By Mackenzie Johnston

The cattle industry has been at the epicenter of my life as far back as I can remember. My first memories take me back to feeding cows with my folks on cold winter days in South Dakota. Today, I ranch with my folks in the Sandhills of Nebraska where we run a commercial Red Angus cow calf ranch.

I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in December of 2011. Shortly after graduation I returned to the family ranch. In 2014, I took a part time position as a field representative with a Nebraska Cattlemen. In this position I worked with local affiliates to set up meetings, encourage membership, and write monthly articles in their magazine. Through this position, I was able to network with cattle producers across Nebraska and form lifelong friendships.

In late March, I received a phone call informing me that I would be immediately terminated from this part time position. Grounds for my termination were based on a guest editorial I had submitted to the Tri-State Livestock News titled, “Bogus Brazilian Beef.” This article was published the first week of March. It highlighted the implications that Brazilian beef imports will have on American cattle producers and the threat of Foot and Mouth Disease. It also described the struggles that the American cattle producer is faced with due to packer manipulation.

My termination came as a complete surprise to me, as I was unaware, and never warned that my opinion editorial writing wasn’t acceptable. I submitted this article with certainty that it would not conflict with my part time position, since the facts stated in the piece represented many of the members within the organization. Before this article, I had written numerous other editorials and never received any negative feedback for doing so.

A few weeks passed and I made the choice to post on Facebook explaining my termination. Along with this explanation, I also touched on the lack of representation by this organization for independent producers and I elaborated on the current crisis in the cattle markets.

With the spread of my post came endless support, but at the same time, many condemned me for my actions. People have criticized me for the damage they feel I have caused, I’ve been informed that I will never work in the cattle industry again and I undoubtedly have lost close friends because of my stance. At the same time, I’ve been commended for having a backbone and speaking up for our industry.

A few individuals have made comments that there were other issues that led to my termination. If this was the case, those “other issues” were never brought to my attention.

The toughest thing to currently swallow is watching these cattle organizations come forward with statements and plans to help the industry that align with my article that led to my termination in the first place. What changed? Do they truly stand behind the words they are putting out to the public, even though these concepts are what led to the firing of a devoted employee?

I knew there would be consequences once I posted on Facebook telling my story. I knew many would not approve of my actions. However, this was an opportunity to speak truth to what is currently going on within our industry. Producers are struggling and some won’t be able to pull through these tough times. We have failed to protect independent cattle producers. Telling my story on this public platform was my way of fighting for all those producers. Like many others, I have a legacy to fight for. This industry is at a crossroads, and I would rather go down fighting than watch it slip through our hands.

Fired for Standing Up for the American Rancher

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