Thought this was a great article to follow up my previous post on the media and agriculture, which goes hand in hand with animal rights activists that are out of control. And, since we were just in Florida, I am feeling a bond with our fellow farmers and ranchers there--way to go for State Senator Jim Norman!!
Florida Legislator Targets Animal Activists AGWEB.com
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Ag in the Movies.....
By chance, I watched a popular tv show the other day that had me fuming by the end. The show, was BONES, Season 5, episode 6, "The Tough Man in the Tender Chicken." I don't watch much television, beacuse, well, we don't have it out where we live and we opted against satellite. We do however get Netflix, and have watched the series which is usually light-hearted and humorous even as the scientists and FBI agents sift through remains trying to uncover the cause of death. And though it is often cheesey and somewhat unbelievable, I still found myself up on edge as I watched this episode because I know that many, many people out there would not understand how unbelievable their portrayal of a chicken farm was. As they tried to uncover the mystery of who the dead body had been and how it had been killed, the forensic artist draws a picture of a man who looks supsiciously like a chicken. Supposedly the guy had worked in the chicken farm/processing plant for many years without wearing a mask and the fumes in the plant had caused disfiguration of his face. WHAT!?!?! And to make him look like a chicken? Really? How many people are watching this and believing it? Oh, and of course he was killed in an extremely violent way, which happened to be through the machines used to kill and clean the chickens in the plant--portraying poultry production in an even harsher manner.
Another part of the show that got to me was that one of the key players got wrapped up in the worry about the animals and ended up with a chance to 'adopt' a piglet for $1500, saving it from slaughter and human consumption. Of course, most of the other players in the show were against this, even the 'vegetarian'. I was very happy that one of them was even an out and proud meat-eater that loved bacon, pork, ham, etc. So, I was glad that they tried to be somehwat well-rounded in their portrayal. In the end, a friend helps her get the money to adopt the pig, saving it from death and human consumption in order to just be her friend and help her even though they thought the cause was ridiculous.
I wonder how many people were inspired by this show to search out and 'save' some kind of animal. I probably wouldn't even think that it was possible if I didn't already know better. Some of the blogs that I follow through the YF&R have had posts on theirs about these types of things--a farm that rescues turkeys--no really, you can pay for one, or even a whole flock and they go to live out the rest of their natural lives on this farm, protected, safe and happy. Or have you seen the newspaper article (don't know if it is a joke, or really was submitted to a paper) about how hunters need to get their meat from a store where it has been made, instead of killing harmless animals. Unfortunately, I really believe that there are so many people who can't stand the thought of an animal being killed, but, so as long as they don't ever have to think about it, they can easily chow down burgers and bacon and chicken salad without worry. It's when PETA and HSUS and the media portray the supposedly inhumane treatment of their food that they begin to worry. This is why it is so important that they know about where there food really comes from and the time and care that goes into those animals--and why American Ag producers are working wo much harder to tell the story of their farms and ranches so that the story being told is the truth.
In my research for this article, I found plenty of sites that are advocating for the humane treatment of animals and especially chickens--this is what they think you should do to help out (please remember that I took these next few paragraphs straight from bornfreeusa.org, after searching for facts about poultry--these ideas followed paragraphs of information such as this: The average consumer may not be aware of the suffering of billions of birds raised for meat and egg production in the United States each year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s National Statistics Service reported that 7.07 billion “broiler” chickens, 67 billion “egg” chickens, and 321 million turkeys were killed in 1998 for food. In addition, millions of birds die as a result of disease, injury, and during transportation.
•Decrease or eliminate poultry products — meat and eggs — from your diet. Decrease or eliminate foods containing poultry products from your diet. The 1997 Dietary Guidelines for Americans published by the USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services endorses a vegetarian diet.
•If you do purchase poultry products, buy them from a health food store or natural foods co-op and purchase only products produced on organic farms. While organic farming does not necessarily mean animals are treated humanely, it is better than factory farming, which can never be “organic.”
•Support federal and state legislation that would improve the well-being of farmed birds by imposing limits on farming, transportation, and slaughter practices.
SERIOUSLY??? This is what the public is searching out after watching shows like the one I did--if we don't tell our side, more and more legislation like PROP 2 in California will be passed. More and more American Poultry producers will be put out of business and our food will be shipped in from below the border.
Can't we have well-cared for animals and eat them too? ;)
So, if you really want to know about how poultry and eggs end up on your plates and what the standards for these types of farms are in our nation, then check it out from a decent source, and give American Ag Producers the credit that they deserve for providing such a great, clean food source for our nation and so many others!!
The first link is an awesome and easy to read overview about all things chicken:
http://www.nationalchickencouncil.com/consumerInfo/docs/IntroductiontoChickenProduction.pdf
http://www.poultryegg.org/ The US Poultry and Egg Association
http://www.poultrynews.com/New/Associations.htm
http://www.aeb.org/ The American Egg Board
http://www.meatami.com/ The American Meat Institute
And of course, there are tons of others--links to individual states and even family and corporate production that can give you an idea of what poultry and egg production is really like in our nation....and it definitely won't disfigure your face or pollute your community.
