you to Sam Ard, Florida Cattlemen’s Director of Governmental Affairs, giving Florida CattleWomen the tools to prepare for our meetings in advance. At sunrise, we left for the capital, with our fact sheets, location information, and smiles on our faces, ready to conquer what lied ahead of us. I am very happy to report we visited with 18 senators and senator aides, 12 of those, asked us to sit down with them and explain to them the issues Florida Cattlemen & Cattle- Women had concerns with. From all the visiting with our elected leaders, many good things came from it, one of those good things I am ecstatic to write about is the Legislative Aide Ranch Tour that is currently in the planning stages. Many Legislative Aides confided that they have never been on a working ranch and really did not know what was involved in running a ranch. So out of those revelations, a Ranch Tour, is beginning to take shape. We are looking forward to taking the Legislative Aides to ranches in Jackson County. I am so happy to be working with the Jackson County Cattlemen & CattleWomen and Mr. Beaver Yoder, District 1 Florida Cattlemen’s Executive Committee, as we put together a promising event.
Our day continued on, meeting with Florida Department of Agriculture Deputy Commissioner Deborah Tannenbaum and Federal Affairs Director Shahra Lambert. Our meeting was very productive, in beginning a relationship to be supportive of the Department of Agriculture and in turn the Florida Department of Agriculture being supportive of the Florida Cattlemen & CattleWomen and the Florida Beef Industry. One such supportive measure Florida Cattle- Women is teaming up with the Florida Department of Agriculture is securing Cattlemen & CattleWomen who have served in the Armed Forces, as the Florida Department of Agriculture would like to recognize veterans involved in the Beef Industry.
At the end of January, myself and many other Florida Cattle- Women, made our way to the American National CattleWomen’s Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Florida CattleWomen attended many informative meetings, and a wonderful tour, featuring the beef industry around San Antonio, Texas. We were blessed to witness Florida’s own Reba Mazak, being elected as 2020’s President-Elect for ANCW. Florida CattleWomen look forward to all the new idea’s Reba will be bringing to ANCW. We ended our meetings on top of the mountain, as Florida Cattle- Women was awarded the national ANCW, MOOVE Membership Contest. This award was hard fought, as our state led the nation in ANCW membership increase, membership events, beef promotions, and outreach. This is the first time Florida CattleWomen has won this award. So you know, myself and the girls were jumping for joy when our name was called, Michele, told me I was jumping the highest, and yes, I was excited that day, still am today.
Please make sure to visit Florida CattleWomen’s many social media sites, we are available on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and our Blogging Site (www.floridacattlewomen. org). Please make sure to visit our sites and share all the good news with others. Remember to always #shareyourstory. I want to thank Indian River County CattleWoman Anna Kirkland for your wonderful help, as we share our story of Florida CattleWomen.
The Florida State Fair has been a great success for Florida Cattle- Women at our Beef Information Booth as we have served countless beef samples, from every beef recipe known to man. I want to thank from the bottom of my heart all the county CattleWomen’s Associations that have step up to help at the Beef Information Booth, without you all sharing our story to all the fair goers, we would not be as successful promoting the Beef Industry. The fair goers, do not want to see a table of beef information pamphlets, they want to see that person from the ranch, sharing our story to them. I go back to this article’s main idea, “Loving What You Do” can make anyone listen to what you have to say.
I was so happy for the Florida CattleWomen members that joined me at the many Florida State Fair Events, as Florida Cattle- Women was well represented at every event at the Florida State Fair. When you show up to support great causes, other organizations will support our causes. I want to thank Mr. Doyle Carlton, III, Chairman of the Florida State Fair, for being so supportive of Florida Cattle- Women. Mr. Carlton’s kindness is one of a kind and Florida Cattle- Women thank Mr. Carlton, for his kindness.
Florida CattleWomen will be holding several Children’s Agriculture Literacy Events in the next couple of months, If you are interested in getting involved in touching a child’s life by introducing them to the Florida Beef Industry, please reach out to me. My email address is: bdislkranch@yahoo. com. Our Children’s Agriculture Literacy Events are all over the state, so please reach out to me, to get involved in this worthwhile cause.
Florida CattleWomen please mark your calendar Saturday, April 25th, from 9-2 pm, as Florida Cattle- Women will be holding our Florida CattleWomen’s Workshop, at the Lake County IFAS Building, Tavares, FL. Several important topics will be covered to help make your county CattleWomen’s association be a better association. Topics to be covered: Safe Food Handling, Social Media Training, Education Teaching Techniques, Rules of Engagement (Consumer Conversation), and Leadership Training. This workshop is being developed to be an asset to every county Cattle- Women’s Association. Please make plans to attend.
Please remember to nominate that hard working CattleWoman from your county, for the 2020 Outstanding CattleWoman of Year. I will be reaching out to all county CattleWomen Associations for your nominated special lady. It is so important that we recognize these special ladies from around our great state.
I have been so honored and humbled to visit many Cattlemen and CattleWomen across our state, to share with, learn from, and take ideas and make it come to life. All county associations must work together to make the Florida Beef Industry the best that it can be. I look forward to meeting more Cattlemen and CattleWomen, as I continue to travel the state of Florida.
“By doing what you LOVE, you INSPIRE and awaken the hearts of others.”
