USFRA believes that farmers and ranchers and our partners must do what is in their power to keep their animals safe and healthy. And when animals are sick or at risk of becoming sick, they should be treated in adherence with evidence based standards of veterinary medicine in ways that don’t stress the animals or the environment and are in the best interest of long-term human health.
When reading on here it seems like some people who are asking questions or posting their opinions are not fully educated on both sides of the topic they are talking about. So I would like to encourage everyone before posting to do research on the topic you are posting about. And when you're doing research, research both sides of the topic, even if you don't agree with one side. Take for instance if you're against all factory farms don't just watch a movie like Food Inc. (yes I have watched it and I thought it was very biased) also do research as to why practices are done a certain way in the farming industry. Go and visit a farm or talk to a farmer that are using the practices you are against, ask questions you might come away with a better understanding of why things are done that way. And most importantly have an open mind and try to better understand how and why things are done a certain way. Is there a better way for something to be done, yes there most likely is.
I think how we treat our animals has a lot to do with the quality of our end product. And I think that way is free range, because the animals get to run and play and act like they did back in the early days when we didn't pump them full of hormones and other drugs. On a good note. I am pleased that we are getting rid of those inhumane sow pens. Ken Sokolowski, White Cloud MI
Just saw your ad on food safety for the first time. Very impressed with the honesty and integrity of the farmers and their families. I take great encouragement that they show such pride in what they produce and they have the same concerns I do. My question is about the final process of producing meat; the slaughter process. I have HUGE concerns over this and eat zero meat anymore as a way to protest the inhumane treatment. I did enjoy eating meat and wonder why the meat industry does not do more to promote a transparent slaughter process to the public? I would be so pleased and able to go back to eating meat if I knew without doubt that the animals are treated humanely from farm to table. What can the USFRA do to promote a more humane life cycle and reassure consumers on animal welfare? It seems so simple to me that the big slaughterhouses and meat producers gain consumer confidence by magnifying this process and commit to humane treatment for all farm animals.
Is the problem within the farm where animals may or may not be raised in a humane manner or is the biggest problem in the slaughterhouses?
The Humane Society of the United States, HSUS, has been active in states across the country working to regulate animal producers through initiative petitions. What is HSUS up to in your state and what impact have they had in producers in your state?
Hi, I'm interested in seeing for myself where the eggs I buy come from. I've tried calling several egg producers but none seem to want to let me see inside a regular battery cage barn. I know this group is devoted to starting an open dialogue between farmers and consumers. Should who should a consumer like me call if we want to see how the eggs we eat are produced?
Why are animals in feedlots treated so horribly? I buy local organic meat these days. The thought of eating an animal that stands in its own filth and is unable to graze is just not an option for me.
Why are antibiotics feed to livestock inside CAFO or what the industry calls fed lots?
I oppose so-called "factory farming" and want to eat animals who lived a stress free and healthy life. I buy product that is Certified Humane (when I can find it) and I follow the Humane Farming Association. However, there just isn't much out there to find. When possible, I opt for grass-fed beef on the idea that feedlots are less humane, and probably indicate less humane general treatment and slaughter (plus the meat tastes better). Terms like Free-Range chicken are ambiguous and misleading. Whole Foods rates their meat on a scale of humane treatment, which I applaud. When possible, I buy beef from a local rancher with whom I can converse. But I cannot always do that. And forget about going to a restaurant and getting anyone there to know squat about their animal product. How can we as consumers be assured that the meat we are purchasing was not abused while alive, and was slaughtered as humanely as possible? What can we do to get the government to allow such practices as mobile abattoir to be more affordable? How can we counter the bad-press shown by such organizations as HSUS, PeTa, etc?
Could you explain the difference between animal rights and animal welfare?
How are America's farmers and ranchers addressing concerns about animal welfare particularly in factory farms? Particularly with regards to the call by many very popular food journalists (like Michael Pollan and James Rachels) to end factory farming
What's the difference between grass- and corn-fed beef?
Determining what consumers want and what they think of your product is the challenge of every business and every industry; agriculture is no different.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a positive test result on April 24, 2012, as part of its targeted surveillance program to test cattle for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the nation's fourth case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a dairy cow from central California. According to USDA, the carcass of the animal is being held under State authority at a rendering facility in California and will be destroyed. It was never presented for slaughter for human consumption, so at no time presented a risk to the food supply or human health.