Another part of the show that got to me was that one of the key players got wrapped up in the worry about the animals and ended up with a chance to 'adopt' a piglet for $1500, saving it from slaughter and human consumption. Of course, most of the other players in the show were against this, even the 'vegetarian'. I was very happy that one of them was even an out and proud meat-eater that loved bacon, pork, ham, etc. So, I was glad that they tried to be somehwat well-rounded in their portrayal. In the end, a friend helps her get the money to adopt the pig, saving it from death and human consumption in order to just be her friend and help her even though they thought the cause was ridiculous.
I wonder how many people were inspired by this show to search out and 'save' some kind of animal. I probably wouldn't even think that it was possible if I didn't already know better. Some of the blogs that I follow through the YF&R have had posts on theirs about these types of things--a farm that rescues turkeys--no really, you can pay for one, or even a whole flock and they go to live out the rest of their natural lives on this farm, protected, safe and happy. Or have you seen the newspaper article (don't know if it is a joke, or really was submitted to a paper) about how hunters need to get their meat from a store where it has been made, instead of killing harmless animals. Unfortunately, I really believe that there are so many people who can't stand the thought of an animal being killed, but, so as long as they don't ever have to think about it, they can easily chow down burgers and bacon and chicken salad without worry. It's when PETA and HSUS and the media portray the supposedly inhumane treatment of their food that they begin to worry. This is why it is so important that they know about where there food really comes from and the time and care that goes into those animals--and why American Ag producers are working wo much harder to tell the story of their farms and ranches so that the story being told is the truth.
In my research for this article, I found plenty of sites that are advocating for the humane treatment of animals and especially chickens--this is what they think you should do to help out (please remember that I took these next few paragraphs straight from bornfreeusa.org, after searching for facts about poultry--these ideas followed paragraphs of information such as this: The average consumer may not be aware of the suffering of billions of birds raised for meat and egg production in the United States each year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s National Statistics Service reported that 7.07 billion “broiler” chickens, 67 billion “egg” chickens, and 321 million turkeys were killed in 1998 for food. In addition, millions of birds die as a result of disease, injury, and during transportation.
•Decrease or eliminate poultry products — meat and eggs — from your diet. Decrease or eliminate foods containing poultry products from your diet. The 1997 Dietary Guidelines for Americans published by the USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services endorses a vegetarian diet.
•If you do purchase poultry products, buy them from a health food store or natural foods co-op and purchase only products produced on organic farms. While organic farming does not necessarily mean animals are treated humanely, it is better than factory farming, which can never be “organic.”
•Support federal and state legislation that would improve the well-being of farmed birds by imposing limits on farming, transportation, and slaughter practices.
SERIOUSLY??? This is what the public is searching out after watching shows like the one I did--if we don't tell our side, more and more legislation like PROP 2 in California will be passed. More and more American Poultry producers will be put out of business and our food will be shipped in from below the border.
Can't we have well-cared for animals and eat them too? ;)
So, if you really want to know about how poultry and eggs end up on your plates and what the standards for these types of farms are in our nation, then check it out from a decent source, and give American Ag Producers the credit that they deserve for providing such a great, clean food source for our nation and so many others!!
The first link is an awesome and easy to read overview about all things chicken:
http://www.nationalchickencouncil.com/consumerInfo/docs/IntroductiontoChickenProduction.pdf
http://www.poultryegg.org/ The US Poultry and Egg Association
http://www.poultrynews.com/New/Associations.htm
http://www.aeb.org/ The American Egg Board
http://www.meatami.com/ The American Meat Institute
And of course, there are tons of others--links to individual states and even family and corporate production that can give you an idea of what poultry and egg production is really like in our nation....and it definitely won't disfigure your face or pollute your community.
Monday, March 14, 2011
State Board Training......
Paul and his waiter with the steak on the tray...
....and below, Paul with nothing but the bone left on the plate!
And our other entertainment for the night was Zach's coffee that was prepared tableside with flames and all. Even if they said it tasted like cough syrup, it was fun to watch!
Well, that's it for this post--while it may have been a little late in coming, I did want to report on it because I think this is the best state board meeting we have had since I started a few years ago. we covered so much and really worked to gether, sharing so many great ideas. The results of the training with Jill from AFBF have already shown up so much in our county board meetings and on Thursday, the board will continue to work on the goals we set and keep moving forward with more.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
The Final Chapter of Our Trip to Orlando......(Part 4)
Welcome to Part 4, the final post on our National YF&R Conference in Orlando. I would have been done last week, but our great state YF&R Coordinator/Field Rep., Stephanie Licht, sent me a disc a pictures that she had taken, many of which are from the tour that the other half of our Nevadans went on. So, while I don't have a lot of detailed information about their tours, their is a brief description of each of the places they went to and what they had the chance to see. They all said they enjoyed drinking tangerine juice and eating ice cream (almost as much as I enjoyed holding an alligator?).
