Straight from the Horse's Mouth

Duane A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator, Webster County November 14, 2009 Edition Have any of you ever participated in a “food fight”? As an old teacher, I certainly was cognizant of the possibility of that behavior, and actually witnessed some small food oriented battles. When you hear that phrase you think of high school students “spoon launching” peas to another table or perhaps a roll or other ammunition traveling at light speed across the cafeteria towards the back of an unsuspecting head. Now what does that have to do with this column or the things I usually write about? Well I just had some information come across my desk from the Beef Council that really caught my attention, and felt I needed to share it with the readers of this column. The National Beef Council is encouraging producers to join them in a “Food Fight”! This call to action was timely for me, and here is why. I have to tell you, I am ready! I have touched on several things that get my blood boiling when it comes to the actions of anti-agriculture groups, vegans and especially the likes of HSUS and PETA and other groups with the same agenda. There is always something coming up it seems. Just a couple of weeks ago PETA released “Downed”, its latest video designed to malign the animal industry by telling the story of "one anonymous cow" that was allegedly abused at Walton Stockyards in Kentucky. PETA packaged this video as a new case of animal abuse, but Walton Stockyards, where the supposed abuse occurred, has been closed since August 22, 1979. No surprise to me, I expect things like that from them. However, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) really took the cake this past week when the Chicago Tribune printed an article written by Jennifer O'Connor who happens to be a writer for the “Animals in Entertainment Campaign” for PETA. The article – ready for this---is entitled “4-H: Cruel to Animals and Kids!” It has since been about everywhere on the web and it certainly caught my eye and my ire. I will write a rebuttal to this in the near future, but think we need to perhaps look at this food fight. I know that I am spoiling for one. With a virtually constant flow of misinformation in mainstream media of late, it’s easy to get frustrated when you’re working your land and your livestock in environmentally sound and caring ways. Of particular concern is the fact that so many of the attacks on our industry are based on emotional pleas rather than facts or science. As producers you certainly can’t personally pull together and disseminate the vast amount of research based and unbiased information to consumers nationwide and still run your day-to-day operations. For the most part, the folks delivering these messages have no idea what it’s like to be a farmer or rancher, and they are contributing to the confusion about how you raise their food. We must give consumers access to the facts about our industry so they can draw their own conclusions. It’s a fact of life that the connection between consumers (often living in cities or urban areas) and the farm grows ever more distant. There are those who are simply unaware and there are activist groups who are constantly working to cast doubt and suspicion on production practices, as well as the safety and nutritional profile of our products. The activist groups are intense, vocal and very well-funded. If you meet an anti-agriculture militant who insists for instance that beef production is the major source of global methane emissions or ag production practices that negatively affect the CO2 balance in the world, what would you say? If a neighbor or friend or a consumer you happened to talk to at the grocery store told you he or she doesn’t eat much beef because of its fat content, could you share a few basic beef nutrition facts that could persuade this person otherwise? What if a consumer says that the price of their food has increased dramatically because of ethanol made from corn? Do you have a 15 or 30 second “elevator speech” that you can use to advance the positive side of agriculture? The good news is – there are answers you can give these people if you are armed with the facts. You can get a wealth of info from the web at sites like: http://advocatesforag.blogspot.com/, http://www.animalagalliance.org/, http://www.a-fan.org/ and www.thehandthatfeedsus.org/ Agricultural producers need to be as passionate, confident and vocal in telling their stories as the activists are. Part of doing this will be easy. For example, if you’re intensely proud of your operation, or it’s been in your family for generations, there’s sure to be passion in your voice when you talk about your business! Beef producers, through beef check-off monies and the Beef Council, are taking the lead beginning November 16, by starting a five-day “FOOD FIGHT”. The thrust will involve speaking up to help Americans realize what they have to be thankful for as they prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday. They join me in insisting that we as producers need to get our voice heard in the debate and put a face on our industry. It is a great start and I hope some of you participate. If nothing else download the ag business card template that you can use to hand out to people to give a message or start some dialogue. You can also get involved through sending a viral e-mail (ask your friends to pass it along and participate, too!) and letters to the editor, posting on Facebook and Twitter, ads placed in local newspapers or online, and ideas and messages you might want to deliver. Get involved or find more tools by contacting our state beef council at http://www.nebeef.org/ and click on the Food Fight link to get the material and timeline for this event. Here is your chance to make a difference. Join in the Food Fight! 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. Some information this week is taken from the Beef Council. 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