After Chipotle ran their video during the Grammy Awards a few weeks ago, we saw a lot of chatter online from both consumers and growers about what they liked and disliked about the ad. We posted a blog about the commercial, and believe it doesn’t tell the entire story. Take a look at what one farmer, Crystal Cattle, shared on her blog.
What do you think? Read more of her blog at www.crystalcattle.blogspot.com
Take a look at this blog by a farmer who fled her corporate job to embrace dairy farming. Her most recent post talks about how they handle waste management on her farm.
To read more visit www.truthordairy.blogspot.com
What does music’s biggest night – the Grammys – have to do with today’s agriculture? For many Americans, it was a two-minute, animated Chipotle ad that caught their attention. It caused them to wonder about where their food really comes from. It most likely gave them a poor impression - and a lot of doubts - about the people who grow and raise their food.
USFRA thinks that Americans want and need to hear the whole story. Is it really correct to characterize larger farms as “factory farms” that mistreat animals if they are housed in barns protected from inclement weather? Is it fair to use an animated video with a heartwarming song to try to cast a bad light on conventional farming? Is it right to imply that conventional pig farmers knowingly pollute the environment?
That farming is not only raising safe and nutritious food for them and our families, but also a way of life. It is an environment where your word is expected to be kept and you are expected to do what needs to be done no matter the weather. Animals need cared for even if it is raining or snowing. Sometimes it is even more pertinent during these times. Plans are often changed because something comes up on the farm that must be dealt with right away. We teach our children respect and responsibility at a very young age and expect them to always show these traits to everyone they come in contact with everyday. It is truly hard to explain what the way of life means unless you experience it for yourself. If you get the opportunity spend the day with a farmer or rancher, follow them and do what they do all day. See what you feel like at the end of the day. I show some examples of daily life in my blog: polledherefordandproudofit.blogspot.com. Please feel free to check it out!
Our animals are treated very well. If we do not treat them well, they do not grow well and produce a nutritious beef product for your families and ours to consume. We check our beef herd twice daily to make sure everyone is healthy and doing well. This also allows us to know their individual personalities so that we know when they are getting sick before they are too sick. This is very similar to a mother generally knowing her child is sick before anyone else can tell. When they need care for illness, we do only what is necessary to ensure their recovery. Their medicines are very expensive and we don't like to use them unless necessary. We also strictly follow any withdrawal dates of medications that must be given. If we have an animal that is tested for residue of these medications and it is picked up after slaughter we can be fined. It also is just good customer service and without them, you have no business. The farm is a business! polledherefordandproudofit.blogspot.com
As a food producer, I strive to produce a nutritious and safe product for the consuming public. Great care is taken by farmers and ranchers to produce food by being environmentally responsible in producing that food. I live on the farm where I raise my turkeys, I drink the water and breathe the air. When my grandkids visit the farm, they drink the water and breathe the air. If I were to be environmentally irresponsible, I would be endangering not only my family, friends and neighbors, but I would be subject to numerous rules and regulations which would bring governmental regulators to my farm. As farmers and ranchers, we produce the safest and most nutritious food in the world.
That we need ALL kinds of agriculture, from urbanites growing veggies in their flower beds, to diverse, classic small farms, to large-scale ag. The more people that know at least the rudiments of real farming, the better we can understand and make policy that benefits those who eat.
I'm a farrower on a 3,000 sow farrow to wean pig farm, and a dairy goat farmer. I wish Americans knew more about the care we give our livestock, and the interaction between animal stress and production. For instance, sow crates are purported to be cruel by HSUS, but if my sows hate them, why is it so easy to load a sow in a crate and so darn hard to get her to come out of one? A stressed sow gets ulcers, eats her pigs, refuses to nurse and has a hard time getting pregnant and staying pregnant. Maybe 1 in 900 of our sows show stress and it is almost always because she has a sore foot or doesn't like new feed- NOT because she has been moved from a pen to a crate. The sow's opinion is the only important one.
That there is little social media involved in day to day agriculture, dont believe what you see on TV. Take a drive and visit a real farm.
