Continuing with my topic of the challenges facing today’s American ranchers and farmers, I revisited the journal Rural Sociology and discovered yet another relevant article. In the June 2016, Volume 81, Number 2 print I found an article titled, “Environmental Harm and ‘the Good Farmer’: Conceptualizing Discourses of Environmental Sustainability in the Beef Industry” written by Anna Kessler, John R. Parkins and Emily Huddart Kennedy. In this piece, the authors analyze the struggle of producing beef while being environmentally conscious. Kessler et al. pose three research questions: “(1) What are the discourses that producers draw on to support their self-perceptions as stewards of the land, (2) how are these discourses used by producers to negotiate and reconcile their involvement in a system that contributes to environmental degradation, and (3) what are key elements to interpreting these discourses of sustainability?” (Kessler et al. 2016: 174).

In order to answer these questions, the authors analyze secondary sources while also conducting their own in-depth interviews, utilizing reports of acts, behaviors and events and focused ethnography. The secondary sources come in the form of reports of interviews and focus groups made of farmers (specifically calf and cow producers). When conducting their own personal interviews, Kessler et al. used referral sampling and accumulated a sample of 17 cow and calf producers in Alberta, Canada with whom they conducted semi-structured interviews. They assigned pseudonyms to the participants in order to remain ethical. After collecting their data via personal interviews, Kessler et al. used thematic analysis to look at repeated patters. The interviews were coded then categorized into themes.

This article provided some very interesting insights into the struggles many farmers and ranchers face when it comes to producing beef while also trying to help the environment. Focus is placed on the use of biotechnology and the debate surrounding its positive effects on the environment but negative effects on farming practices and animal welfare. Kessler et al. write on the turmoil facing farmers who want to be seen as the ‘good farmer’ and act in environmentally conscious ways while still having high levels of productivity. Many farmers are trying to find a balance and a way to be both because without a healthy environment, there would be nothing to produce. While this study focused on farmers in Canada, this is a very relevant issue in the United States as well. As people are becoming more environmentally conscious and more aware of where their food is coming from and how it is being raised, farmers and ranchers are needing to keep up with the changing demands of consumers.

Kessler, Anna; Parkins R. John; Kennedy Huddart Emily. 2016. “Environmental Harm and ‘theGood Farmer’: Conceptualizing Discourses of Environmental Sustainability in the Beef Industry.” Rural Sociology81(2):172-193.