Here are student summaries of fall 2024 MCJD dialogical surveys with Willamette Valley farmers and ranchers. Click on any title for details, then return to see all titles.
Farmers Think Not What You Thought
Event: Willamette Valley AgricultureInterviewer: Cameron
Whom did you interview?
Ron, A farmer of the Willamette valley who was born and raised in the area. He farms about 1000 acres of land with his father. On that land he grows grass seed, berries and vegetables as well as having a few head of cattle.
How did your EcoTypes and SDG priorities compare?After completing the survey, Ron landed himself in the Small Green Steps quadrant with an old Knowledge suffix. He believes strongly in regulating how humans interact with the environment in order to preserve the planet, which I too agree with as an Earth Action Ecotype. Where we differ is mostly Action, where I believe more harsh regulation/environmental actions should be taken place by governments and corporations. Ron believes that each person can make a difference on their own.
What larger MCJD lessons did you learn?MCJD is really about where a person puts their energy, not if they care about one issue or another. For me, I would put effort towards preserving environmental diversity and due to Ron’s left leaning stance (on EcoTypes, not political) he would likely agree. Going into this experience I expected to be interviewing a man who strongly aligns with land stewardship, as that most protects farming. What I did not expect from Ron was for him to look at the bigger picture of the world and recognize that producing crops for humans does not justify biodiversity loss.