(Please note - this article was written by SRW, a frequent contributor to the website)
SRW’s 4-1/2 cents:
I’m really bugged about something and I’ve decided to throw it out there. Here’s my question – Are the American farmers heading towards the same fate as America’s auto industry? I know some of you are already thinking “What the heck is this guy talking about?” but just stay with me for a few minutes.
I had a real interesting conversation the other day with a friend of mine. She was raised a God-favouring, true blue American gal. She believes in and supports America, proudly wears red, white and blue and even thought about enlisting in the Navy back in 1975 when she graduated high school. She wore a POW bracelet for 6 years (interestingly the name on it was John McCain III). She considers herself a moderate conservative and honestly, truly believes she puts her money where her mouth is. So what happens is she gets hooked on this thread started in our Water Cooler last year called Ford Pays For Its Prudence. (Check it out – it’s still going on.) Anyway, Mike posted there several times and got this gal to thinking about stuff. Turns out she’s owned a BMW for 21 years, is quite happy with it and hopes it lasts her the rest of her life. It also turns out that she had never considered buying an American car because she learned that foreign cars held their value better and, depending on what it was, lasted longer than American cars and she works hard for her salary and likes to get the best bang for her buck. In fact, because of those “facts” she had sworn she’d never buy an American car.
Then this auto crisis slams the country and all of a sudden she’s paying attention. She’s really troubled by the whole deal, the effect on our country’s economy and is concerned about all the folks who lost their jobs and families impacted by the disaster with no end in sight. To top it all off, billions of our hard earned tax dollars start getting pumped into 2 failing companies to prevent them from going into bankruptcy (again). And it’s not like we got a lot of extra dollars to spare, right? (Between you and me, I think we’re throwing good money after bad but that’s another story…)
Anyway, to cut to the chase, she tells me that because of that Ford/Prudence discussion, she realized that she was talking out of both sides of her mouth. She loves the good old US of A but is going to buy foreign cars for the rest of her life? What’s up with that? And now her tax dollars are going to support a couple of companies who are happily taking those tax dollars to keep them afloat. All of a sudden who cares if her BMW lasts forever and held its value better than a Chevy – that car just cost her (and millions of us) about what… $ 300,000 in taxes used as bail-out money? I dunno, you do the math but my point is that had everyone who says they support America bought American, would our auto industry be in the pathetic condition it is at the moment? I’ll go out on a limb and say nope. In fact, I’d bet on it.
Of course there’s no going back, no rewinding the video and playing it with a different ending or anything. But here’s the bigger question – what have we learned from the experience?
OK, OK, I’ll get to my original point. Maybe you haven’t read this article in the Wall Street Journal: Poachers Arrive at Egg Farms but I did and it hit me as to what’s bugging me. The article by Lauren Etter says in part: “A year after Californians approved stricter rules on the treatment of farm animals, Idaho and other states are trying to lure away the Golden State’s poultry and egg farmers with promises of friendlier regulations and lower costs.
In Idaho, as lawmakers convened Monday, Republican state Sen. Tim Corder said he would introduce legislation designed to attract California chicken farmers who might consider relocating. In Nevada, Pershing County is aggressively recruiting poultry farmers in California, the nation’s fifth-largest producer of eggs. Georgia’s poultry industry also has reached out to some California farmers in a bid to woo them eastward, California egg-industry officials say. The movement comes after California voters in November 2008 passed a ballot initiative called Proposition 2 designed to prevent “cruel confinement” of farm animals in cramped conditions, like small “battery cages” for egg-laying chickens, or “gestation crates” for pregnant pigs.
Such measures have grown more popular nationwide as the Humane Society of the United States and other groups have pushed to raise awareness of how animals are treated in the food-production system. Since 2002, similar provisions have passed in Florida, Arizona, Oregon and Colorado.”
I live in California and I’m one of those people who adopt abandoned dogs. I’ve sent my $25 checks to the Humane Society after watching particularly awful commercials on TV showing little pets horribly mistreated and suffering. I completely support spaying and neutering of animals in most instances and would adopt an abandoned pet before I’d ever get one from a breeder or pet store. I don’t eat veal but I’m not a vegetarian. I’m not the only one who doesn’t get a vegetarian who still wears leather belts, jackets or shoes or carry leather purses but that, too, is another story. Those are my choices and I’m not telling anyone else what to do – it’s a free country. I didn’t vote for the proposition they’re talking about because it didn’t make sense to me. I couldn’t buy into the emotion of seeing animals in cages and using the worst examples of some unethical people as the end-all be-all for every farmer in the state – passing that measure would negatively affect our food sources and our farmers.
I happen to believe that using emotion to manipulate voters is just plain unethical and wrong. Who wouldn’t get choked up to see a mistreated animal? And look, I’m sure that some farmers use methods that are not humane. I’m equally sure that there are many who don’t. Just like all blonds aren’t dumb and all polish people aren’t stupid, the few bad eggs shouldn’t represent the many good ones (sorry – I just couldn’t resist saying that). Should we put every good citizen in prison and let the prisoners run free? Just like you can’t say that every person who owns a puppy is going to treat it like the bozo down the street that runs a puppy mill, you can’t say that all farm animals are abused and all farmers are to blame. I don’t believe that keeping a chicken in a cage, free from bad weather or predators and feeding them well and making sure they stay healthy is a bad thing. My grandparents had chickens. I know what the chickens did all day and what they were happy doing and it didn’t include much else besides eating, “talking” to all their pals and laying eggs. Seriously (no disrespect to all the chickens out there).
I gotta think that the meat that arrives at my local meat counter had to come from healthy animals otherwise the USDA isn’t going put their “approved for consumption” stamp on it. I’ve never known the USDA to be tentative about avoiding salmonella (or other) poisoning. I don’t think animals who are miserable and unhealthy magically get converted into excellent USDA Grade AAA+++ meat. I love animals. I also love to eat and my favourites include a good steak for dinner and bacon and eggs for breakfast and I’d prefer not to spend a fortune on those things or get my beef and eggs exported from some other country. Nothing wrong with all that, right?
Then what smacks me in this article is this:
“Of course, moving to another state could be costly, too. Moreover, Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive of the Humane Society, said farmers who flee California may wind up facing tougher rules anyway, because more retailers are seeking food raised under strict animal-welfare standards.
“It’s not surprising that some of the factory farms would flock to states that are deregulated when it comes to animal welfare,” said Mr. Pacelle. But “that is not a long-term answer.”
Maybe it’s just me but Mr. P’s “that’s not a long term answer” comment sounds like it carries a threat. What does that mean? Is Mr. P and the Humane Society and all the well meaning animal savers going to go get these laws passed in every single state in the nation so that one day we wake up and every single farmer is out of business unless they grow vegetables? Are we going to go from watching the ruin of the auto industry to watching the ruin of the farmer? I ask you – what is in America’s future? We’ve sent clothing manufacturing out of the country because 1) we can’t afford to make them ourselves, 2) we can’t afford the prices if we make them ourselves and 3) many of us never pay retail. Our own buying habits and “both sides of the mouth” talk has left Detroit and other US cities basically destroyed. We’re spending billions and trillions of our own tax dollars trying to recover from our own behaviour and simultaneously, we may be stupidly and naively destroying America’s farming industry. Another one bites the dust. Seriously folks, what’s next?
Like most people, maybe I really don’t want to know. I should sign off and go back to living my own life and pretend nothing bad is happening or point my finger at something or someone else. Someone else will fix it, right? It doesn’t involve me specifically at the moment anyway – I’m still having a steak for dinner. Our country will bounce back from seeing its industries shut down one by one, won’t it? I mean that can’t *really* happen – it’ll all be OK.
Then why do I feel this nagging sense of dread…?
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. My friend? She decided to put her money where her mouth is – she and her husband just bought American – a Ford Edge. They love it.
114 Comments
WOW!!!! There it is folks, in solid black and white…I can’t think of a single thing that says it all better. We had better figure out how to keep jobs here, or we’ll have nothing left but a nation full of stores with Asian made goods that no one can afford because there are no jobs….
“One generation and out. We have no problem with the extinction of domestic animals.” –Wayne Pacelle, President of HSUS
“My goal is the total abolition of all animal agriculture” –Former ALF terrorist & now HSUS coordinator, John Goodwin
“It would be great if all the fast-food outlets, slaughterhouses, these laboratories, and the banks who fund them exploded tomorrow.” –Bruce Friedrich, PeTA Campaign Director, July 3, 2001
Cheese and meat are “as addictive as cocaine”. –Neal Barnard, Physicians for Responsible Medicine/PeTA co-founder
“Everybody is entitled to his or her own opinion, but freedom of thought is not the same thing as freedom of action .The very nature a of reform movements is to tell others what to do.” — PeTA website
~~ * ~~
These organizations want to destroy the American way of life through media manipulation and legislation.
First, they tell a fib (like, all chickens are treated cruelly); then they repeat it until everyone believes it. They buy stock in companies like Tyson that grows chickens and KFC that uses chickens and Kroger which sells chickens and eggs. Then, they bring forward a shareholder resolution which supports unprofitable and unnecessary care standards and demand that if the resolution isn’t adopted and adhered to, they’ll go on a media campaign to tell the world that said company is “cruel” to chickens.
Whether or not the resolution is followed, they still conduct media campaigns to blast the corporations and sway consumer’s attitudes.
Just Google “PETA”+stockholder to see how insidious this is. In a hurry? Click on http://www.yuminvestors.com for a taste of what they’re up to. If that doesn’t make you gag, try the same search with “HSUS” + stockholder.
According to their 2008 federal tax returns, HSUS took in over $86 million. They spent nearly $31 million on salaries, $24 million on fundraising, $23 million on “campaigns and legislation”, $4.2 million to a lockbox company that counts and processes their donations. And how much did they provide in grants to organizations that actually work with animals? $450,000.
That’s it. Intake: $86 million. Spent on animals: $450,000.
Friends don’t let friends donate to HSUS and PETA.
Are you suggesting that there should be no regulations whatsover on how corporate farms operate? Have you ever seen an industrial farming operation, and the amount of waste produced? Or how the animals are treated? I think the problem is not that there are regulations governing how animals are raised, but that they aren’t uniformly applied across state boundaries. I’m curious that you aren’t applying the same argument to OSHA regulations – these definitely make construction labor more expensive, act as a tax on consumers, and provide an incentive for contractors to use cheap illegal labor. They also provide important protections to workers. Whether the welfare of animals deserves the exact same level of consideration as that of human workers is debatable, but personally I find industrial animal farming methods are repellent and cruel, and should be examined by government.
