BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- I like cattle and like writing about them. I grew up on a cow-calf operation and once owned a few cows myself. So I appreciate getting out of the office to cover cattle. Normally, I go to ranches in rural, isolated area, where cattle outnumber people about 200 to 1.
Not this time. I'm here in Bloomington, Minn., part of the sprawling Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, for the annual meeting of the Minnesota State Cattlemen's Association. It will be a good event, and I'm happy to be here. But cows and the city seem a little strange, at least to me.
I've written about the association, its members and issues facing them a number of times. This fall, I received an email from the group inviting me to attend its annual meeting. Things worked out, and here I am.
I (and Agweek) take your events seriously. I can't promise to attend them all, obviously. But if you give me enough advance notice, I promise to give careful consideration to attending.
Again, I'm happy to be here, a first-time attendee. But I'm a rural guy, not a city guy. Cows and the city take a little getting used to.
