Seeing is Believing.

I am a notoriously analytical person. Nearly everything I hear from an outside source raises in my mind the question "is this really true?" I resist infomercials because they sound too good to be true, I will question the latest trend and ask myself if it is legitimate or just the result of some good marketing, and I rarely believe rumors that are flying around until I have seen for myself that the statement is in fact reality. On top of all this, I (usually wrongly) assume that everyone else thinks the same way I do about the bombardment of information we are presented with on a daily basis. In other words, I have to assume that at least a few of the people reading this blog are in front of their computer mumbling "I don't know about this, it sounds pretty far fetched..." So, in honor of all of you questioning minds out there, I have decided to show you that what I am saying is true.

When it comes to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and other well known animal support groups like PAWS (yes, they are on my bad list too), I sound a bit like a broken record. Most of my writing to this point has focused on these organizations and their well hidden but very effective anti-animal agriculture agenda as I try to expose their true intent to the public. To this point, however, I have never really shown you what I am talking about. So here we go.

Open up a new tab on your browser, go to Google and type in PAWS. The first link in the resulting list will take you to their homepage; take a second and look it over, I'll wait.

Did you enjoy that experience? It is a nice looking website and everywhere you see pictures of kittens, baby animals, some wildlife, and you find links to major success stories of dog and cat rescues. You can adopt a pet, look at pictures of cats and dogs, donate to the cause, and learn how to deal with that pesky raccoon that devastates your trash can every night. This is exactly what you thought PAWS was about, right? And you feel pretty good about what you are seeing: everyday people helping pets in unfortunate situations. So, at first glance (the only glance many people will take) PAWS is a dog and cat rescue operation that will also help pet owners deal with some types of wildlife, a mission that can be accepted by everyone.

Now lets poke around a little bit. Perhaps you were so moved by the homepage experience that you want to go a step beyond a simple donation. Move your cursor over "Get Involved" and select "Live Humanely," a suggestion from the group that sounds pretty innocent and easy to follow through with. The description says you can have a major effect on animals by simple steps like giving water to birds or adopting a pet - nothing wrong there - but the very first suggestion is "Go Veggie."

Pump the brakes here...what on earth does going vegetarian have to do with pet adoption and care? If PAWS helps out dogs, cats, and other pets (what nearly everyone associates the organization with), shouldn't their humane suggestions involve pets? Click "Go Veggie" and you are hit with a write-up explaining that meat purchases contribute to "the suffering of billions of farm animals every year," you see the all-too-popular "factory farming" phrase thrown around (that is nothing more than a phrase designed to portray farming as a mechanical, frightening, industrial beast), you are exposed to statements indicating that farmers are willing to torture animals simply to make money, and you are told that farms destroy the environment; the portrayal of farming is a vary harsh contradiction to the happy outlook of the PAWS homepage.

And herein lies the problem for agriculture; PAWS is advertised and associated with pet adoptions, raising funding from donations for such caring acts. Behind the scenes, however, they are pouring that money into anti-food-production slander used to frighten citizens away from our food system. If a farmer tries to stand up against the huge organization that is dirtying his (or her!) reputation, the farmer is hounded by the masses for being such a dog-hating, cruel person. Quite a tricky situation for us.

You will find a very similar experience at the HSUS website, with dog, cat, and dolphin (really) pictures on the most visible pages and anti-food propaganda buried somewhere inside. PETA is much more open about their views, but you will find that they use the same bunch of words that invoke a dark, evil feeling as you read them.

What can farmers do about this? We need to be louder than the opposition who has been allowed to speak for us in the past. As we continue to tell our real story to the public, the truth will spread and no longer will agriculture be blamed for the problems of today. So, as Ag. finds its footing in the social media landscape, do your part; listen to what we have to say and question the opposition. Read Amanda Nolz's blog on www.beefmagazine.com or check out the 'I am Agriculture Proud' group on Facebook to start. Activists have frightening buzzwords and some smoke-and-mirrors financial tactics, we have hundreds of years' experience, generations of family dedication to the land and animals, hundreds of millions of benefactors (every person who eats), and unlimited uplifting stories to tell.