A single national regulatory scheme would remove the incentive for farms to move from one state to another. I’m not so worried about foreign competition with our farmers – if you look into this, you’ll find that American farmers are among the most efficient and productive in the world, and their products are barred from many countries because they would put local farmers out of business.
“bought American” by buying and made-in-Canada Ford Edge? Huh?
probably more US content than the beemer, but…still, not red-white-and-blue ‘merican.
That is a well thought out set of arguments.
Mr. Dubois, I have walked through modern egg production barns and seen laying hens in cages that are treated just fine. Your “solution” of “single national regulatory scheme would remove the incentive for farms to move from one state to another.” It will also provide the exact incentive mentioned for the farms to move from our nation to another one that does not have the same regulations. BINGO! If you and your family prefer to purchase eggs that have been raised in a nostalgic way like my Grandpa Schertz did in Benson, Illinois during the 1930’s I say more power to you. But when you start imposing those beliefs on my family and others who are scraping by in today’s economy, I say you need to back away from the issue and take a lesson from history.
This article is on target on this one.
Excellent post, what really is in the future for us and all Americans? When are we ALL going to be held up to a higher level of expectations and be accountable for not only our actions but our beliefs? I think we all want someone else to be the the one that sacrifices for the good of others. Not only should we put our money where our mouths are, but lead by example. Executives and political leaders should be held accountable for their actions. There’s too many “false intentions” and not enough people willing to stand up for what they believe in. Sorry, this could go on forever.
This past weekend, while staying in a cabin at one of our state’s parks, my family and I spent a lot of time watching Dirty Jobs in the evening, after hiking. I want to commend Mike for his treatment of subjects for each segment. He addresses each occupation with respect, infusing humor without ridicule or at the expense of the worker being highlighted. Each job fills an important role, regardless of the uniform and I commend Mike for making that point clear in each episode.
My brother and I were discussing the future of America and we both agreed that the real pillars of society are the farmers, the craftsmen, those folks who work with their hands or are able to engineer and invent and create. In the wake of societal collapse, how valuable would AIG or Goldman-Sachs be in keeping food on the table, roofs over our heads, etc. If the economy were to press the “Reset” button and our country had to be self-sustaining, the blue collar workers and the farmers would be in great demand. I love that Mike is able to dignify the blue collar man through his show. My brother has an apocolyptical view (peak oil, Yellowstone’s supervolcano, etc.) but I am less cynical. We do agree, however, that the investors, bankers, insurance giants, etc., all make their living on the backs of farmers and the blue collar man. Without us, the machine grinds to a halt.
Great story. We are a society that wants to buy the best thing at the lowest costs. No problem with that line of thinking. But when we send our jobs to other countries and then complain about unemployment we must have forgotten that we were the cause. I seriously believe we have the best food production system in the world. We do a great job with food safety, protecting the environment and treating farm animals with care. And yes, we do this while providing an abundance of affordable food. If we don’t wake up to the potential of state ballot initiatives or activists proposed legislation, we could find our farmers forced out of business and much of our animal food products coming from other countries with lower standards.
Gene
Ok I totally agree with everything this is saying here and that doesn’t happen very often. I usually disagree with something anyone has to say but seriously I don’t see one problem here. Look I may only be 17, but my dad has been working for ford for over 15 years and I cannot force buying American more than anything else. Seriously, support the country you live in! When I went to Germany for 3 weeks last summer with my German 4 class I noticed that almost every car was German made. There were a lot of fords there too, but the main point is that buying forgein just doesn’t make sense and anyone who doesn’t agree should start learning how to speak Chinese now because we will be taken over within the next 10 years if things don’t start turning around… Just saying…
While I agree that Americans are at fault for the problem with our auto industry, I don’t put the fault solely on the consumer. I personally own a Ford truck, a Mercury minivan, and a Toyota Yaris. I bought the Yaris because it was the best value for my dollar when I needed a highly fuel efficient vehicle for a long commute to work. I have not had major problems with my Ford products and have been very satisfied with them. However, I also really like my Toyota. Since I work in Northern Kentucky, I am aware that a fair amount of the Toyota cars sold in this country are also built here. The same can be said for Honda which has several plants in the US, including one in Marysville Ohio.
I beleive that the demise of our auto industry, along with most of our manufacturing base, is the demand for excessive pay and benefits for relatively unskilled labor. I say this not to disparage laborers, since I am 100% behind Mr. Rowe’s movement to get us back to actually working with our hands. However, the market for any product drives the costs of those same products, and a major cost in any manufactured product is labor. The US owned auto companies have allowed unionized labor to drive their costs too high. Foreign owned companies have shown that they are able to set up manufacturing bases in the US, employ Americans at fair wages, and produce quality products at competitive prices.
I think the resolution to our loss of manufacturing jobs is to bring wages and benefits back into line, and while focusing on quality. I’m not calling for cutting wages to minimum wage, but some of the “benefits” written into modern union contracts are excessive.
As for the agricultural portion of the article, I think it is time that the American people wake up and take notice of how they are being manipulated by the media. Organizations like PETA and HSUS play on the emotions of well meaning people through media ads. Americans donate millions of dollars to these organizations, and other special interestes like them, based on their emotional pull without looking deeper and finding out what their agendas really are.
I grew up on a small farm and deeply wish that I could afford to buy a farm myself and make a living farming. The people of this nation have become so far removed from food production, and hard work in general, that we’ve lost sight of how things really work. Too many Americans look upon the act of killing an animal for human consumption as unthinkable, yet they look forward to going out for a nice steak, or grilling a chicken breast.
My wife and I are raising our children to understand that the few cattle and pigs that we can have on our property are ultimately for food. We also show them that it is paramount to take the best care possible of these animals, not only to ensure the quality of the food, but out of moral concern for quality of life.
Agritourism is a term I often hear now associtated with farms that welcome visitors and try to educate the populace about the ins and outs of farm life. No one day tour to a farm can fully show the difficulties that are involved in farming, nor the blessings and joys that come from it. No other industry entails so much risk for so little monetary return. Until you’ve lived the life in the shoes of a farmer, or any other business person for that matter, you shouldn’t be too quick to condemn their work.
I’m a meat manager. We eat animals. Any questions?
I have 3 Fords and one Chevy parked in my driveway. I hope that Americans wake up and realize what they are doing to this country before its to late. Hopefully this massive recall at Toyota will scare some people.
Now in regards to animal cruelty. I also agree with your statements. I have quite a few pets and they are spoiled more than some kids are. They are trying to make all these laws to protect animals, and they have great hearts in doing so, but we need to take a look at what were doing here. Making all these laws will send all the farmers out of the country to places that have no regulations. AND SOME WILL STILL MISTREAT THESE ANIMALS. We can’t regulate other countries(unless one of our politicians gets a really bad idea) The cruelty is going to happen no matter what. As long as we have the freedom to eat meat, the cruelty will be there and before i say the word cruelty again, its amazing to see how many people who throw cash at PETA or support these laws actually have been to a farm and have seen this stuff taking place or have simply watch a youtube video where some guy plowed a cow with a forklift. Farming is a career, and those who take part in it take pride in it.
That being said BUY AMERICAN. There’s is absolutely no reason we should be throwing money elsewere. I also respect what Mike has done for the Ford super duty trucks, I have 2 and you cannot go wrong there. Keep at it!
I am a USDA and state licensed dog breeder. The HSUS is attacking us in Missouri and calling it a Puppy Mill Cruelty Act. Our life revolves around our dogs and puppies. We do not take vacations and when we leave our home it is at the most for a couple of hours. We follow all the rules and regulations that the state and federal put on us. Yet, the HSUS thinks they know whats best and is tricking the public into believing raising puppies is a crime!! Their goal is to put every dog breeder out of business and kill all our dogs. I love my dogs and it makes me so sad to think they can do this! I have made so many families happy with my puppies and I am proud to say I am a dog breeder! We have got to rise up and fight them or they are going to take every animal we have away! It isn’t right and they have NO right!!!
But the Humane Society Of the United States Just fools everyone with those ads to help the poor little puppy . Just look at the HSUS tax form for how much money they actually donate to help that puppy or kitten. They hold up these animals asking for donations yet the HSUS operate absolutely NO shelters so where is the puppy going to go for all this paid for help. The HSUS took in over $86,000,000.00 (million dollars) . Now out of that $86 million dollars right on the tax form they paid out a mere one half of one percent of the money of which 100 % was collected to help animals. Or to look at it in another way twice Mr. Wayne Pacelle’s Salary went to the animals and the rest went to lobby against owning animals on the farm or in the home. $37 million dollars went to salaries at the HSUS $25 million went to destroy america’s farms and way of life through legislation to prevent animal ownership. $23 million went to advertising to get more money.
http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/financials/form_990_2008.pdf
http://www.vidoosh.tv/play.php?vid=4360
Remember that one farmer will feed nearly 150 people! I am grateful for that, as I do appreciate the ability to get a safe and valuable food source anytime I want. You don’t have too look far to see that there are many people in the world that couldn’t imagine being able to have the choices we do in this country. Take away our producers.. take away our freedom. To me it is obvious that people don’t realize where the food they eat comes from. I work with farm families every day. They are dedicated, hard working, care for what they have entrusted to them. As people become more removed from agriculture (how many know someone that operates a farm), they forget who provided the food on their table. If you enjoyed a meal today.. thank a farmer!!
I realize that groups like Peta and HSUS are out of touch with reality. They believe they know more and are better equipped to tell the American farmer how they “should” be raising their animals or growing thier products. They beleive they know more and are more informed that our regulatory government agencies that protect American consumers. These are experts at what they do and the vast majority of them do the right things and raise animals in a humane manner. If you don’t want to eat meat, fine, but don’t make that choice for me just as I haven’t made that choice for you.
> Have you ever seen an industrial farming operation, and the amount of waste produced? Or how the animals are treated?
Mort, I don’t know what you’re talking about when you say “an industrial farming operation,” and I suspect you don’t, either. More than 98 percent of all U.S. farms are family farms. I have been on lots of them, and Mike Rowe has, too. And yes, I’ve seen how they collect and store their manure and use it to enrich the soil. I’ve also heard farmers tell me how much money they had to spend to meet government regulations for storing the stuff while it is composting (for example, a concrete floor had to be built three times as thick as it needed to be in order to meet the regs). Why is it “waste” when it’s on a large family farm, and the best thing since sliced bread when it’s used as fertilizer on organic farms? It’s the same stuff! I’ve seen how animals are treated on hundreds of farms, and I’ve never seen them mistreated like we see in the so-called undercover exposes that HSUS and PETA come up with. If they are real, the abusers need to be dealt with severely. But HSUS needs to be dealt with, too, for hiding under the pretense of a nonprofit that saves animals.
