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.