How much money we spend on the husbandry of our animals
We work so very hard to raise good products most of you just wouldn't believe how much work it takes. If you really would like to see I'm sure you friendly neighbor farmer would let you come and work one full day with them and take the challenge.
First of all me and my husband raise beef cattle I will only eat the meat we raise on our farm and maybe a few other small farmers I know I have seen beef being raised in junk yards with cattle eating headliners and cushions of car and truck seats, I have also seen large farmers that force feed their cattle, give steroids, clip hormone tabs behind their ears when just born. This is outrageous. People, think about the wonderful care your little farmers give compared to the big farmers. They are only in it for the money. Please think about it when buying your meat from the stores. People help America stay alive - buy local from your farmer friends. Oh, and buy the way, why are we importing beef from Mexico and why is Piggly Wiggly selling it in there stores? makes me sick candy.
The thing I wish consumers knew about farming was about the risks that we take to bring a safe product to market.
I wish Americans realized the way we care for our animals. We take better care of our animals than we take care of ourselves.
I would tell the average consumer that farming is a lifestyle and it's a heritage. Most farmers do it because they love it, and they hope to make an impact on the world around them. They have clothes on their back. They have food on their table, and they've got fuel in the tank. For all of that, they can thank a farmer.
I believe that all Americans should be well aware of where their food comes from, and in fact, they should try to be as involved as possible. As an agricultural broadcaster, I wish that Americans knew MORE in general about their food. Many don't realize where milk and eggs come from, let alone how they're raised.
That there are two distinct camps of people in the dairy industry. Big and small. My opinion is that farms over +/-1000 cows would go in "big" and less than 1000, "small". This is why there is so much anarchy. This problem has no obvious answer or coming solution. There is no easy cost effective way for consumers to vote for small.
I wish Americans knew that conventional dairy farmers care just as much as organic dairy farmers. Good dairymen come from both kinds of farms and so do the not so good ones. I wish they knew that I agree that these topics are confusing. Part of the answer is to understand that dairy farming is not simple! My belief is that we have dumbed it down to make it seem like these questions are all black and white and they are not. Hormones and antibiotics can save the health of cows that need treatment. Use is not equal to misuse!
It is critical that dairy producers are on a consistent time clock with the feeding, watering and milking of their animals. Just like a family having rules in the house and to follow certain routines; cows love consistency and are able to produce a high quality product because of following their daily regiments 24/7.
Americans should know that dairy farmers are very conscientious about their animals which provides consumers with wholesome, healthy products that I feel comfortable to my family as well as consumers. Milk and milk products are the most regulated food in the industry. Dairy producers view cow comfort as a number one priority.
With more and more messages about heart disease, obesity, and diabetes, the general public has increasing interest in the health of their family and the safety of their food. The movement of animal rights is here so we should tell agriculture's version of caring for animals in a humane way, and that farmers use the best methods they have to produce a safe and sustainable food supply while protecting the environment.
Dr. Noffsinger coaxes beef cattle to play so he can assess their health. He treats animals where medicine use is necessary to prevent animal suffering, and explains the strict safety protocols and record-keeping in place to ensure the medicine has withdrawn from an animal's system before it's sent to market. Location, Eastern Colorado.
HSUS President Wayne Pacelle appeared as a guest on The Ellen Show to promote his new book “The Bond” and to talk about protecting animals. Among other claims, Pacelle stated that through undercover videos, they found chickens living in small, confined conditions. He also claims that Americans have become disconnected from their food and characterizes farming as “industrial food production… animals are on factory farms.”
Chipotle’s “Back to the Start” video implies that the vast majority of farms and ranches are owned by “Big Ag” and only do what is best for the bottom line – and not what is best for the animals they raise and the consumers who eventually eat the food they produce.
Wired ran an article last week discussing a proposed food project that would grow brainless birds in a Matrix-style meat system called the “Headless Chicken Solution”. The article states that developing blind chickens through brain removal would be a more humane system, meet the rising demand for poultry, and solve the problem of poultry overcrowding. Those interviewed in the article suggest that chickens are only grown in overcrowded, tightly-packed vertical farms and are subject to “horrors”.