Well said. Thank you for such an interesting perspective!!
As a struggling small farmer, all I can say is thanks.
[...] encourage you to go read the whole thing. It is encouraging to hear from someone in the mass media who understands the challenges producers [...]
Hey it’s all going to hell in a hand basket just think other countrys get better tax breakes then here in the U.S.A. They pay more for there meats and produce so we pay more. because our GOV. saids that we have to do this the local farms are put out of work because big crop. takes over We all need to look and buy American are will all be with out jobs then what who will go save everybody then we will not be able to. put that in your pipe. I work offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and am watching it turn over to other countrys Japan, China, Russ. and american companys running away with the money. We need to stop and look before it is all gone.
As a 5th generation rancher, it is so refreshing to find a celebrity that truly understands that America’s farmers and ranchers are the true stewards of the land and caretakers of the world”s livestock. It is time for the citizens of the US to understand where their food and fiber comes from. If we are worried about the nation’s security, our food supply is where we need to start. Let’s not let radicals and the 5%ers dictate that we export our food production. Thank you mikeroweWORKS for being informed and speaking out on behalf of the hard working farmers and ranchers of America.
Yes, this is exactly what’s happening. HSUS will visit each and every state until they use human emotion to break the US into their agenda. Read the web page…it’s all about Mr. P’s quest to make us one complete veggan society. They will be marching in on the Indiana Legislature on 2/23. And as for those commercials, yes they pick the worst of the worst. Not all breeders are puppy millers, not all pit bull owners are dog fight enthusiasts, etc. That’s just what the want you to believe. I’d like to see how Mr. P would survive if he had to raise his own food…animal or vegetable!
HEY! AMEN! If you like foreign oil you’re gonna love foreign meat! Thank you for your help and also remember that I am a rancher and I know lots of ranchers and very few of them are getting rich raising safe, delicious food to FEED our nation….they are however doing it because they LOVE their animals and want to raise their families in a hardworking and honest business….we don’t want hand outs, we simply ask to be left alone to do our job!!!
Thanks for taking the time to think about the real issue that is on the table. I also appreciate the fact you have actually stepped foot on a farm before you drew your conclusion.
It is time Americans realized the real threat HSUS is to the abundant food supply that most take for granted.
It is one thing to depend on foreign countries for oil, but if we depend on off-shore food production we are in real trouble.
Our Country needs to remain self sufficient. Our Farmers, Ranchers, and Fisherman need to provide for our people as well as the rest of the world. We are a Nation that was built on the backs of these individuals. They nurture us with food and set an example for us with their hard work. Yes, there always needs to be established rules and regulations, not to strong arm, but as a guide. I don’t eat a lot of meat, but that is my choice. My child is involved in 4 H and sells her swine project at our fair. The people that buy her market animal eat the meat. That is their choice.
We need to remain a Country that has the freedom of choice. A choice to work and live on Ranches and Farms across America. A choice to make a living providing for our Country. A choice to eat food that is grown on our soil, and the choice not to if that is your wish.
I and my family raise livestock in the midwest. We are not a large opperation, but we do make sure to care for the animals basically as good or better than we do for ourselves. If we are in a blizzard, most americans will not even venture outside because its to nasty outside while those of us raising livestock are still outside for hours upon hours to make sure the cattle have water and feed, make sure the hogs are fed and watered, make sure the water well has not started to either freeze or fail. We also have to make sure to have snow cleared well enough for the livestock to get around, make sure that all ventilation fans can run and are not burried in snow. Why you ask because it in not only our job, but our responsibility for those animals, by us being a smaller opperation we do spend more time with our livestock and just to feed the bucket calves we have (about 20-25 at any given time) we spend 1-2 hours per feeding and 2 feedings a day with those calves! Now this is all done over top of working a 40 hour week for a company and the field work we are responsible for to raise the crops that we feed the livestock. Oh, and did I mention that some of us are still in school too (college now) but we put the livestock before us in treatment. I grew up knowing that if the livestock didn’t eat, neither did I! I do remember getting up at 6AM to go out and do chores before school and on occation walking into class late because something was froze or not working – those items just couldn’t be left for later when we got home from school or work! At the same time we would get home from school or work and go straight out to start the evening chores that would take a couple of hours again to complete with the entire family out working on them.
There are “a few bad eggs” out there, but do not lump sum everybody together!
I love this post! I have always been a huge fan of Mike Rowe and Dirty Jobs, but especially after I watched the episode filmed at the rendering plant outside of Butte County in Northern Cal., about a hour from my home. None of us particulary like what this plant does, but we all agree that it has its place in our society. I loved Mike’s editorial at the end of that show. Very controversial topic, very graphic footage, but VERY INFORMATIVE!! If everyone would look at where the food on the shelves come from, and the costs, labor, etc involved they may think different.
I personally know nothing about raising chickens, but there are alot of folks out there that do. My perspective is let the ONES WHO KNOW MAKE THE DECISION! Farmers are not out to abuse animals…Otherwise how would they make a profit ? Do you think they raise animals and crops so that they can get rich ? There is sooo much time and labor- as well as money invested in each of these products that fluctuate sometimes daily! The costs of doing business have skyrocketed.
For people who read this, that may not be familiar with agriculture- call your local college-with an ag program. Ask them if they provide tours, etc. Young people provide a wealth of enthusiam and knowledge, and these students really are passionate about agriculture-otherwise they wouldn’t be entering a field that is such a daily struggle. They would be doctors! The money is much better!
I live in Northern California (the true Northern Cal-100 miles North of Sacramento). My family raises beef cattle, operates a large feed mill, which supplies many dairy cattle with their daily feed rations, to produce the California milk we all drink. I’ve had horses my entire life and competed in competitions and rodeos for many years…Don’t even get me started on HSUS and PETA…thats a topic for another day.
Here’s to you Mike, for being brave enough to stand up for the farming community in California and to SRW for this post!
I am a livestock producer. We finish out and raise beef. The animal rights movement has hurt those who can least afford quality food by raising prices. My husand worked at a 50,000 head plus feed yard for several years. Given his experiences and my own experiences as a lifelong producer, I have the following opinion. The public should be assured that walking into a grocery store and buying a cut of any American raised product is the most humanley raised in the world and has most likely never been abused. The “abused” products out there are few and far between. Pay your premium for what you consider to be a better product. But just let the rest of us belive in the system that has brought us affordable food. Out counrty is blessed to spend the least amount of income of ANYWHERE in the world. Please let us keep it that way by trusting in proven and tried ag. practices.
Thank you Mike Rowe and “SRW” for voiceing a very sound opinion…
Mike Rowe for PRESIDENT!! Thank you for all that you do to back the American Farmer & Rancher…your words at National FFA Convention were amazing. This article needs to be published where all of America can read it!! “SRW” – you have done your homework – and know the facts – Thank you!!
Ford Edge is made at the Oakville Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada Not Quite Red, White ‘n Blue.
Great article! I think that some people out there would like to see all ranchers go out of business unless they grow vegetables so that we would all have to turn vegetarian….. I really think that is at the root of a lot of the agendas like the HSUS.
Amen!
As an advocate of agriculture, I am continually amamzed at what it is that people don’t know, don’t take the time to know, and are very quick to judge to because a picture of sad puppy dog eyes told them so. It is high time the people of our country woke up and came out of their blisfully ignorant coma.
Agriculture is a part of every single Americans daily life, if we would just all take the time to step back and really look at where food and fiber comes from, it wouldn’t take long.
Thank you Mike Rowe for bringing us a well written argument, and bringing the importance of knowledge back to “mainstream” America. Well done!
Have the radicals not realized yet that vegetables are living too???? Cruelty to plants?
Unfortunately this well written and very powerful letter will never hit mainstream news, magazines, etc… and it really should. I meet so many well meaning people that are influenced by HSUS because they are caring people and want to do the right thing. However, they vote mis-informed. God Bless Mike and this website. My daughter was at the National FFA Convention this fall and was able to hear Mike’s inspirational speech to these hard working young people that are very concerned with todays agriculture future. Long live Mike and mikeroweWORKS!!
Thank you. Its nice to see someone in todays modern media that has an understanding of today’s modern agriculture industry. I feel that the majority of the public is getting further and further from the truth about todays modern agriculture industry thanks to orginizations like PETA and HSUS and books such as Food Inc and The Omnivore’s Dilemma. People need to do the research before they believe what they read and hear.
Just because its in a book or in the news doesn’t mean the majority of the industry is run in that way and it also doesn’t mean that one way of farming is better than another. Why do people expect modern day farmers to farm like its 1930, and yet the computer industry is allowed to keep advancing its technology and using better, faster opperating systems.
For those that haven’t herd of it or read it, I suggest reading “The Omnivore’s Delusion:Against the Agri-intellectuals” A wonderful piece written by Blake Hurst, a Missouri farmer.
Thank You for speaking for agriculture! I hope the world listens!
I agree! I have been fighting local legislation for some time now. They collect their money on false pretenses and spend it on legislation and very little for the welfare of animals. I don’t mind if people want to be vegan or vegetarian but I am with you. I enjoy eating a pork chop, steak, or pasta with real meat sauce. I love my vegetables and never turn a vegetable down but I also enjoy my meat that adds substance to my meals.
Thanks for publishing this and getting people to think about their agenda.
Your mistake is misunderstanding what HSUS is about. It is NOT about saving poor little abandoned mutts. If you read and listen to them, it is about SHUTTING DOWN animal breeding — pets or food. YES that’s a threat. They are not done. And they’ll do less than open things to get it done. Consider the rock concert I attended last summer, where their desk had a picture of a hog saying “bow wow” implying a hog is the same as your furry canine buddy. And they were giving away a free about-to-be-released rock CD to anyone who would sign their petition to stop animal agriculure. They got THOUSANDS of signatures. How many of those naive, stoned, silly teens knew what they signed? I doubt 1 in 1000. But the legislators won’t know that. One state after another will fall, both in agriculture and in areas affecting pets. Wake up and smell the stink.
As another small and struggling farmer from Ohio, I too say a heartfelt thanks to you Mike for your support and to SRW for writing this article.
Mike – Would you like to come to Ohio in 2010 and help give voice as we initiate our Livestock Care Board while at the same time battling HSUS as they are trying to put a ballot initiative to vote in Nov similar to what was passed there in CA?
Ohioans spoke loud and clear to approve this new board and the dear ole “we know better than farmers how raise farm animals” HSUS is attempting to fool the voters yet again.
