Advocacy is often associated with influencing but the reality is there is a need more than ever to create face-to-face interactions between ranchers and consumers. Kathy Tokach is an example of a rancher who has made a point to share the beef story throughout each season of life and is encouraging others to do the same.
“Ranching is not just my job, it’s my day-to-day life and it is important to me to share about that,” says Tokach.
Tokach has deep roots in the ranching industry but chose a career in nursing. Her schedule gave her the flexibility to compliment ranch work but also allowed her to share ranching stories, beef recipes and new research with her medical colleagues.
Tokach has many stories about becoming known as “the beef lady” by some of her coworkers but her encounter with a young dietitian is worth sharing. She was in the room with a patient when the dietitian came in to discuss diet changes that would support cardiovascular health. This dietitian was encouraging the patient to consume less red meat. After the consult was over, Tokach made a point to visit with the dietitian and encouraged him to look into the new research that had been done around red meat and cardiovascular health.
Tokach says, “The beef industry has spent a lot of money to discover scientific facts about beef. It’s not just hearsay from 30 years ago. We need to share that information.”
After her career in nursing, Tokach didn’t slow down her advocacy efforts. If anything, she took it up a notch by becoming involved in the North Dakota Cattlewomen’s group where her mentors encouraged her to get involved in the classroom setting.
“Elementary-age students are eager for knowledge and to understand. We need to create a positive image of ranchers early on in their lives because they’ll carry that with them,” says Tokach.
Tokach and other volunteers in her district connected with approximately 400 students in 2024. Outside of elementary classrooms, they connect with middle schoolers, athletes and families at various events.
She says, “Once you start getting into the classrooms you start to see the real questions kids have which is really interesting.” Even in rural communities many people are unaware of what goes into raising cattle and putting that steak or hamburger on the dinner table.
Advocacy efforts today are not necessarily the same as they were when Tokach started dipping her toes in the water. She says, “30 years ago you handed people a beef sample and recipe card and that’s all you did. As I got more involved in the last 15 years, we’ve learned the importance of conversation and having consumers ask the questions. Let them tell their story.”
Now that she is in a mentor role, Tokach reminds other cattlewomen and advocates that they don’t have to have all the answers.
“I don’t have to be the advocate that knows everything, she says. “I can be the advocate that can point people to more information. What matters most is listening to the stories and questions consumers have and giving them a good face-to-face experience with a rancher.
Taking on an advocacy role doesn’t have to be a full or part-time job. It is best to make it something that fits your current lifestyle and goals.
“We all work long days but we have start asking how we can give 30 minutes to an hour or one event per year to share the beef story,” Tokach says. “Start small and find a group to work with. You never know, these face-to-face interactions just might be contagious once you try them out.”
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