Travelling horseback has awarded me the opportunity to live within rural communities all over the Americas. I have cut hay in Colorado, branded cattle in southern Alberta and harvested corn in Brazil. As a lover of the land and the outdoors, I have enjoyed these moments immensely.
But one theme I have found in all of the countries I crossed is that more and more, people are migrating from the farm to the city. In the 21st century the farmer and rancher seem to have no place.
“You know, I think one day people will have money to buy food, but there wont be any to be bought… Who will plant crops if everyone wants to move to the city,” Jose a farmer in the northern part of Rio Grande do Sul told me.

The town hall we stood in, in a small rural village, had a bocce court, BBQ and several hundred stacked chairs. As I looked around the cobwebs in the ceiling and the empty space, I could hear the laughter of children. The sound of the accordion playing as Gauchos cut into succulent ribs. The memory of a time long gone…
“This place was full every weekend when my children were young. There were Bocci tournaments, dances, barbecues. Now this place is used once a month by a small women’s group and that’s it,” the elderly man told me with glazed eyes.
According to Jose almost everyone from the small village has left to live in the city. Including his two sons.
“No one wants to stay and work the land anymore,” he added.
I can’t say how many times I have heard this through my travels. Children who don’t want to learn how to ride horses and spend every second possible playing video games. Sons and daughters who refuse to carry on the family farm and go off to university.

Rodeos that were once huge, now barely survive. As a cowboy, all of this makes me very sad. It makes me wonder what the future looks like. It makes me scared to find out. Will my children and grand children ride horses? Will they know where their food comes from? Will they be connected to the land like me? I truly hope so but the direction the world is headed – less horses and more machines – its doubtful. As an eternal optimist, I will do everything in my power to continue inspiring people to live outdoors and to know their natural world.