Once the board is up and running I can only pray that the voters will not have the HSUS playing with their emotions and will soundly defeat anything that is put up to vote come Nov.
History tells us much and farming will indeed go the way of the auto industry and others if this insanity is not stopped in it’s tracks.
I appreciate your verbiage and I hope you and those who work on your site will continue to speak up on this issue.
I appreciate you looking at all sides of the story and the nagging sense of dread is because you (unlike many other people) view the current trend and anticipate what’s ahead if we continue down this path. Unfortunately most people don’t question things like you do and simply believe what they hear/see is fact. The reality is we need more food for the growing population so farmers have simply adapted just like everyone else has over the years. Our buildings where we grow livestock may be larger but so are our homes and office buildings. Our equipment is bigger but so are many cars. Macintosh and Microsoft have worked to bring technology to the masses while agricultural companies have continued to improve technology such as GPS, seed and equipment so we are more efficient, better stewards of the land and water and better care-givers to our animals. The difference between us (farmers) and them (orgs like HSUS and PETA) is that they are talking and we aren’t. I feel American ag is finally realizing that instead of fighting the lies and smear campaigns we need to lead our own talks and campaigns. Lead…not fight. We also need to be more politically involved and help our legislators understand the impact of their decisions. I think farms will remain a staple in the US. We simply need to start talking and I think we’re just now catching up to what needs to be done.
The bottom line to me is the US’s auto industry business model was driving it to bankrupcy, and in capitalism, this is supposed to bring about necessary changes in order to survive. By bailing out any business with a bad business model, you are delaying the inevitable and not actually addressing the problem. It has already been discussed in other posted comments, but the elephant in the room are excessive union salary, retirment, and health benefits which increase costs and often reduces quality in a competitive market. I don’t have a problem with anyone making as much as they can, but to state that I am going to “buy American”, it also means supporting the way the auto industry is currently set up. And since I vehemently oppose a lot of the political positions that unions support, I have decided to consider to buy the best value out there whether foreign or domestic.
PETA wants to tell all Americans how farm livestock and pets should be treated and cared for. Is this not like Dr. Spock telling Americans how to raise their children, when he was childless?
HSUS is real simple. They are a vegan group trying to devistate animal agriculture as we know it. They are beyond being ethical and show puppies and cats, when they are mostly fighting meat type and entertainment animals. Why, if they don’t play the game, are they making the rules? If they do not use animal products, why are they concerned with their production? Only to subject additional costs and make animal agriculture harder to compete.
There are groups out there that think plants have rights too. These are “Plant Dignity” people. Now, this is in their interest. How are plants grown and harvested? Poor field crops are grown in rows so close, they can not stretch their limbs without hitting another plant. They are ripped out of the ground and boiled alive. A combine decapitates the wheat, runs it through the wringer, separates the babies from their mother, and stores the babies in a cold dark steel grain bin. What atrocities are going on in their own camp? Plants have feelings too, because they react to outside stimulus like sunlight, rain, and even insects (Venius Fly Trap).
When HSUS shows an animal rescue, it is a death warrant for the animal. They do not have a shelter. When the cat cries on TV, “Will I die today”, the answer is postive in the hands of HSUS. The HSUS web site even educates on quick euthanization. Time is money.
The old addage, “Follow the Money” holds true. See who is donating to the HSUS, how are they soliciting money, and who is being paid to lobby our government.
Thank you for providing a reality check for us! It’s nice to hear common sense from a celebrity. I am a beef producer. My family and I are proud to be involved in an industry that helps provide food not only for Americans, but people throughout the world. Thank you for taking the time to stay informed on this issue and to post this article about the importance of agriculture in our country.
Thanks for standing up for American agriculture! It is easy to take the news and slant it for a compelling emotion grabbing story. Most farms are still run by hard working Americans. They have a deep respect for their country and the animals they raise. They know that healthy happy (like the California cows commercial) animals perform a lot better than unhealthy and stressed animals. Truth is that healthy and happy animals make a better bottom line!
It is time that someone told the real story.
Great article!! With all our problems, the United States of America is still the greatest place to live, NOW. If you think that our countries dependance on forgein oil is a problem, just wait until we are dependent on forgein groceries!! Lets continue to get this message out to the American public.
Thank you. As a fourth generation rancher and avid ag advocate I hope that our agriculture industry can continue to utilize and build a relationship with you to help mainstream media learn more about us. We aren’t trying to hide anything or do anything to harm animals we just want to raise the best product that we feed to consumers and their families AS WELL AS our own families.
Thanks again!
First, great job with the article!
Something that always bugs me about these groups is they are always looking at “inhumane” treatment with animals on farms. Does this occasionaly happen, probably, but the majority of farms are not represented in that category. So lets take this a step farther, why dont they seem to care about inhumane treatmant in humans???? Why not put emphasis and help there???? Maybe their next step is to eliminate humans because of inhumane treatment within our species? Or, maybe they would say that isn’t happenning. Seems like all those $ could go a long way to helping underprivilged humans!
Now, the other thought is all this focus on what is soooo good on the other side of the fence and how terrible it is here THEN LEAVE. NO ONE IS STOPPING THEM. We have a great country, one that many are willing to do almost anything to be able to join. And, one that many are willing to risk their lives to support.
Some how we have gotten our priorities terribly turned around. May be some of these groups do not have enough to do in their life? Maybe they are starving for recognition? Nothing wrong with a little free time and wanting to be recognized. Just seems that could be accomplished by doing something that results in a positive, effective, efficient results for all.
Something to remember: bite the hand that feeds you then what?
What I can’t get over is the fact that the humane society people and there followers think that all of the farmers and ranchers out are going to distroy our way of life, than explain to me why myself and coworkers were out fighting the last snow storm trying to make sure the cows and babies had feed and water, you know i could have sat in the house and not worried about it but thats not my nature I love taking care of Gods creatures and the land he gave us,so thank you for standing up for ag and our country. God Bless The USA. Thanks!
Thank you! HSUS, and their ilk, are non-profit groups who operate a for-profit business based on the disemination of misinformation and outright lies which are directed at a minority (livestock producers) who lack the time and money to oppose them. Not one of their members has ever raised a piglet or calf from start to finish, and yet claim to be experts. The truth is, they care nothing about animals – look at their track record – and care everything about money.
When you tell a lie for monetary gain, isn’t that called fraud?
Karen small farmer
I am a 3rd generation cattlemen. I appreciate all of your comments that support animal agriculture. I also assure each and every one of you that I and most cattlemen in the United States take care of our animals in a humane way. As a matter of fact, I sometimes get blamed for spending too much time with them by my wife. I think most of us in animal agriculture are excellent stewards of our animals. Remember – if the animals aren’t happy, they probably won’t do what we want them to do. Thank you for being a support of American Agriculture!!
Cheers! I have been involved with agriculture for a lifetime and am tired of being made to feel like an uneducated idiot who is unfeeling to the land an animals around me. I see no criticism to the urban sprawl that degrades and manipulates the land…That is progress and those people should be commended. Apparently some of you who think they have been on a modern farm, have not spent more than an hour or so there to see the trials and tribulations that happen on a daily basis. Nor do you see the committment level it takes to provide an economical, safe food source to a group of individuals who are unappreciative of your ability to do your trade and do it well.
In closing, take a look at the war chest’s of PETA & HSUS and see what they are really doing with your money. They could chose to put their money where their mouth is and really help animals, but they chose to pay their executives huge sums of money and develop multi million dollar media campaign. It would be safe to say, it is a business, not a cause. They have moved through so many industries from logging to agriculture and become stinky rich. Which industry will be next?
You have it right. HSUS & PETA get money out of nice people by showing them pictures of puppies and kittens that are simply sick or stray, then use that money to take animals out of our lives. AMERICANS, WAKE UP; and STOP giving your money to HSUS, PETA and the like or you will be choking down food raised in other countries and tainted with GOD knows what because there are no rules in that country that says they can’t substitute melamine for protein. Look how many of China’s own children were killed and sickened by unethical food manufacturers & processors that are trying to make a buck. Keep your money in your pocket and steward your animals as the Good Book tells us to!
And all you folks out there who are thinking you should chime in here…DO IT! SAVE an American Farmer!
Thanks for your comments. Hopefully Americans will wake up and see what is going on before we are depending on foreign countries for our food. I wouldn’t want any of my children to see that day.
On another note we never miss Dirty Jobs! Thanks to Mike for showing us all what all goes into making our lives easier. I think we all should appreciate what we all do for each other in this great country.
Thank you for supporting us in agriculture! One of the things that has caused this type of thinking in America is people are to far removed from the farm. We need to educate the consumer at every turn and fight govrnment policys that allow cars, food and clothes from other countrys. Keep it American as much as we can. Maybe you can do a special on t.v about this issue.
I am a livestock producer and you made a great point. My animals do not make a quality product for the consumer if I don’t take good care of them. It is not magic and the profit margins do not leave room for mistreating them. If I don’t produce a quality product that consumers want at a reasonable price than I am out of business. Your example is dead on.
I’m not quite buyin’it. Don’t get me wrong, I support the heck out of American farmers. I want to see more of them on the land, and in my community. But to suggest that we should have regulations no more rigorous than say… China with their poisonous baby formula sounds kinda crazy to me. Unfortunately the abuses by what SRW suggests is just “the worst examples of some unethical people” requires just a bit more evidence these days to assure the public that this is the rare rare exception rather than a disturbing trend. If it is indeed rare, great, no more regulations are probably needed. But I’m afraid the “trust me I’m a farmer” gig doesn’t work so well anymore – particularly when your a farmer on the other side of the country who really has much more limited accountabilty to a consumer than a farmer just down the road.
And speaking of playing to emotion, SRW seems to have a bit of a challenge in this regard. Are we supposed to believe that a comment like “Should we put every good citizen in prison and let the prisoners run free?” among his/her many other extreme examples is something society would actually consider?
Sorry your wrong. WE did not destroy detroit. Detroit destroyed detroit and foreign car makers simply made better cars. You can’t expect people to reward any company for continuously making inferior products simply because they are American. We live in a Global Economy. Detroit better firgure that out. BTW I wown an F205, if Toyota made one I’d own it.
Your article is exactly right. So many uneducated people do not realize where there food comes from and what it takes to get it from the farm to their table. My family has been involved in animal agriculture for generations. The American food supply is the cheapest most available supply in the world, if we continue down this road of shutting down animal agriculuture American will see more people without food. You are right a few bad eggs should not spoil the pot. The owners of these animals wake up every day and truly think about what is best for their animals. The Human Society of the United States (HSUS) hides behind the puppies and kitties of American their true mission is to shut down animal agriculture. People truly believe they are giving money to save dogs and cats when their money is actually going to shut down our food supply. If you want to donate to help Dogs and Cats you need to give your money to your local TRUE Humane Society. Thank you for publishing the truth! The future of American really does not look good if this continues.
