Straight From the Horse's Mouth

Duane A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator, Webster County October 23, 2009 Edition Although it is a little late, this rain over the last couple of days is really good for our pastures and newly planted wheat. It will also go a long ways to helping build our soil moisture profile going into winter and for use for next spring. I also know that it hampers our harvest efforts. There are, of course, a lot of crops still out in the fields. Some of it is ready but the fields are not, other crops have a long way to go before they are dried down sufficiently to facilitate a successful harvest and storage even if the fields become solid enough to go.

One thing I have learned over the years is to never argue or complain about Mother Nature. There is after all not much we can do about it other than be thankful when things do go good. We always think we are never going to get those crops out, but quite honestly I cannot remember a year that we didn’t eventually get the crops out, however be it sometimes with some problems like lodging, muddy tracks and downed corn, beans and milo. Farmers have learned that they must deal with nature and they know about successes, failures and understand this way of life.

One of the things that most producers are not used to is being put in a position that they need to defend their very livelihood. I have to admit I never thought that we would see something like what is happening right before our eyes, or at least in front of mine.

It seems that my eyes have become trained to watch for those things that attack or confront agriculture. There is never a shortage of things that come down the pike on this. The past couple of weeks have been no exception. Humane Society of United States is continuing their all out assault on animal agriculture. HSUS and other environmental organizations this past month filed a petition with the EPA to govern air pollution emissions from CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) utilizing a section of the Clean Air Act. I figured that was going to happen and it has.

It doesn’t stop there. They are continuing attacks on animal agriculture by another venue – by attacking people that utilize agricultural commodities at their businesses. The latest efforts I found out about this week are going against, believe it or not, Dunkin’ Donuts and International House of Pancakes for using so called “factory farm” produced eggs and a push for them to use “vegen” products. Now they are attacking donuts and pancakes. Now that is really starting to get me fired up!

I have been discussing for some time about efforts similar to Proposition 2 in California that was successfully brought about by the concerted effort by a plethora of animal rights groups. It of course hit several other states and more recently our friends in Ohio and Michigan. The efforts there by agricultural advocates are trying to head off the inevitable push by HSUS and other groups to petition for restraints on a big portion of animal agriculture in their states.

Can’t happen in Nebraska you say. Well I just finished reading an article from the Lincoln Journal and Star article by Art Hovey that ran on October 17 entitled “Some see animal welfare effort on Nebraska's horizon”. He quotes IANR Agricultural Law Specialist David Aiken as saying that the state could to be targeted for an animal welfare initiative similar to what other states are experiencing. Aiken sees several factors that can be expected to turn the attention of the Humane Society of the United States toward Nebraska about as quickly as it's finished with a similar mission in Ohio next year. The factors include the relatively cheap cost of advertising, top 10 rank in egg production, and the fact that Nebraska is one of about two dozen states where citizens can make law at the ballot box. "If the Humane Society of the United States mounts a ballot effort in Nebraska," Aiken said, "I think they will be able to get it on the ballot without difficulty and they will do a lot of TV ads in the Lincoln and Omaha markets." Furthermore, "I think they will have a strong shot at getting it passed," he added. "I think the crucial issue will be whether ag groups make a deal with them or not."

Dr. Aiken points out that they have already successfully carried out legislative action and citizen initiatives in the animal-welfare arena in California, Colorado, Florida, Arizona, Michigan and other states. Ag groups in Ohio are trying to make a pre-emptive strike by putting their plans for a Livestock Care Standards Board on the November 2009 ballot. He doubts that will be the last word there. "Even if that initiative passes -- and there's no reason for it not to pass -- next November (2010), the Humane Society will come back with its own ballot initiative," he said.

HSUS says it is the most effective animal rights organization in the United States. HSUS has an animal rights and protection litigation section that claims to conduct precedent-setting legal campaigns on behalf of animals. It does this with 13 staff lawyers in Washington, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle. It further claims to have a network of over 1,000 pro-bono lawyers (lawyers who work for free) and dozens of active cases. Agriculture has nothing like this to defend its interests. Have any of you ever seen USDA's lawyers intervene to help out a farmer?

I hope we can take a lesson from that. Notwithstanding these successes on initiatives, these groups need to be watched carefully because they are smart, have excellent lawyers, and are dedicated to the dissolution of animal agriculture as we know it. HSUS, and the many other organizations I have described in earlier editions of this newsletter, with their enormous foundation support, financial resources, legal resources, and close contacts in the current Federal administration, are worthy adversaries and agriculture must organize itself in a similar fashion to protect its interests. We need to practice our 15 second elevator speeches, make sure we do things right and be ready for another battle! The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu