HSUS Goes After Animal Agriculture Again

Beware…HSUS is on the hunt for more shocking footage to diminish the credibility of all of us in animal agriculture.  Most well-known amongst the general population for “fuzzy kitties and cute puppies” - the Humane Society of the United States has weighed in as a heavyweight to bring animal agriculture to its knees. 

See http://hsus.org/farm/news/ournews/downer_investigation_050708.html for the latest on downer cows and to better understand who we’re fighting. You may not like it, but take note of their public relations techniques as HSUS is masterful at hitting hot buttons of people who likely have never set foot on a farm.  We could learn a thing or two - whether you’re planting corn or managing a feedlot.  This kind of propaganda damages everyone in agriculture.

Here’s the announcement that came out this morning:

“‘The Humane Society of the United States Uncovers Abuse at Animal
Auctions’

Investigators Find Downer Cows Left to Languish and Suffer at Auctions
in Md., N.M., Pa. and Texas

The Humane Society of the United States will reveal the findings of its
next investigation on the mistreatment of farm animals. HSUS undercover
investigators documented downed cows-unable even to stand and walk-being
transported to livestock auctions, which are a critical link between
dairy farms and slaughter plants. New video will be discussed and made
available.”

And just for the record, this DOES provide an opportunity for you to communicate how you take pride in the well-being of your animals and land.  I personally believe it’s morally wrong to abuse an animal and know most who work with animals on a daily basis join me in disgust for these videos.  Don’t let the HSUS PR machine make it worse; stand up and put a face on agriculture in your local community.

 

Answering the Rising Food Price Question

As much as I believe in the merits of our agrifood system, our grocery bill has become more painful.  They want how much for those eggs and that gallon of milk?  My urban and suburban friends have asked a number of times in the last year about why food costs so much.  “It must be farmers getting rich” or “Ethanol is sure driving up the price of everything” are the typical comments.

Well, I’m not an economist, but it doesn’t take one to do the math on the food dollar.  The Economic Research Service reflects the farmer gets only $0.19 of each food dollar, meaning 81% of the costs are off the farm.  If anyone wants to explain the scale of farming these days, try this one on for size; farmers received $0.30 of the food dollar back in the 70s.  Add up the differential and you have a lot of hard working farms producing more food than they ever have for less money.

Here’s how the food dollar breaks down - it’s a great wake up call to those who don’t know what small portion goes to the farm gate.  In my experience, that’s the majority of the population - including a lot of folks in our business.  I suggest you spend a bit of time with your neighbors, elected officials and even input suppliers to be sure they understand clearly how the food dollar breaks down.  The $0.81 that goes off the farm is as follows:

• Labor: 38.5¢
• Packaging: 8¢
• Profits: 4.5¢
• Rent: 4.5¢
• Transportation: 4¢
• Advertising: 3.5¢
• Energy: 3.5¢
• Depreciation: 3.5¢
• Business taxes: 3.5¢
• Other costs: 3.0¢
• Interest: 2.5¢
• Repairs: 1.5¢

All of this can be found at http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FoodMarketingSystem/ - along with more information than you’ll likely ever need.  The U.S. is seeing a lot of economic challenges right now and it’s likely to get worse with projected food and fuel price increases.   The rising food prices may actually garner attention for agriculture if we choose to proactively position ourselves.

As for the eating versus ethanol debate, we’ll get into that next time…

 

The First Environmentalist: A Farmer

If you want a dose of reality about the environmental push against food production, look no further Greenpeace’s ranting at http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/green-living-guide/on-your-plate.  They also have an extensive report available targeting agriculture’s role in greenhouse emissions in Europe.  As I review this and other reports of how modern day farming is poisoning the land in mass media, I always have to pause to consider how we can do a better job in explaining agriculture’s concern for the environment.

Try these on for size - some quick facts can be very effective in a coffee shop or church conversation. The majority are from www.farmpolicyfacts.org, many sourced from USDA.

• Agricultural land offers habitat for 75% of the nation’s wildlife.
• There are 6.5 billion people on the planet, expected to grow to 8 billion by 2025.  Today’s farmer provides food and fiber for 144 people, up from just 19 people in 1940.  It doesn’t take a scientist to figure that more efficient production results in less global usage of land.
• Due to lower production, organics actually use more land mass than conventionally raised food.
• Plants require fertilizer to grow - see the facts at www.nutrientsforlife.org. Fertilizers are are extremely expensive, so beyond the environmental logic of not over applying, farmers aren’t interested in putting more on than what’s necessary.
• Farmers live, work and raise their family on the same land from which your food is produced.  In order to sustain the land for future generations, farmers have and continue to protect their natural resources.
• As noted at www.pestfacts.org, we share our environment with pests.  Insects, weeds and other pathogens cause damage, disease and destruction.  USDA and FDA approved pesticides allow food to be produced and presented in the best way possible.

All of the excitement about Earth Day offers you the perfect chance to introduce the first environmentalist - those that are working diligently to get our crops in the ground right now to feed and fuel our world.   After all, Greenpeace is happy to toot their horn, so let’s make it a complete ensemble and include the music of agriculture in the Earth Day Celebration.

 

The Dairy Disaster

Since sweeping barns as a kindergartner and then buying my first registered Holstein at the age of 9, I’ve had a love affair with dairy cattle. However, I really have to wonder what’s happening with our business.  We are destroying our once lauded image of “nature’s most perfect” food and completely confusing consumers by allowing marketing to get in the way of this great product.  Milk is milk; it all has the same nutrients, the same hormones, is free of antibiotics and all goes through the same testing.  Every bulk tank of milk is tested the same, regardless of how it will be eventually labelled.

Marketing misinformation and/or greed has overtaken retail sales of dairy products.  From organic to ”made from hormone free cows” to “natural to” the latest “humanely produced.”  See the article in Forbes at http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/04/14/ap4888189.html that points to this latest attempt to corner a niche market and secure yet more of the consumer dollar.   And we wonder why consumers are confused?

Here’s a newflash; the inflated price of these products is lining marketer’s pockets while the farmer is receiving a decreasing percentage of the retail food dollar, according to Hoard’s Dairyman last month (www.hoards.com).  Even worse than producers receiving less revenue for their work in producing one of nature’s most perfect foods?  Consumers are confused by all of the labels - and why shouldn’t they be?  It was once was an easy decision to reach in the dairy case and grab a gallon of milk; it has now become a complicated social, moral, and supposedly scientific debate.

Dairy farmers are notoriously independent, a trait necessary to succeed in a tough business. However, it’s about time that producers start working together and hold marketers accountable for the misinformation.  There’s long been complaints about being “price-takers” instead of “price-makers” and now this is being furthered by false claims about your product.  It’s no longer about public relations; speaking out has to be a part of your business strategy.

This is one issue we need to get out in front of before it destroys demand for dairy products and spells disaster, especially during a time of tight margins.  This week, Feedstuffs  (www.feedstuffs.com) ran an article pointing to the scientific concerns behind the claims.  Whether you’re using rBGH, organic or just want to milk cows and not worry about this - confusing our consumers will hurt everyone in the dairy business long-term.   Let’s keep the big picture in mind!

 

Connecting to Nutrition Professionals

Speaking at Wisconsin Dietetic Association provided an exciting opportunity to help a key group of influencers better understand agriculture. A recent Animal Ag Alliance/NCGA study shows that 88% of consumers look to dietitians for food safety and quality concerns.  This, combined with media’s daily reference of America’s “obesity epidemic” clearly indicates that agriculture needs to be sure nutrition professionals understand and appreciate their food source.

It’s an opportunity ripe for partnership; talk to a nutrition professional in your school, hospital, fitness center, senior services, or private practice and you’ll see what I mean.  I’ve found nutrition professionals have hot buttons that are similar to those in agriculture; we’re both interested in science-based accurate information about food supply.

One of the best educational resources - and considered unbiased - is the International Food Information Council.  See http://www.ific.org/index.cfm and sign up for their updates.  They’ve done a barrage of consumer and media research related to food issues.  For example, they have statistically shown that the mass media is more likely to report on education and terrorism than agriculture and food.  You may consider that a “no brainer” - until you understand why.  The media doesn’t understand agriculture and has difficulty finding expert resources.  Hmmm, what does that tell us?

IFIC also has one of the BEST You Tube friendly videos that showcases how consumers (and others, such as nutrition professionals), perceive food production.  Take a couple of minutes to see the video at http://www.ific.org/videos/whatsforlunch.cfm or search for “What’s for Lunch” on You Tube.  You’ll learn how ag’s story can be told in a fun way in this important new medium.

 

Why does the cause of agriculture matter?

In a generic sense, that’s an easy question to answer - we all need food, clothes, energy, and a myriad of other products agriculture provides.  It becomes more complicated in today’s sensationalized society driven by the misinformed.  The “cause” of agriculture matters not only because of the products provided for society, but because of the people involved from the farm gate to the consumer plate.  Those people  have been constantly attacked by anti-agriculture activist groups, including HSUS, Farm Sanctuary, PETA, ALF, ELF, Greenpeace, PCRM, et al. 

It’s the faces behind the food plate that have inspired this blog.