Thank you for this forum and your support of American agriculture!
I would like to reiterate that the vast majority of American farmers and ranchers take excellent care of their livestock and land. They should be applauded for their stewardship of our resources.
Punishing all the good producers in an attempt to fix the very few bad producers simply won’t work. Look at gun control. Placing restrictions on everyone simply punishes those who behave appropriately. Only total abolition of livestock farming will satisfy the goals of PETA and HSUS. That is their stated goal!
If that were to occur, two things would happen:
1) Your food costs would soar, as all meat would have to be imported.
2) Mr. Pacelle would suddenly become a plant activist. He would no longer enjoy the huge salary he takes and would have to seek a “new fight” in an effort to protect his way of life.
Thank you for publicly detailing this issue. I am not sure what it will take to educate Americans, but I am thankful to see people standing up for what is right.
Animal agriculture has had a target on it’s back for a long time and I am thankful we are trying to turn that target towards the radicals who are working to abolish alot of GOOD American’s way of life.
True agriculture producers are good stewards of the land and take better care of their animals than most pet owners. These animals are fed the highest quality feed, treated when sick and provided shelter. That is all an animal truly requires.
There’s a statement I read one time, “If you eat, you’re involved in agriculture.”
This hits the nail on the head. I farm, you eat! Any questions?
My husband is a DVM and I just wnated to say “Thank You” for your support and views on this subject. And by the way we have always bought GM!!
Thanks Keep up the good work!!
As with everything, the beliefs of a few are taken as the beliefs of the many. I used to have a nissan but I recently got rid of it for a chevy. I go out of my way to buy american. If there are two identical products but one costs a few bucks more to be american; then I will pay that extra few bucks. I used to work in home remodeling and construction until the greedy ruined the industry. My question is ” where is personal responsibility and common sense?” If you always let someone else tell you what’s good for you; you become a mindless follower. Someone tells you tax sugar drinks and snacks because they cause obesity!? NO laziness causes it. “It is always someone elses fault”, “the company made me fat”. Unfortunately, Americans have forgotten what a hard day of work really means. If you take your destiny into your own hands then you have noone to blame but yourself. We need to stop all of the political correctness and go back to plain old common sense! Think hard when you spend your money; do you want a job for your neighbor or some other country?
I am a farmer and proud to say that I am. I also teach agriculture {FFA} at a local High School in Missuri.
You hit the nail right on the head most people do not realize what it takes to get cheap food on their table. We in the U.S. spend less than 10 percent of a dollar on food
compared to some countries that spend upwards of 80% of every their dollar. We are a strong country because of our agriculture {FARMING} we not only feed a nation but other nations too. And what does our government use as a bargining chip in a crisis an agriculture product. And more than likely several of the PETA supporters probally would not have a job if it was not for agriculture. There is saying that I quote several times a year in class and that is “If you eat you are involved in agriculture” think about that. We have built a strong nation around an agriculture base it provides food shelter clothing and jobs to millions of people.
Thanks Again!
This is a sore subject with me, raised on a farm and milked cows from 4 in the morning till time to go to school and than again after school till we were done, with no vacations or time to ourselves. We took care of our animals, we was there when they gave birth and when they died. You got to know each one by name and you watched them grow old, and was sad when one passed. But that is life and it goes on.
Problem is now days you have a few out of whit people who think they know it all, and who have never been on a farm or got there hands dirty working hours without end.
The American farmer feeds 3/4’s of the world, and no one cares, but let them not have food for a week and see what happens. The American farmer does more with less than anyone working in there but offices. They work there 8 hours and go home and complain how ruff they have it, let them work 16 to 20 hours aday taking care of their live stock and then pow fields till well into the night.
Big corprate farms have pushed alot of family farms out, and what they don’t push out banks do the rest. Over value land to a point that farmers think, gosh I can afford some new farm equitment. so they go out and buy some to help cut down on time they spend in the fields and MAYBE get to something other then stay home all the time. Only to have the banks cut the cost of their land and then forclose on their farm.
Then a farmer is forced to sell off some of his land to try and pay the bank, and your 200 acre farm is now down to 150 or 100 acres, but he still keep growing food for the cry babies who want him to stop trying to do more with less.
When the last family farm is gone and the jerks of this world are out on the street trying to steal food, which there is none they will have no one to thank but themselves, but the farmer will still be eating cause he knows how to raise food and milk a cow!!! ,\\ike
[...] http://www.mikeroweworks.com/2010/02…ericas-future/ [...]
SRW –
I very well might just love you! JK. But, this is what every (up to date) animal producer is worried about!!! SERIOUSLY!!! We DO take good care of our animals, our animals keep us alive! The vision of the american farmer hasn’t changed, no we may not all where hats anymore; but we work hard to feed and care for our critters.
I heard a great quote watching Temple Grandin on HBO, “Nature is cruel, but we don’t have to be”. That is how we feel! Just as humans get sick and need medication, it is our job as producers to care for our animals; especially when they are sick.
If we continue to pass these laws, which hurt the producer…how are we going to continue to produce? We are already NOT making the bank. And people want to make it worse? America has an incredibly safe protein supply. If we all are forced to shut down, we import, what will that mean for our food safety…we won’t have ANY control over the laws of how those animals are raised! Like you said, you can’t judge the whole industry off of the few idiots that make terrible decisions. I can guarantee to all of you…if anyone I knew acted on animals like I’ve seen by those posted videos, I would have them turned into the police; and they definitely wouldn’t be able to work for any producer I know.
They do feel pain, and I don’t want to see any animal hurt. That is from the mouth of a Kansas cattle producer! That is why we adopted 9 stray cats this winter, they get fed like all the other animals on our farm. We didn’t ask for them, but they found us; and we take care of them.
Thanks for this wonderful post SRW, I enjoyed reading it. It is honestly what a lot of us are asking ourselves. That nagging sense of dread, is there for so many of us.
What a thoughtful and well-stated point of view. The side effect of so much of our feel-good legislation is job destruction. It’s wrong, but that matters little to the proponents, whose political ends seemingly justify virtually any means. Thanks for including this on your site Mike!
Whatever happened to MADE IN THE USA? I am only 35 and have always been buying USA made even clothing when possible. But as a consumer it is getting hard to find and afford. Instead of stricter regulations on farmers in the USA. How about more regulations on importing products to USA and companies pay a little extra tax to operate outside of the US. Maybe a few companies will come back.
Thank you for supporting us farmers. We spend every day of our lives caring for our animals and helping feed the world. A few bad apples get publicized and we are all turned into the bad guys. Even without the moral issue of the matter if our livestock aren’t as healthy and happy as possible, we loose money. It is in every farmers best interest to give their animals top quality treatment.
One thing that isnt mentioned directly in this article is our greedy CEO’s that stay in America and “farm” the work out to cheap labor overseas. How much of our “American made vehicles” are actually American made? American owned maybe but the only vehicle that comes to mind as being fully assembled in America is the Corvette. How many “foreign” vehicles are made in America? I know the Tundra and Camry are assembled here as well as every BMW roadster and SUV. How many others are made here or overseas I do not know but now our choices seem to be “Do I want to buy American made (albeit foreign owned) or foreign made but American owned”. I say we enable “special” taxes to American owned/foreign made items to encourage the CEO’s to stop using cheap labor whose methods of manufacturing would astound our own ideals as well as violate most of OSHA’s regulations.
Many good thoughts in this article. I am a third generation livestock farmer in ohio. We recently passed issue 2 nearly 2 to 1. This constitutional amendment will set up a board to determine animal care standards. Standards proposed by ohioans for ohioans, not outside activists! My hope is that the voters of this fine state will continue to state behind ohio’s agriculture, the state’s number 1 industry, and that other states will take note of what ohio has done. Because the answer is yes, mr. p and his animal rights tirants want legislation like prop 2 in CA in every state. Farmers work hard day in and day out to feed this fine nation. Support agriculture!!
Thanks for your support of the American Farmer/Rancher. To all american farmers and ranchers thank you for all you do to provide healthy food to put on our tables every morning, noon, and night. I myself am a cattle rancher. I was raised to take care of livestock ( cattle, horses, and dogs) first. They eat and drink before I do. They are what pays the bills. Believe me I am not getting rich by doing it. Last week through the rain, snow and wonderful mud out there I put twice as many hours as the average job requires. Do I get overtime. ha NO. Do I get someone saying thank you. No! I do it because I love it. Its a way of life and I enjoy it. If most people from town came to a farm and ranch they would be surprised to find that alot of us don’t have cable television because 1st we don’t have time and 2nd the money needs to be put towards animal care or farm improvements. We don’t have the new great i- invention. We have what it takes to survive and provide thats what matters! Yet many Americans abuse that or assume that its standard. It’s not. The HSUS and PETA people in a snow storm are drinking hot cocoa and sitting by a fire as I dig through snow drifts to help the cows get food and water and bring baby calves inside the house to keep warm. I would love to see one of them with 5 newborn calves in there backroom. Anyways my point is the farmer and rancher that puts the great AMERICAN product on your table is more than likely one of the most hard working caring individual you will ever meet. They are not the cruel individual they would like u to think we are.
One thought to think about. My grandpa was a POW to the Japs in WWII. He always told me a counrty that can not provide for its self will surrender to someone else. Is that where we are headed?
It is so refreshing to see support for American farmers and ranchers. As a fifth generation cattle rancher I have never been more proud to produce safe, wholesome, and delicious beef for Americans to enjoy. I can assure you that we take excellent care of our animals. Let’s not become reliant on foreign food the way we are reliant on foreign oil.
I can’t thank you enough for standing up for America’s Farmers and Mike’s presentation at the National FFA Convention was awesome.
