Apparently there has been a resurgence in the circulation of the movie Food, Inc. A number of people have been coming into the store having a fit about how awful farms and animal processing facilities are in this country. Although I am a full supporter of small farms and local marketing (that is what we do here, after all), I understand the importance of production agriculture and I am angered by the negative image Food, Inc. is placing in people's minds. Think about the message I mentioned in my last post: who funded this movie, what are their motives, and do they really know anything?
Food, Inc. was produced by an extremely biased organization whose goal is to eliminate animal agriculture in the US. They are only showing you what they want you to see and are using a lack of knowledge about animal production and your gut reaction from the movie to turn public opinion against agriculture. The group spreads their information under the guise of a concerned organization who is looking out for your health, but their focus and funding is actually directed towards a radical farm-elimination plan. What you see on the movie is not an accurate representation of food production, it is an attempt to dupe the public into supporting a ridiculous idea.
A particular scene in the movie that has been causing a stir is a short bit of footage showing a manure-covered hide being removed from an animal at the processing plant. Individuals I have spoken with are concerned that the filth from the hide is touching the bare carcass, and is therefore contaminating the beef that will be purchased by consumers. If this is all you see on the movie, you will probably be at least a little disturbed...but there is more that the crafty cameraman is not showing you. He conveniently fails to show the carcass, immediately after the hide is removed, move into a hot water sterilization chamber to remove any dirt and eliminate harmful bacteria. He fails to show the many, many layers of safety measures each carcass is exposed to in order to provide a safe product for you and your family - in other words, he is trying to trick you into believing only what he wants you to. I have been to large packing plants, I have been on the floor while they are in operation, and I have seen the full process and all of the safety measures with my own eyes (not a camera lens). The precautions are there, and they are real. Remember that every USDA inspected packing plant in the United States is held to a zero tolerance standard - that means if a SINGLE e-coli bacteria is found in the final product, it is condemned and the plant is shut down until the source is eliminated. Knowing this, it does not make much sense to assume that grime from outside is carelessly allowed to spread throughout your product.
There is no shortage of negative media coverage concerning agriculture. It is safe to say, however, that a vast majority of it is from an inaccurate source such as the one mentioned above. Please, the next time you hear something like this, try to evaluate it beyond a gut reaction. Does it seem to be trying to sway your opinion against farms? Is it focusing on very negative rumors about the industry? Could there possibly be more to the story than what you are seeing? There is a 99% chance that yes, this is the case...you should disregard the information. I urge you to investigate websites like beefmagazine.com (check out Amanda Nolz blog, she is very good at discussing these issues) and advocatesforag.com for some legitimate information concerning food production. These sites speak the truth about farming, but are frequented mostly by farmers who already know the story. I believe if the non-farm public looks at real information about farms and hears the concerns of farmers, fears about food safety and concerns about animal care will quickly melt away. Don't write it off as an inconvenience; keep this knowledge in the back of your mind and the next time you find yourself horrified about something you heard, check your emotions, think it through and ask yourself "is this really true?" Probably not.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Where does your information come from?
One of the reoccurring issues that has been driving me crazy recently (enough to make me start this thing) is the widespread negative media portrayal of agriculture. Thanks to the likes of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS - yes, they have a different agenda than the one they tell you about), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA - they seem to be more concerned with getting attention than actually doing anything they talk about) and the media, people who have no agricultural experience believe that farmers devastate the environment, abuse animals, produce toxic food, are the cause of obesity, etc, etc...you have heard it all. Anyone who is involved with farming and/or food production in any way will realize these "facts" that we read about and see on TV are ridiculous, but the harsh reality is that a vast majority of people in the US are so far removed from agriculture that they believe what they hear. Many people have absolutely no on-farm experience that allows them to draw reasonable conclusions about what they hear. Having been raised on a farm, I - along with every other farmer in the US - am able to think "hmm, my lifetime of experience completely disproves this article about the 'shocking state of agriculture.'" Unfortunately the rest of the country simply concludes that the media is correct. We need to consider where the media is getting their information.