I hope you have enjoyed my reports as much as I enjoyed retelling the story of such an awesome conference--feel free to pass on throughout your counties to anyone you might want to introduce to Farm Bureau and the YF&R program. We were so excited to have such great support from Churchill County this year in inviting Pete and Michelle Olsen to go with us--we loved having them and hope that they loved going with us--we are looking forward to great things developing in Churchill FB and in their new and growing YF&R!
Pete and Michelle
Pete, Michelle, Lee and Grant in one of the Workshops by Dick Wittman. These workshops were some of the GREAT highlights of the conference. We all thought that they had incredible value for anyone in the agriculture industry and definitely those with issues passing on, sharing the farm, starting from scratch, etc.
Here's a bit more info about Dick:
Keynote: “Are You Getting a Passing Grade in Farm Management”Business management practices, not economic issues, are often the reason family operations dissolve business relationships or fail in their efforts to achieve viable business succession. Wittman examines key managerial proficiencies that must be implemented as well as consequences of failing to adopt these practices in everyday operations. This speaker combines keynote comments with case study topics in the breakout sessions to tackle a number of sensitive issues related to family business management. It is presented from the viewpoint of a working family farm manager who has also provided family farm business transition consulting for over thirty years.
Bio- Wittman manages a 19,000-acre Idaho family farm partnership involving crops, cattle and timber and provides consulting services and seminars in family farm business and financial management in the US and abroad. A former FCS lender, he’s also served on numerous commodity and financial institution boards; is a director and past president of the Farm Financial Standards Council and past president of the PNW Direct Seed Association. He is an adjunct faculty member of Texas A&M teaching annually at the TEPAP program and King Ranch Institute, and also serves on the Ag Carbon Markets Working Group which provides policy development leadership in climate change legislation impacting agriculture.
Every year on the final morning, the state YF&R Chairs and Coordinators meet for Breakfast with the AFBF YF&R committee to meet those who will be over them on the committee. We had a couple of really neat things that we did to reinforce the importance of who we are in the agriculture industry and how important it is to share our stories. My Reps for another year are the Sawyers, in black to the left. They are from Kansas, so definitely a different dimension from the Reps I have had over us out of Utah and Arizona, but it is always fun to visit and get to know the AFBF committee members from across the nation. They serve a two-year term after they are elected, each year half of the committee retires as new ones come on board.
Our final address was given by Andrew McCrea, who also taught a workshop that I had attended the day before, he is a very dynamic speaker and really had some great points to make that went along well with Ken Schmidt from Harley.
Andrew McCrea
Keynote: “Ordinary to Extraordinary: The ‘Extra’ that Brings Success”We have a choice…to be ordinary or extraordinary. We choose to be extraordinary. But what does extraordinary leadership look like? How do you build an extraordinary business? What is the ‘extra’ that makes the difference? Andrew McCrea will take you to the farm and around the globe as he uses his experiences as a rancher and an award-winning journalist to share the story of the ‘extra’ that makes people and businesses stand out among the rest. Be inspired and motivated with practical ways you can put extraordinary leadership to work in your life!
A couple of fun Farm Bureau T-shirts Steph saw along the way......
Stacie, Alyss,a and Hannah getting ready for the tours!!
Here's where their tour went:
Noble Worldwide Citrus Noble
Worldwide is a fourth generation grower/
packer/shipper of fresh Florida citrus.
Their focus is tangerines and other
specialty varieties. During the tour,
they will cover Noble’s business history,
evolution of quality and how they go to
market in today’s environment. They will
also exhibit running and packing fruit to
show their packing facility best practices.
We will also spend time in the Roe familyowned
groves.
G&F Farms & Driscoll’s of Florida, Inc.
Driscoll’s berries are grown on family
farms in some of the world’s premiere
growing regions. These farmers share a
commitment to growing the world’s best
berries and to protecting their family
land to hand down to future generations.
Driscoll’s contracts with a number of
growers in the Dover/Plant City area for
both strawberries and blueberries.
Publix Super Markets Corporate Office
Publix is a privately-held company
operating stores in Florida, Georgia, South
Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. It
has grown into a Fortune 500 company
with more than 1,000 stores and is one
of the fastest growing employee-owned
companies in the United States. During
your tour you will not only be able to see
firsthand the impressive volume of the
dairy processing facility in Lakeland, you
will also have the opportunity to taste
their own brand of ice cream.
AFBF YF&R Chair
This was the line for food--the had yet to get into the room where the food was--but looking back as the picture was taken, you could see the people still waiting, and not the people around the corner still coming in from buses....like I said, about an hour wait for the food.
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