Agriculture is a vital U.S. industry, but it remains largely unseen for most Americans. We go to the supermarket and buy food for our families – and generally take for granted the fact it’s available and in abundance. This is because U.S. farmers have been spectacularly successful in providing for us.
http://www.farmersfeedus.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A4oAyKOGHg
http://www.monsanto.com/americasfarmers/
Just to give voice to the other side of the argument, perhaps the better approach would be for the local farmers, the true farmers, to stop lashing out at the whole of the animal welfare movement and instead remind people of what they are doing right. If you actually listen to what we are saying, we are not out to shut down humane farmers. My question is, if you are already doing things the right way, what are you worried about? In the interest of full disclosure, I am vegan, but I have many friends who continue to consume animal products. Since the majority of Americans will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, I would prefer that their food comes from humane farms. Of course, in a perfect world I would love for us to phase out animal products and live in a way where animals don’t have to be killed to please our palates, but that’s not going to happen. So I live in reality and think, how can I make animals the least miserable they can be? If I were a small or midsized farmer, I would find a point of commonality with animal welfare groups. It’s not so much that we are trying to tell you how to do your job as much as it is that we find a few particular practices nauseating. I wish that we could all learn to compromise more in this country instead of being so polarized. Most people who live in cities may not know much about agriculture, but they are entitled to decide what they do and do not want. This is parallel to the auto industry. For so long, US automakers weren’t listening to what consumers wanted, and they lost customers. You can’t expect people to pay money for something that isn’t what they want. Consumers have stated that they are happy to pay a little extra to know their animals are treated as well as possible. So many small producers that I know are more and more beholden to large corporations that demand more for less, and so we cram more animals per acre, shorten the time between birth and slaughter. We consolidate slaughterhouses to the point where it seems impossible that every animal could get slaughtered cleanly and humanely; we consolidate processing plants to where if contamination occurs, we don’t know where it comes from and we have to waste literally tons of meat, which are all animals that gave their lives. So let’s reverse the trend, and everyone wins. I’m all for supporting local farmers, and I do. Part of taking back the legacy of the American farmer is to find a way to slow or reverse its takeover by corporations. This is true of both crop and animal producers. As a vegan, I eat a lot of soy, but yet I don’t want Monsanto’s GMO soy. What they’ve gotten away with in suing small farmers for “stealing” their patented seeds that drift into their fields is ridiculous. Something tells me that feedlots with hundreds of thousands of cattle just isn’t the most sustainable system we can come up with. And I mean no disrespect, but to expect an industry to regulate itself has never proven to be the best judgment. Particularly when multimillion dollar corporations are involved, and if you believe they have your best interest in mind, explain to be why so many producers I know are struggling. (And just to respond to your little quip about vegetarians who wear leather, the reality is that the cattle wasn’t killed for its hide but its meat, and since the hide is a byproduct, some people think it’s acceptable. I agree that it seems strange, but to each their own.)
I am 22 years old and have grown up on a cattle and poultry farm in Arkansas all my life. Since I was little all I dreamed of is to farm like my Great Grandpa, Grandpa, and my Dad. But now that I’m older and able to get started farming all I hear about is people, “who cant last a day in my boots” wanting to end my dreams in Livestock. What these PETA and HSUS people don’t understand is that folks in livestock agriculture will all tell you animal handling and the management of those animals is number one. You cant survive in this business if you don’t handle your cattle the right way. But you’ll never get that across to these people. When I read articles about acts that will end livestock agriculture it burns me up. How can various groups of people end something that has been in history and a boost to the economy? Who do these people think they are? Do they realize they’ll end the legacies and carriers of millions of people who feed this country? I’ll say this, I am a fourth generation farmer and all I want to do is work hard every day carrying on the three generations before me, and give my future children the same life I had on the farm. It’ll be a cold day in July before some hippy comes and tells me I cant farm no more.
Eat beef, because the west wasn’t won with a salad.
My cattle farm is surrounded by a sub-division. In the last 10 years I have had positive feed back about my cattle. People like to walk with thier families and look at the cattle, to some it brings a sence of community. They get a chance to interact with a farmer and what a farmer does. They like to watch the animals grow, and they like to see what exactly goes into there steak or hamburger. It did not come from a supermarket!! More and more people need to see this!!! Too many people live with thier heads stuck in a hole!!
P People
E Eating
T Tasty
A Animals!! Sounds cruel but I love my meat!!!
While I agree with the general spirit of this article, I think the author needs to take some of their own medicine.
Condemning people for exploiting emotion while essentially suggesting that we’ll all starve if farms get more regulations, or that PETA has a secret agenda to dissolve the USA, is pretty hypocritical.
Yes, I agree that farms should not be regulated. If people don’t want to buy food that was produced unethically, they don’t need the government to enforce anything, they just need to stop buying it. But, this is where an organization like PETA could do something constructive, by informing people of actual farming practices by commercial farms, and letting the people decide for themselves who they buy their food from. “Vote with your dollars”, as they say. Sadly, PETA wants to decide for us, which I’m not cool with. They’re also hyperbole wielding alarmists, just like the people who say they’re a legitimate threat to the country.
On the other hand, if these practices that PETA rallies against ARE the practices of a small minority, as you say, what’s the problem? Don’t you think you’re exploiting the emotions of farmers by making it seem like PETA is some monster which is coming to close down the family farm? This works both ways.
Feel free to show me otherwise, but as I understand it, the practices which PETA campaigns against are primarily upheld by large corporate farms. You know, the ones who buy out the small family farms, and devalue the product with the power of their bulk pricing. PETA might be more of a friend than you realize, even if you don’t care for their footwear.
As for sending jobs overseas. I’m sorry to say it, but the only solution I can see is for us to stop expecting wages which are so far above the global average. When the country was more of an island, it was tenable, now it’s not. You can debate about whether or not that’s progress, but it’s the reality.
I got laid off when the economy hysteria hit, and now I hold what most would consider a crappy blue collar job where I get no benefits, have to literally work every day, and get paid below the minimum wage (if you do the math). I live well below the “poverty” line in America, and you know what? I’m totally fine. I could actually be collecting unemployment, and foodstamps, et al, but what for? I live like a king compared to the average Chinese family.
The saddest part is: the company I’m working for has tons of job openings, and yet so many people I know are unemployed. I offer to get them a job there, but they’d rather be unemployed than lower their standards.
That’s how things look from here. Feel free to enlighten me.
After passage of Prop. 2, which has outlawed any large egg farms in California, I am not comfortable importing our eggs from out of state. So am looking at raising a few of my own chickens for eggs. I’m probably not the only one. What this may mean is more farmers in California — maybe some good might come out of the Prop 2 debacle.
I work for mink farmers. Come and visit a mink farm and fur auction online at http://www.furcommission.com/video/index.htm
7 Things You Didn’t Know About HSUS
(The Humane Society of the United States)
1. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is a “humane society” in name only, since it doesn’t operate a single pet shelter or pet adoption facility anywhere in the United States. HSUS operates sanctuaries for large animals only, not shelters within the commonly accepted definition of shelter. During 2006, HSUS contributed only 4.2 percent of its budget to organizations that operate hands-on dog and cat shelters. In reality, HSUS is a wealthy animal-rights lobbying organization (the largest and richest on earth) that agitates for the same goals as PETA and other radical groups.
2. Beginning on the day of NFL quarterback Michael Vick’s2007 dog fighting indictment, HSUS raised money online with the false promise that it would “care for the dogs seized in the Michael Vick case.” The New York Times later reported that HSUS wasn’t caring for Vick’s dogs at all. And HSUS president Wayne Pacelle told the Times that his group recommended that government officials “put down” (that is, kill) the dogs rather than adopt them out to suitable homes. HSUS later quietly altered its Internet fundraising pitch.
3. HSUS’s senior management includes a former spokesman for the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), a criminal group designated as “terrorists” by the FBI. HSUS president Wayne Pacelle hired John “J.P.” Goodwin in 1997, the same year Goodwin described himself as “spokesperson for the ALF” while he fielded media calls in the wake of an ALF arson attack at a California veal processing plant. In 1997, when asked by reporters for a reaction to an ALF arson fire at a farmer’s feed co-op in Utah (which nearly killed a family sleeping on the premises), Goodwin replied, “We’re ecstatic.” That same year, Goodwin was arrested at a UC Davis protest celebrating the 10-year anniversary of an ALF arson at the university that caused $5 million in damage. And in 1998, Goodwin described himself publicly as a “former member of ALF.”
4.HSUS raised a reported $34 million in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, supposedly to help reunite lost pets with their owners. But comparatively little of that money was spent for its intended purpose. Louisiana’s Attorney General shuttered his 18-month-long investigation into where most of these millions went, shortly after HSUS announced its plan to contribute $600,000 toward the construction of an animal shelter on the grounds of a state prison. Public disclosures of the disposition of the $34 million in Katrina-related donations add up to less than $7 million.
5. After gathering undercover video footage of improper animal handling at a Chino, CA slaughterhouse during November of 2007, HSUS sat on its video evidence for three months, even refusing to share it with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. HSUS’s Dr. Michael Greger testified before Congress that the San Bernardino County (CA) District Attorney’s office asked the group “to hold on to the information while they completed their investigation.” But the District Attorney’s office quickly denied that account, even declaring that HSUS refused to make its undercover spy available to investigators if the USDA were present at those meetings. Ultimately, HSUS chose to release its video footage at a more politically opportune time, as it prepared to launch a livestock-related ballot campaign in California. Meanwhile, meat from the slaughterhouse continued to flow into the U.S. food supply for months.
6. According to a 2008 Los Angeles Times investigation, less than 12 percent of money raised for HSUS by California telemarketers actually ends up in HSUS’s bank account. The rest is kept by professional fundraisers. And if you exclude two campaigns run for HSUS by the “Build-a-Bear Workshop” retail chain, which consisted of the sale of surplus stuffed animals (not really “fundraising”), HSUS’s yield number shrinks to just 3 percent. Sadly, this appears typical. In 2004, HSUS ran a telemarketing campaign in Connecticut with fundraisers who promised to return a minimum of zero percent of the proceeds. The campaign raised over $1.4 million. Not only did absolutely none of that money go to HSUS, but the group paid $175,000 for the telemarketing work.
7. Research shows that HSUS’s heavily promoted U.S. “boycott” of Canadian seafood—announced in 2005 as a protest against Canada’s annual seal hunt—is a phony exercise in media manipulation. A 2006 investigation found that 78 percent of the restaurants and seafood distributors described by HSUS as “boycotters” weren’t participating at all. Nearly two-thirds of them told surveyors they were completely unaware HSUS was using their names in connection with an international boycott campaign. Canada’s federal government is on record about this deception, saying: “Some animal rights groups have been misleading the public for years … it’s no surprise at all that the richest of them would mislead the public with a phony seafood boycott.”
Want evidence? Visit http://www.AnimalScam.com http://www.ActivistCash.com http://www.consumerfreedom.com
Revised October 2008. Complete sources and documentation available upon request.
http://www.humanewatch.com http://www.exposeanimalrights.com
What a good article, thanks for standing with the hard working people of this country Mike! My husband and I farm and ranch and are greatly encouraged when we hear positive things said about what we do. We love watching Dirty Jobs and thank you for saying what needed to be said!
