Today’s Saturday Board Member Spotlight is Erica Peterson!
Erica grew up in a small town in Southwest Missouri, where her family had a sheep, cow calf and crop farm. She accredits her passion for the rural way of life to her upbringing, “I am the person I am today because of agriculture. I learned hard work and commitment even when things do not go your way.”
Her leadership skills were cultivated through involvement in 4-H and FFA, where she learned the value of knowing where your food comes from. These notions are not lost on Erica as she sees them carry over into her everyday life, as a healthcare administrator and when working on the family farm, Peterson’s L7 Bar Limousin.
Erica’s commitment to raising awareness and growing the relationship between urban and rural life helped her become connected to the Stockyards Ag Experience. She is most excited about the farm and ranch to table connections people make while visiting. “Now, more than ever, the story of our food production needs to be told, ” Erica said, “ Farmers and Ranchers are .66% of the population. Less than 1% feeds our nation.”
Our mission to connect agriculture to our lives daily is one that Erica lives every day. To her it’s personal, “Without understanding the connection that we all have to agriculture and the importance of agriculture in even our most urban regions, we will face misinformation and poor management of our resources”.