I hope that you had a great Independence Day holiday weekend. I’ve been thinking about what kind of patriotic post I could write that would be interesting and different from the usual 4th of July posts I’ve made in year’s past. When I saw this report from Voice of America, I knew I’d found my topic.
There are few images as iconic as that of the American cowboy for conveying the spirit and values of American independence. The cowboy in our popular culture conveys rugged individualism and self-reliance, the kinds of values that America takes pride in. Some of our political leaders have been dismissed in the past by other countries as “cowboys” (George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan spring to mind) in a way that suggests they didn’t quite get it. To be called a cowboy isn’t exactly a bad thing, right? So, in light of this I thought I would note the report from the Voice of America that explains why the U.S. is exporting our cowboy ways to Russia:
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russians ate most of their beef cows as the system of reproduction broke down. Now American ranchers are working to rebuild Russia’s herd. Darrell Stevenson, an American cowboy and cattle rancher, is not riding the black earth country of Russia to film a western movie. He is bringing American-bred beef cattle, American ranching technology, and American cowboy knowhow to Russia […] Stevenson, along with two Russian businessmen, has set up a ranch with the goal of establishing a commercial beef herd in southern Russia […] With Russia determined to become self-sufficient in food, more and more investors are making the drive south of Moscow to see this new American-run ranch.
I’m really glad to see that Americans are helping to revive the Russian beef industry. As a resident of the Western U.S. I’m very much aware of how ranching can contribute to economic growth and prosperity. I can’t help but wonder what impact this will have on Russian national culture. Will some of those cowboy values of individualism and self-reliance rub off on Russian cowboys?
Image Credit: Wired.com/Alex Maleev