People need to see HSUS and PETA for what they are, organizations created to fill the pockets of greedy individuals. They use heartbreaking images of mistreated animals to get your money and do very little of what they promise. If they are so concerned about animal cruelty why don’t they turn their attentions to the thousands of individuals that abuse and abandon pets? How about working for stiffer punishment for those that are convicted of these crimes? If people will really take a look they will see their real motives. They believe everyone else should think like they do, and that they know what is best for the rest of us. I for one want the right for myself and my children to choose how I live. Animals are a great blessing to us and sacrifice their lives to better ours…BUT THAT’S WHY THEY’RE HERE! I firmly believe that they should be cared for and treated with respect, unfortunately there are people out there that don’t feel the same. These kind of people shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it, but HSUS and PETA aren’t really helping the issue. They’re taking people’s money and telling them what they want to hear….like someone else commented….isn’t that called fraud??
I too feel a nagging and unnerving sense of dread about where all this is going as well. It is scary that our legislators seem to take everything these radical AR groups say at face value and the prima facie sentiment these days seems to be that if you choose to live your life with animals, be it as a farmer, rancher, breeder, hobbyist, whatever, you must be wanting to exploit them and abuse them. The unspoken, but oh so obvious accusations of these groups is that if you don’t agree 100% with them and skip happily at the thought of having your every move regulated by the likes of them, you are an animal abuser. I find the holier than thou, self-righteous attitudes of these people to be completely nauseating. And the fact that they seem to be getting the ear of the people we elect that are supposed to be working for the betterment of people’s lives is scary and what is contributing to that sense of dread. I hope we all wake up before the animals have more rights than we do.
If you believe in buying American & believe this country is only selling American beef, then next time you are at the grocery store… shopping at the meat case… look carefully at the labels on the packaged beef.
I live in a small town but our local grocery store buys their beef from major packing houses…just like all of the major food chains. The chicken, pork & lamb all said “Product of the USA”. However, the beef packages (all of them) said “Product of USA Canada or Mexico”.
I have been watching everyone struggle in this awful economy. I am included. I’m watching the few small cattle producers struggle with lowering prices at sale time …& the rising cost of feed. Not a good combination…. I don’t know how this will turn out but it’s clear to me that buying beef from outside the US will only make things worse…much worse…sort of like buying a BMW?
I totally agree with this article ~ I myself grew up on a 4th generation dairy & beef farm in Wisconsin where you lived, breathed and worked the land. I watched my parents go through a barn fire, terrible drought and everyday ups & downs. Was it hard? Yes it was but it was also very rewarding and there are special memories that I could never forget.
As a child growing up, I began to understand the full circle of life – there is nothing better than growing up on a farm. I am asked everyday if I would exchange my childhood for another; I simply say no. I learned how to care for and love an animal; between dogs & cats to horses, pigs, and cattle. To watch a cow give birth and see the connection she has with her baby for the first time is a mircle in life. I wish everyone had the some of the opportunities that my siblings and I did while growing up.
As I got older and through our cattle shows started noticing how the general public views farmers; they have no clue as to what happens on a daily basis. There is no connection between the farmer and the public. Sure there are some really crappy looking service announcements, tear-jerking ads on the TV, and comments that are misrepresented as facts floating around. I have seen the current trend of ads that HSUS has had floating around – are they hard to watch, of course they are! As an animal lover I hurt to see any animal in pain or abused. I personally think we need to switch our focus – start educating the public about what actually happens on a farm. The whole cycle is what people need to understand – not just the end result.
Even now as an adult working in the agricultural field I have a stronger appreciation for the industry in general. I work with farmers every day and at times will just listen to their stories and wonder what would happen if farmers would just give up? What would society do if the agricultural community did just that – give up? Stop production entirely and try relying on the rest of world to feed them, clothe them, and provide necessitites for life? Think about that the next time you are in the grocery store and you want a carton of eggs for less than a $1 or a package of pork chops for less than $2-3 a pound. We as a general society need to start asking questions and educating ourselves rather than listen to the current gossip.
I hate to say this, and I may be well out of line here. But you all need to wake up, the American farmer is a dying commodity. There are HOUSES sitting empty on vast stretches of what was once farm land, and we not only import the majority of our fruits and vegies, we import them from countries that DO NOT have the same set of standards we have. Spinach is just one case in point.
I think instead of trying to lay this all on HSUS, and animal laws, we ought to step back and look at the broader picture, like why there are these “commercial” farmers. Back when I was a child, and my eggs were coming off a farm here in America, all the chickens were NOT kept in cages, and there were a whole LOT more people farming. OK Ag people, lets look at some numbers…
http://www.agmanager.info/Events/risk_profit/2009/Papers/16_Yeager-Langemeier_Convergence_Slides.pdf
this is a study, of farms, and their productivity, from 1979 to 2008. What you will see is the huge drop in employees, and the huge rise in productivity.
Below is another example of how few farms there are feeding this country.
http://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/ag101/demographics.html
and this diagrams my point exactly.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/vegetables/vegpdf/importpen.pdf
so, to summarize, maybe to stop the “mechanization” and commercialization of farms, we need to go back to when Farms were just that, Farms and not cages or pens full of dirty nasty stinking unhealthy antibiotic and hormone filled animals. Sorry, I don’t eat meat, not because I don’t like it, but because I don’t choose to put that other stuff in my body unless a DR prescribes it.
If we had a clean meat supply, I would eat meat. Bottom line is we don’t, and the reason we don’t is because there are too few farmers growing our meat in inhumane and cruel ways with too few people helping them. And they are making a buck or 2 doing it too.
After all, isn’t that really the bottom line?
I want to thank you for your support of american agriculture. I’ve read many of the comments and was wanting people to define what a “commercial farmer” is. If the other side wants to go back to the old days of farming, then why don’t they come back to the farm and work. Then they will realize that the modern mechanization has helped everyone out. I’m a farmer/rancher in NW Kansas and have spent countless hours taking care of my livestock no matter what the condition is: raining, snowing, blowing, me being sick or injured, i’m out there all the time.
Do we really wish to some day run our farmers out of business in America, and have to import our meat, eggs and other animal products in from overseas where there is less regulation?? These products will likely be less safe than what we have now. And just because it’s out of sight and in another country does that mean we can avoid the situation??
You’ve hit the proverbial nail squarely on the head. it is indeed the goal of the HSUS to take their anti-meat agenda state by state and impact US Argriculture with unreasonable demands, causing such severe financial hardship as to make their products unattainable to the general public, forcing them out of business.
A recent poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) of Princeton, New Jersey showed that 7 out of 10 Americans believe that the HSUS is an umbrella organization for all humane societies and shelters across the country and gives a significant portion of their funds to hands on animal care. Nothing could be further from the truth. HSUS is paying more to paid signature gatherers for hijack Ohio’s recently created livestock oversight board than they gave last year to hands on care of shelter pets. The manipulation and outright deceptive practice of this group are an outrage.
I hope when you want to have your steak for dinner that you can still find one. Because if Pacelle and his minions have their way, you won’t have any choices available to you. HSUS actively seeks the extinction of domestic species of animals and is working through legislative processes, region by region, state by state, to effect them. THAT is where the majority f their massive cash flows goes.
Thank you for pointing out the plight- and anticipated flight- of California farmers since the passage of Prop 2. I honestly do not believe that most of our state’s resident understand what the true implications of this new law will mean.
Proposition 2 in California is just one of many regulations forced on the farmers and ranchers of the state. This regulations have driven a state that has an economy larger than several countries to virtual bankruptcy. Prop 2 shouldn’t even have made it to the ballot, consumers should have voted at the grocery store and put their money where their mouth is. If they want cage free eggs then buy them.
As a food producer and an animal scientist I find the emotional pleas that conflict with science to be disheartening and troubling. The lack of understanding by the American public that is only two or three generations off the farm is a barrier that is tough to break through.
Meat doesn’t come from grocery stores- it comes from animals. Most of which are well cared for.
Thank you! Agriculture is our country’s path back to economic bliss. We are the only country in the world able to produce enough food to save ourselves and a good chunk of the world too. We need to protect our ability to feed ourselves and others. We do not want legislate ourselves out of an industry only to find ourselves eating food produced from countries who do not use our standards for safety.
HSUS does not support animal shelters it supports itself and its anti-animal agenda. If you want to help homeless pets, give the only to your local shelter. At least then it will be used as intended.
Thank you!!!!!
Right on!!!
I’m sorry, but this whole “Buy American” thing is crap in so many industries. Let’s use the auto industry as an example. Would I buy American if it wasn’t a myth? Sure. But don’t sit there and tell me that Fords, Chevys and Chryslers are American. American owned? Mostly. American companies? Sure. But where do the parts get made and come from? Mexico, Canada, etc. They make the bare minimum parts here and do the bare minimum assembly here to give it those classifications for tariff purposes. Which is usually a little under 50%, since they are american companies. “Foreign” companies, however, have to make more of the car here to avoid the same heavy tariffs. Usually more along the lines of 65% or more.
My numbers might be a little off as it’s been a couple years since I looked, but it’s pretty close. Go look it up if you don’t believe me.
I don’t give a crap WHO gets the profits. Guess who is giving the most Americans jobs? Toyota. Honda. Etc. But the unions wage campaigns against them because they are non-unionized. Guess what, I don’t care about that either. Unions are a double-edged sword–great when needed, but drive up costs insanely when they aren’t.
Are the companies to blame? No–or at least not entirely–they’re doing what the public asked for…giving them cheaper cars. Are the unions to blame? No–at least not entirely–why should they trust the companies? They(unions) were started for a reason. That being said, that whole industry needs a good hard look in a mirror. There’s a lot of people getting fat while the industry rots.
Our whole country does. Everyone seems to be in it for themselves. We’re a service economy that does not believe in customer service. A non-service economy. Think about it. How often do you have a hassle-free return vs one where you have to jump through hoops. How often do products fail to live up to their purpose? How many times in the last week alone were you treated rudely?
We’ve lost our way and what made the nation great–working together and compromising to hit common goals. Learning to peacefully co-exist on areas of difference rather than attacking each other through the law. Or worse, outside the law.
We’ve also lost our sense of responsibility as a nation. Everyone always has someone else they blame. But rarely themselves. Parents blame schools for their childrens failings. Customers blame McDonald’s and Burger King for coffee burns.
For the record, I own a Jeep. Before that it was a Ford. Because that’s the best vehicle for my needs. I’ve nothing against these companies. I’m just using them as an example. But I also have no illusions that I bought American.
