I will admit it.  I get focused on the things that I care deeply about and then I allow my world to revolve round those things.  The movies and documentaries I watch, the books, both fiction and non that I read, the articles I peruse in magazines and on line, are already filtered through the “everything about Kath” screen.  This is not a bad thing necessarily, just life.  In the mean time I allow the media (and often the more extreme American media) to shape my impressions about certain aspects of today’s world and I create stereo-types about people and things that I do not really know about.  Does this happen to you as well?

Case in point: Before my weekend away with the Manitoba Canola Growers at “Be Well Camp”, I had a very different impression of a Manitoba cattle raising family.  But now I have had the pleasure of meeting Carman and Donna Jackson of the High Bluff Stock Farm.

This was my first visit to the area surrounding Inglis, MB.  The setting is rolling and lush.  We passed the scenic Assiniboine River Valley and the Shell River Valley which join at the Shellmouth Dam to form the Lake of the Prairies, en route to the farm that morning.

Mom Donna and Tomina, the youngest of the five Jackson daughters are absolutely gorgeous! Tall, lean, healthy and glowing (but also stylish and well-coiffed)-they are a testament to country living.  I wonder if I could transform myself if I spent some time on their farm…..

Carman and Donna were perfectly articulate about their farm and the Canadian beef industry.  You can discern in a moment that they are well educated and on top of their business.  When you learn that the rest of the girls are off at various high profile universities and careers, you see the commitment that the family has made to making the most intelligent decisions for their animals and the environment.

Their beautiful, white coated Charolais herd are obviously well loved and not shy around humans. One of them really wanted to get into a family photo.

And so the Jackson family created a 360 impression of a cattle farm family for me.  Thank you Carman and Donna. And to all of the other families who I previously regarded with my high fluting/urbanite glasses on-please forgive me.  I was misinformed but now I have been enlightened!

Does anyone know why I instantaneously fell in love with their horse?

Kath’s quote: “Farmers are the only indispensable people on the face of the earth.”-Li Zhaoxing

Love-that is all.

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