Duane A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator,
Webster County September 4, 2011 Edition
As I was preparing last week’s article I came across an article that I felt I needed to highlight and respond to. The article was written by James McWilliams, an Associate Professor of history at Texas State University, San Marcos and appeared in the Atlantic magazine. I don’t read that publication, but became aware of the title of the article and it caught my attention and actually presented me with data that backs up my assertion that there are just a lot of people who just don’t get it – including the writer. The name of the piece was simply entitled: “The Dangerous Psychology of Factory Farming”. For the life of me I do not understand where that term “Factory Farming” comes from or why. I want to maybe lay a little foundation for my thoughts on this article and the juxtaposition of the farming that I know and love to a factory. I really belief this ill-informed professor borrows the terminology from animal rights groups or more likely from the Vegan dictionary. The slant of the piece with the terminology leads you to think that he would be associated with PETA or HSUS.
The lead in to this “piece of work” was as follows: A look at the mindset that enables farmers to raise and kill thousands of animals and still consider themselves happy! Think about that a little while. I did, and I all of a sudden felt like I, my family and the generations that came before me, had been accused of murder or something. It made me mad and sad – all at the same time. Angry because of the statement and sad because I know that is fast becoming the view of people who don’t have the exposure to animal agriculture like we do in my part of the world. To get the proper perspective on what I am talking about you either have to get a copy of the August 24 Atlantic magazine, or if you have access to a computer with internet connection, you can still find it at: http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/08/the-dangerous-psychology-of-factory-farming/244063/ and if you go to the internet version -- read the comments. I t will give evidence to what I say that there are a lot of people that buy into this concept. He puts a moral tag on the issue of raising animals and his view as I take it is that a “factory farm” ,in his mind, is a place where the “evil farmer” has the scale and density of production that accomplishes something essential for all factory farming; severing the emotional bond between producers and their animals.
As I write this article I am attending and working at the Nebraska State Fair, watching hundreds of young people care for and love their animals. These 4-H and FFA animals were washed, brushed, curried and groomed for the fair. They are fed the best food, taken for walks. They get to lay in the luxury of a soft bed and the coolness of fans keeping them comfortable and content. Why, most even have stereo music playing the latest songs that kids seem to tune in and even the country music that most that I know gravitate more to. I wonder if Mr.McWilliams knows what chewing a cud means? I can tell you I see a lot of ruminants at this fair doing just that.
I can tell you from experience of raising a 4-H/FFA exhibitor that each animal has a name. Those animals are worked with every day, and there is no doubt that an emotional attachment is developed with these animals that does not make it easy seeing them put on a truck for the destination that I believe God had planned for them. Others, those in the breeding classes, are destined to go back home to hopefully live a full and productive life, once again cared for and cherished by their owners. They are, after all, what helps to pay the bills. You do have an attachment, not only emotionally but by the sheer need for their health and welfare to be maintained and bolstered. Foremost, these young producers know what purpose the animals serve and that it is up to them, and others like them, to provide for their welfare and that is what makes them happy. It is not the prospect of the death of those animals that make them happy. One of the advantages of growing up on a diversified farm, like I did, is that you knew about life and death. You lived it each day. You knew where the food on your table came from and because we knew our role as caretakers and the role animals play for sustenance of life ---the thought of the harvest of the animal for man’s good was not even an issue. You became more intimate when you reached your hand under a hen to grab an egg, milked the cows before you got on the bus to go to school, and made sure all of the animals were cared for and fed before you fed yourself. That is why the term “Factory Farm” is so foreign to me. Even if they refer to CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) as the Factory Farm, I wish these people would actually come out and look at our modern feedlots and see that even these efficient units handle and care their charges in a fashion that should satisfy the majority of people who depend upon them for their primary source of protein and in such a fashion that it is still an affordable commodity. Now, as I was readying for this week’s column I discovered another little “jewel” that seems to fit the model for what I am seeing. I can’t say that I have been to this store, but know they exist all across America. Chipotle Mexican Grill has produced an animated short film about a farmer's journey to a factory animal farm and back again, set to a Willie Nelson song. The company plans to show the two-minute film, called “Back to the Start,” in 5,700 movie theaters, where it will run ahead of feature films. The aim of the short film is to “educate consumers about Chipotle’s favored farming methods. You can find it at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMfSGt6rHos/ You will have to watch it on your own to see what the message they are putting out. I will let you judge for yourself, but I think we have a big job in front of us!
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 or go to the website at: http://www.webster.unl.edu/ome
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