Using Stories to Lead the Beef Industry
Question of the Week: What’s your story?
It’s only fitting that I just spoke at a conference about the importance of using our voices and the episode with Celeste releases a few days later. Within each of us is a collection of stories about how we’ve tried, failed, succeeded and overcame obstacles. These are meant to be shared to improve the lives of others. Here’s how.
1. What’s a challenge you’ve overcome?
2. Who else will benefit from hearing this story?
3. Where and how do these people find information?
Answer these 3 questions and you are on your way to identifying a part of your story, who to share it with and how to find them.
Using Stories to Lead the Beef Industry
Celeste Settrini is a woman who wears many hats in the beef industry. Her passion for family ranches, improving the beef industry and connecting with consumers is inspiring to say the least. When she decides she wants to do something, she simply makes it happen and uses the power of storytelling in all that she does. Settrini shares her advice for remaining resilient as a rancher and why it is important to be a leader in the beef industry.
Settrini’s family ranch is in the Salinas Valley, half a mile from the city, and was founded 108 years ago. Her mom and brother are on the operation with her and together they keep the family legacy alive despite the challenges that come from farming and ranching in California.
“Water is one of the main challenges agriculture faces in California. We originally had a feedlot located near our farm ground, but after the E. coli outbreak in spinach several years ago we can no longer have cattle anywhere near the farm ground due to the new regulations. We were blessed to have a ranch in the foothills to take our cattle to, but not everyone had the opportunity to do this and had to sell out,” said Settrini.
On top of water quality regulations, Settrini also must make sure all fuel pumps are registered and keep all paperwork up to date.
All of these regulations might drive out agriculturists from the state but the Settrini family is sticking it out and continuing their legacy.
“I’ve got a beautiful life here and love what I do. Every time a new regulation comes up, I make a point to learn everything I can about it. Knowledge is power and knowing what you are up against makes you a better communicator with the policy makers who are putting these regulations in place,” said Settrini.
Being proactive and transparent about ranching in California created the opportunity for Settrini to share about her family’s ranch in a series of commercials that will air on ABC Seven News in the San Fransisco Bay area and Disney Plus. Settrini enjoys advocating and telling the story of beef farmers and ranchers for all to hear.
After all, they experience the disconnect between consumers, policy makers and ranchers daily. Settrini distinctly remembers when her advocacy journey became more prominent in her life. About 15 years ago, they found out that the city wanted to build a highway through their ranch and they did not want that to happen. She was at a meeting with the city council and public planners to discuss halting this project when her attorney changed the plan. Settrini’s attorney pushed Celeste to do the talking and share the story of her family’s ranch and why building this highway would be detrimental to their livelihood.
“I got up and shared our story and couldn’t have planted better people in the room. I didn’t know who all of them were but after I was done several people spoke up about how our family farm greatly impacted their lives growing up. Whether my dad put livestock judging classes together for them or they learned what farming was from a 4-h vegetable garden, they were also advocating for us because we taught them where food comes from,” said Settrini.
The project ended up getting postponed and the Settrini family was able to keep their farm.
Settrini chose the beef industry just as much as it chose her. Like many young people, she wanted to return to the ranch right after college. However, her father pushed her to work off the operation first. So, Celeste started a career in the produce industry and fell in love with her work and the people she worked with. She continued to build her career in this space until she returned to the family operation after her father’s passing. Returning home to the family operation allowed her to start her business, The Bull Sale Bulletin, and work with the Turlock Livestock Auction Yard.
“I always wanted to do something that allowed me to work with other ranchers and showcase their operations. So, I started calling a few purebred breeders and said I would come to their sales, take pictures and write stories about their operations for free to help me get started. This has since transitioned into me helping bring buyers to their sales and share social media posts about my clients,” said Settrini.
She knew what she wanted to do, so she just created the experience and started teaching herself what she needed to know.
Leadership is an important aspect of Settrini’s life. She says she has slowed down a little but still makes a point to serve in different roles to help the beef industry. Currently, Settrini sits on boards for the California Beef Council and Cal Poly Agriculture Communications department. She is also past President of the 3000-member organization, California Women for Agriculture.
“The main reason I choose to be a leader is because of the people. Leadership roles have allowed me to not only share the truth about California agriculture but also empower other people to do the same and become leaders themselves,” said Settrini.
As you take a step back and think about your involvement in agriculture and your community. Remember that sharing your story might be more impactful than you realize and that the challenges that come with being a leader are more than worth it in the long run. As an industry, we need to work together and unite to keep our businesses and lifestyles alive. Learn more about Celeste Settrini by visiting her website. https://celestesettrini.com/.