People in agriculture are generally reserved about their occupation. We are taught by our parents to be humble and respectful, not to brag about what is going on with the farm or outspoken about what we are doing. These beliefs have been drilled into farmers so long that it is just an unspoken rule that we do not expose the public to our way of life - we are definitely not mainstream. Despite the reserved attitude, we love what we do. We are the stewards of the land and of our animals. We are the people out there every day (yes, even weekends and holidays - *gasp*) getting covered in filth and dirt, freezing in the winter and sweating it out in the summer, constantly planning ahead and meeting the needs of a hungry nation, all so you can go to the store on a whim and literally get whatever you want, whenever you want. We know what we are doing, even if CNN does not run a headline about it every day.
Our competition, however, has apparently not been brought up this way. Animal rights groups, environmental activists, and all of their friends take a very active role in speaking their mind, using mindless stunts to get attention. An interesting fact about these "intellectuals", however, is that they did not grow up around agriculture and have never even been on a farm. They are outsiders looking in, seeing what they want to see, and spouting their minds about it. They are counting on the widespread ignorance about food production as a loophole to infiltrate the system and destroy it (talk about biting the hand that feeds you). Agriculture's removal from the public allows them to say what they want and everyone hears it, accepts it, and turns it against farmers. Why is anyone listening to them? They use trickery and lies to draw unknowing citizens into their agenda, and funnel money from an acceptable public front to fund their behind the scenes agenda. By simply jerking emotional cords with the public, any anti-agriculture organization is able to pour money into their bank accounts to help their "cause."
This funding has to stop. The next time you see an ad with a scruffy looking dog or a skinny cat asking for a simple donation of only $20 a month, think about where that money is going. If you want to actually help the dog, give the money directly to your local shelter where it will be used for some good. Stop and think for one second the next time you hear about how awful and abusive animal agriculture is...who is telling you? Someone who grew up around it or someone who heard about it on TV? We need to get a handle on these lies and turn the public's view towards the truth before United States agriculture is destroyed by someone who knows nothing about it.
People in agriculture are generally reserved about their occupation. We are taught by our parents to be humble and respectful, not to brag about what is going on with the farm or outspoken about what we are doing. These beliefs have been drilled into farmers so long that it is just an unspoken rule that we do not expose the public to our way of life - we are definitely not mainstream. Despite the reserved attitude, we love what we do. We are the stewards of the land and of our animals. We are the people out there every day (yes, even weekends and holidays - *gasp*) getting covered in filth and dirt, freezing in the winter and sweating it out in the summer, constantly planning ahead and meeting the needs of a hungry nation, all so you can go to the store on a whim and literally get whatever you want, whenever you want. We know what we are doing, even if CNN does not run a headline about it every day.
Our competition, however, has apparently not been brought up this way. Animal rights groups, environmental activists, and all of their friends take a very active role in speaking their mind, using mindless stunts to get attention. An interesting fact about these "intellectuals", however, is that they did not grow up around agriculture and have never even been on a farm. They are outsiders looking in, seeing what they want to see, and spouting their minds about it. They are counting on the widespread ignorance about food production as a loophole to infiltrate the system and destroy it (talk about biting the hand that feeds you). Agriculture's removal from the public allows them to say what they want and everyone hears it, accepts it, and turns it against farmers. Why is anyone listening to them? They use trickery and lies to draw unknowing citizens into their agenda, and funnel money from an acceptable public front to fund their behind the scenes agenda. By simply jerking emotional cords with the public, any anti-agriculture organization is able to pour money into their bank accounts to help their "cause."
This funding has to stop. The next time you see an ad with a scruffy looking dog or a skinny cat asking for a simple donation of only $20 a month, think about where that money is going. If you want to actually help the dog, give the money directly to your local shelter where it will be used for some good. Stop and think for one second the next time you hear about how awful and abusive animal agriculture is...who is telling you? Someone who grew up around it or someone who heard about it on TV? We need to get a handle on these lies and turn the public's view towards the truth before United States agriculture is destroyed by someone who knows nothing about it.
Here Goes Nothing
I finally decided to go against all of my instincts and put my opinion about current agricultural issues out there. Blogging has never really appealed to me, but I am tired of quietly standing by and allowing outspoken, uninformed activists to destroy America's agriculture from the inside out. Hence, the creation of this little platform for me to spout my frustrations to any poor soul who happens to stumble upon my ramblings. I have a few ideas for my first real post bouncing around in my head; I will get those sorted out and on here by the end of the week. Hold on folks, it is going to be a bumpy ride...
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