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With earth day conversations going on this week across the country, just like every year, modern agriculture is likely not to get an accurate portrayal by some.
Fortunately, I’ve noticed leading up to earth day this year, farmers have started getting media coverage taking a stand in great numbers against many short sighted views and elitist agendas including attacks from point of view journalism, celebrity authors, and novelty film makers that have cleverly crafted arguments against 'industrial' farms, while stealthily undermining the practices of most family farmers. What’s different than before could be changes in technology. Politicians are starting to be held accountable for making up their own facts to support things like soda taxes and climate change legislation, and some businesses are starting to be held accountable for their 'bandwagon' actions they take without checking the facts first. Some examples from the past year follow:
The Omnivore’s Delusion: Against the Agri-intellectuals
By Blake Hurst- The American July 30 2009
"He quieted and asked me what kind of farming I do. I told him, and when he asked if I used organic farming, I said no, and left it at that. I didn’t answer with the first thought that came to mind, which is simply this: I deal in the real world, not superstitions… He was a businessman, and I’m sure spends his days with spreadsheets, projections, and marketing studies. He hasn’t used a slide rule in his career and wouldn’t make projections with tea leaves or soothsayers. He does not blame witchcraft for a bad quarter, or expect the factory that makes his product to use steam power instead of electricity, or horses and wagons to deliver his products instead of trucks and trains. But he expects me to farm like my grandfather….. He thinks farmers are too stupid to farm sustainably, too cruel to treat their animals well, and too careless to worry about their communities, their health, and their families...The most delicious irony is this: the parts of farming that are the most “industrial” are the most likely to be owned by the kind of family farmers that elicit such a positive response from the consumer. Corn farms are almost all owned and managed by small family farmers. "
Farm official: Elitists’ efforts would mean more hungry people
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Agrinews Online
“The elitists have been able to put in place zealots who are causing proposed regulations to come down the pike that will affect production agriculture more than ever,” he said. “They are trying to carry out their concepts, their ideas, of what needs to be done to forge what they perceive as a lifestyle that everybody should participate in.”
"Attacks on the toolboxes that help farmers increase productivity are at the top of the list. ...The controversial issues of global warming and climate change and international indirect land use are issues on which elitists are focusing as a way of imposing more regulations on production agriculture."
Food, Inc., discussion draws 50 in Fergus Falls
Agrinews- Dec 10,2009
"It's not telling the whole story," said the crop consultant and former farmer. "I think it was quite biased. I am an advocate for agriculture and I support all of agriculture. But this isn't telling the whole story."
Farmer Cynthia Johnson agreed.
"I substitute teach in the school and ag is not painted a beautiful picture in any of the textbooks," she said.
The Omnivore’s Delusion: Against the Agri-intellectuals
By Blake Hurst- The American July 30 2009
"He quieted and asked me what kind of farming I do. I told him, and when he asked if I used organic farming, I said no, and left it at that. I didn’t answer with the first thought that came to mind, which is simply this: I deal in the real world, not superstitions… He was a businessman, and I’m sure spends his days with spreadsheets, projections, and marketing studies. He hasn’t used a slide rule in his career and wouldn’t make projections with tea leaves or soothsayers. He does not blame witchcraft for a bad quarter, or expect the factory that makes his product to use steam power instead of electricity, or horses and wagons to deliver his products instead of trucks and trains. But he expects me to farm like my grandfather….. He thinks farmers are too stupid to farm sustainably, too cruel to treat their animals well, and too careless to worry about their communities, their health, and their families...The most delicious irony is this: the parts of farming that are the most “industrial” are the most likely to be owned by the kind of family farmers that elicit such a positive response from the consumer. Corn farms are almost all owned and managed by small family farmers. "
Farm official: Elitists’ efforts would mean more hungry people
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Agrinews Online
“The elitists have been able to put in place zealots who are causing proposed regulations to come down the pike that will affect production agriculture more than ever,” he said. “They are trying to carry out their concepts, their ideas, of what needs to be done to forge what they perceive as a lifestyle that everybody should participate in.”
"Attacks on the toolboxes that help farmers increase productivity are at the top of the list. ...The controversial issues of global warming and climate change and international indirect land use are issues on which elitists are focusing as a way of imposing more regulations on production agriculture."
Food, Inc., discussion draws 50 in Fergus Falls
Agrinews- Dec 10,2009
"It's not telling the whole story," said the crop consultant and former farmer. "I think it was quite biased. I am an advocate for agriculture and I support all of agriculture. But this isn't telling the whole story."
Farmer Cynthia Johnson agreed.
"I substitute teach in the school and ag is not painted a beautiful picture in any of the textbooks," she said.
Perhaps some of the most effective methods that farmers and ag supporters have used involve social media like twitter and facebook.
Brownfield Ag News March 1, 2010
“after discovering that Pilot Travel Centers was making donations to HSUS, hundreds of farmers mobilized on Twitter to flood the brand’s Facebook page in protest. “
And froma blog post by Josh Morton:
“Self-proclaimed 'agvocates' took less than 24 hours to organize and inundate the company with calls for change.”
Ultimately Pilot changed their policy as a result.
The same could be said for a similar issue for Yellow Tail wine:
Farmers sway companies to end HSUS sponsorship
Ohio Farm Bureau News . March 26,2010
“In a matter of days, “Yellow Fail”, a Facebook page dedicated to the protest, gained 3,000 fans, and more than 8,000 people watched Hadrick’s video. “ (on youtube)
And farmers and others in the agricultural industry as well as concerned consumers aren’t just picking what's popular at the moment. Many are constantly ‘agvocating’ and discussing issues related to agriculture on a regular basis through weekly tweet sessions like ‘#Agchat’ or ‘#Foodchat’ on twitter or just passing on the latest scientific research by sharing a link via their facebook page.
This week, just like every year during earth day, there may be a lot of conversations and statements made convicting modern agriculture of many things, but more than ever farmers and advocates have some powerful tools they can use to help set the record straight. To quote again from one of the articles above, in the past Earth Day Elitists may have presumed that “farmers are too stupid to farm sustainably, too cruel to treat their animals well, and too careless to worry about their communities” but they can’t get away with those prejudices anymore.
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