About: Who are We?
It seems people want to know about just exactly what “Ambassador Livestock” program means. So, I thought I would try and explain it in my own words. First, I’ll tell you a little about the history of who I am, and how I’m involved in the whole “Ambassador Livestock” concept.
My name is Ethan Abbott, better known here as Ethan The Farmer. I come from a diverse set of roots including Irish and English heritage. The traits I've inherited, including an extensive independent streak and an entrepreneurial mindset, were combined with the independent way of thinking I learned growing up, spending my formative years in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Even as a young child playing with my hand-made wooden farm set (made by the Amos Horst family), I told everyone I wanted to be an “Amish Farmer.” You can learn more about me and my life at Ethan The Farmer website.
So, having an intense love of agriculture, and even gardening (from my mother’s love of plants) I set out to farm on a ranch in Colorado’s Front Range. As we grew the farm, and became more involved in local direct to consumer sales, I saw that something was missing.
You see, when we would go to farmer’s markets and sell the fruits of our labor, whether it be eggs, chickens, vegetables or even live poultry/rabbits, people would have quite a learning curve figuring out why our products were better for them and our environment, and why many of our products were priced at a premium. In an effort to educate the public and provide a environment where people understood the food supply chain, we would bring assorted critters to the farmer’s markets. Once we discovered the massive impact that animals brought to folks from the city: the light in the peoples eyes, the glimmer of hope that we saw in people relating to a live animal in the streets of Denver, Fort Collins, and Boulder, Colorado – we saw an opportunity. There’s just something about animals that leads people to let down their pre-conceived judgments and have a peaceful discussion about the issues affecting the small family farmer and our society’s food independence.
Out of these observations, and with a desire to be a catalyst for effective change as it related to our founders’ beginning activism and core, the “Ambassador Livestock Program” was born. Since our inception, one of the first major activism marches we participated in was the “March Against Monsanto” in Denver, Colorado. Having introduced the use of farm animals and livestock to the streets of Denver, we were hooked! The integration of livestock in activism had begun. Fast forward 10-plus years, and we have integrated the “Ambassadors” into many aspects of our actions, reaching the masses and spreading the message of taking back our farms, food, families, and freedom. The Animals provide a bridge between people who might never otherwise discuss or engage on serious issues. Instead, these animal fans are sharing on their social media, promoting the very causes that are so dear to us. When they share the selfie of them and the alpaca on their social media pages, the idea of animals giving us a new perspective is used in a positive way. You see, all of their friends don’t want to be left out, so they all come looking for the guys with the animals in the city. Then they find us and a large helping of truth…!
The Ambassador Livestock program provides an avenue to help us plant the seed in these peoples’ minds. It’s the seed of changing the way our cities, our communities, our nation and our world relate to their farms, food, families, and freedom.