I am a small (milking around 30 head) dairy farmer, I’ve been doing this 6 years now & have not broke even, much less made a profit, so I guess my husband & I are doing it for the love of our cows. You can only go so long (living off of credit or savings) before something breaks & we’re almost to that breaking point. Proposition 2 & anything like it scares me to death, I feel nobody should have the right to vote for something they have no clue about, just because they see pictures that have been doctored up.
A comment was made about our “food” coming from other countries, well, most of those other countries do not have USDA to look after their products, & I for one, would rather my food originate in the US to keep it covered by USDA. I am a consumer, I could raise my own meat but I choose to buy it. I’m often asked if my milk is organic to which I reply it is not, but really, there isn’t any difference between organic milk vs my cow’s milk. Milk is milk. I do not use Bst (injecting milk hormones to make more milk, my cows don’t like shots & I don’t like giving them), besides, it has been eliminated (I have signed an affadavit indicating that I do not use it) & they have it naturally, my milk doesn’t have antibiotics in it when it goes to the milk plant (if I have a cow that is sick & will respond to antibiotics, I will use them but that milk is dumped until she’s well & the antibiotics are gone from her system). I use some pesticide in the summer, it’s called Fly Spray, their switch @ the end of their tail is just so long & flys seem to bother them the most where the switch doesn’t reach. Just like parents to their kids. That’s what my husband & I are to our cows. They depend on us to feed & take care of them, just like kids. Happy Cows do not just exist in California, (darn that commercial, it’s filmed in New Zeeland, & don’t get me started on that one) they exist everywhere. I could go on but I have work to do.
And, not to forgot where I’m at, thank you Mike Rowe, we love your show in Indiana, we don’t always get to see the first run because we’re milking & don’t have access to it @ the barn but if we’re not too tired we’ll see the repeat. I tell my husband, see, there are worse jobs than what we do even tho ours can be quite dirty @ times.
Wow Mike, Will you run for president please. We need you!
Wow. This is exactly the kind of information we need in our US of A. I’m so glad that I read this, and so worried that you might be right. I’m with this idea (or the matters mentioned therein), 110% of the way.
Sincerely,
Joseph Lyon
“Wayne Pacelle, the top dog at HSUS is fighting this plan as well as another ballot up for vote in the Ohio House. He is promoting a possible bill that would eliminate “extreme confinment” in the state’s chicken, pig, and other animal farms. Also, it would call for more humane euthanisia methods.”
http://beefambassador.com/2010/03/here-we-go-again/
I breed quarter horses and I raise chickens, ducks, geese, swans, turkeys, peacocks, guineas and cows … All my guys are ‘free range’ and I spend a small fortune feeding them (just the birds folks) to the bald eagles, red tail hawks, possum, raccoons, coyotes, bobcats, bear and whatever else wanders through / over the ranch … But I wouldn’t have it any other way … The fresh eggs are a delight to savor. But that being said, I don’t have a problem with containing animals for use in the human food chain — but I want my food to come from America — not China … Grow American, buy American.
I just finished reading it and have no or very little idea what was the
meaning of the story as a whole. It went from buying “Made in USA” to car company bailout
From some states wanting Ca. business ( nothing new, just look at Raytheon and some tech companies ) to animal cruelity. But I fail to see where the “American” farmer was being impacted by laws made in Ca. Am I wrong? Doesn’t “American” mean ALL farmers and not just Ca. farmers? Californians are always passing laws without thinking about the impact to everyone else so long as some furry thing is safe. I also must say if been in California since 1971 when I was just 11.
“talking out of both sides of (our) mouth(s)” did not destroy Detroit. Politicians and unions did that. I grew up in a GM factory town three hours south of Detroit and watched it happen in real time for forty years. The smart folks who saw the writing on the wall went into the military and got the h*** out. The reason foreign cars did better was smarter design and reliability. Even with the few Toyotas having a problem, the vast majority will still be running years from now.
You should watch “Food, Inc.” a production that features just the sort of thing your talking about.
E-coli and salmonella are both rampant in many of the foods we consume. Fortunately for us (but unfortunately for the families who have lost children, parents and other family members to infections)the levels are low enough to pass inspection (there are not ENOUGH inspections) and to give us the courage to keep on eating the very food that might, in the next salad or jar of peanut butter, or jelly, or eggs or ground beef or pork be the last time we have to even think about it..food roulette. Sound thinking, of course not.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Colleen Parr. Colleen Parr said: Unreal. Do you like to eat? Support #farm. “We have no problem with the extinction of domestic animals." Mr. Pacelle HSUS http://ht.ly/1KezQ [...]
For the last 8 years, I’ve spent my weekends on a sheep farm. It started out as a hobby to learn how to herd sheep with my Border Collie, but soon it became an addiction. Every weekend, we tend sheep — deworm them, sheer them, clip nails, vaccinate, tag, examine, and so forth.
I won’t speak for large scale farmers/ranchers, but many small time folks take incredibly good care of their flock. Our sheep have a lot of access to open land, grazing on fresh grass, supplemented with hay throughout the winter. The sheep are rarely confined, and they are protected by from coyotes and bad weather.
So please, people like “Michigan Girl”, don’t talk about what you haven’t experienced. Looking at the worst-of-the-worst pictures online is not the same as living the life of a farmer. Our sheep are taken care of to the hilt, so don’t spread nasty, untrue rumors about how people take care of their flocks.
There is a HUGE difference between advocating for larger cages for chickens and completely banning all cages. The legislators seriously dropped the ball on that one. If people are not careful, PETA and H$U$ will take over all animal issues. Protect your right to care for your animals.
Certainly appreciate having you stand up for agriculture. I have a hard time figuring out why people can’t see the importance of farmers and ranchers for our very survival! Would love to chat with you sometime.
Thanks again!
Patsy
The farmers in our country are highly overlooked and taken for granted for what they are capable of doing for us Americans and in crisis other countries that are in desperate need. Something needs to change. Farmers are the most needed. We must eat to live. What can we do as American citizen’s? Think about it. And send in your ideas. American Farmers should all be funded by the government without raising taxes. Afterall, they need to eat too. I know that will probably never happen, but if we don’t want to happen to our Farmer’s what happended to the auto industry…what are we to do? Extreme matters need extreme decesions to be made to ease the burden of producing foods of all kinds. Meat, poultry,wheat, rice etc.
Charity starts at home and so does good business. We have collectively abandoned our small town farmers, retailers, grocers, etc. in our search for the “cheapest” price. So we go into debt to pay less so we can buy more of the stuff we don’t need. We allow special interest groups to buy our politicians and push through whatever is the special interest item of the moment.
This isn’t about HSUS or PETA – this is about each of us, as individuals, voting with our hard earned money to keep our country and our way of life intact. Buy American when possible, shop at your local butcher, farmers market and local retailer – reject the big box stores. Tell them to take their substandard products back to their countries of origin. We keep buying and companies keep cutting corners and standards while raising prices. How about we each make a commitment to go out of our way to support our own economy.
Parting food for thought – if we had to produce our own clothing, uniforms, shoes, socks, cars, trucks, tanks, food, defense materials could we do it? We no longer have the manufacturing facilities to “ramp up” in a time of need. We have no skilled labor and certainly no unified sense of patriotism – and certainly no pride. If something is actually “manufactured” here many of the components are out sourced. We are on a slippery slope.
Well after reading all the posts I thought I would throw my two cents in. I grew up in the country and worked on a farm during the summers. I think I started to get paid for the things I did when I was around 12. I guess that is where I learned that hard days work is very rewarding. I have had a lot of different jobs/careers in my life. I am 41 now and two sons of my own. My rules to them are #1 no hospital visits (they like to rough house around) #2 Earn your keep! OK on with my point. A lot of the people I have talked to over my years make their judgment on things before they have the facts of it. I was a master auto mechanic for 9 yrs and have worked on just about everything that is on the road today. When it comes to American quality yes it is there. Most people do not take care of the car or truck like they should. I myself own a 1997 Chevy Cavalier with 256,000 miles on it and still going strong(and still getting 35mpg)! The farm I worked on growing up the Dodge truck that we used for just about everything had over 300,000 miles on it. I think a lot of Americans need to get out and spend some time on the farm. This way they know what it means to put a days work in. Farming is not a 9 to 5 job and off on the weekends. Farming is 24/7 365 day job. Yes I do agree there are some really crappy farmers out there. The problem that needs to be fixed is the crappy farmers. I would like to know when it became the solution for dealing with a problem person or persons is to punish everybody for what they did? Like I stated before I have many different careers in my life so far everything from a mechanic to my most recent one which I worked for a bio tech research company. Currently I decided to take a break from it and find a new direction.
If you want to help the American farmer buy from them! I get my eggs from a local farmer as well my beef. When you do this you can see how they are raised and are taken care of. Do you want quality veggies go the farmers market. Do you want quality clothing look for the tag that reads Made in the USA! Some of you may not see my point yet! I will some it up. Know all the facts before buying, eating, drinking or making a judgment about anything until you know the facts! The reason I say this is I have talked and dealt with people all over our great nation and they vary from coast to coast. Do you know what kind of person knows what a hard days work is? It is the blue collar worker the farmer, the volunteer that gives just about ever bit of their free time to help someone. This same person still puts family first! So in the end take a good look at yourself when you zoom by somebody on the side of the road with a flat. Did you stop to help? Why not? Just remember that excuses are like rectums everybody has one! When was the last time you held the door open for somebody? When was the last time you help the older couple across the street with their yard or anything? We are losing who we are and what we stand for! As it was stated in another post WAKE UP!
The free market can be unfettered except where the possibility exists for producers and manufacturers to harm people, animals, or the environment. Because states compete with each other to provide jobs, the way to protect animals from abusive farmers is through federal regulation. The same is true for environmental protection against companies that pollute.
The American farmer has more to fear than humane societies who want them to treat their animals better. Small farmers get bought out by factory farm corporations all the time. Farm Corp millionaires get money from the government NOT to grow crops. Little kids think milk comes from grocery stores. Poor cows, their contribution is unknown and unappreciated. I guess contribution is another word for stealing their milk. And in return we let them steal good grub and warm stalls.
The end game is that people do what makes them the most money. Only laws, rules and cops prevent some of them killing each other (and us, the customer) to make more money. If you don’t believe this look at what wall street just did. And that was not the first time. Look up Black Friday. We exist to breathe and make money.
Thank you for writing this. I have been raising turkeys with my husband for a year now, and I have become so aware of the issues farmers are facing – It is nice to see someone SUPPORTING the American farmer instead of tearing us down. Thank you!
…and why are we listening to an organization (PETA) that is and has been for many years on the FBI’s top ten most watched “terrorist” group?