Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Support Animal Agriculture!!

This will be my last official blog post, as I will be handing the reigns over to Nicole Schaendorf, the 2009 Senior Michigan Dairy Ambassador! I have had a lot of fun sharing some of my experiences as well as my insights with you over the past year. I am confident that Nicole will have many great stories and information to share with you during her reign as the Michigan Dairy Ambassador. I will most likely still blog (when I get a chance), so you can still check out what's going on in my life! It has been a privelage and an honor serving as the 2008 Michigan Dairy Ambassador! Thank you!

Anyways...so as my last featured article on this blog, I thought I would write about something that has been very near and dear to my heart a lot lately. About a week ago the Vice President of PETA, Bruce Friedrich, came to the Michigan State University Campus to discuss animal protection. The discussion had representatives from both viewpoints and had a very respectful, and what I would like to think, successful discussion. The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources was well represented by their students and I believe that they may have impressed not only Mr. Friedrich, but also some of the other students from SPAR (Student Promoting Animal Rights). I thought that in light of the discussion, I would do a little looking on the web to find a little more information about them.

PETA’s goal is to bring complete liberation of animals which in turn would abolish animal agriculture. Total liberation of animals also means that they don’t believe in humans having pets – ALL animals would be free and in the wild. They claim that animals are the slaves of today. Now there are numerous problems that I can think of if this were to actually happen.
  • Overpopulation of animals (not to mention that the human population is always increasing as well).
  • Dangerous where animals could potentially harming one-another or harm humans.
  • Some animals could starve to death.

PETA uses strong campaigns (sometimes offensive) and undercover videos and celebrities to make their agenda known and heard. They have used a campaign where they compared the “factory farming” practices to the Holocaust calling it “The Holocaust on Your Plate”.
PETA or People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, the name of the organization puzzles me in itself. First of all, what does ETHICAL mean? It is such a relative term. From dictionary.com the term means, “Pertaining to or dealing with morals or the principles of morality; pertaining to right and wrong in conduct.” They fight against people who are killing and persecuting animals, but they themselves euthanize animals. Confused yet?

There are so many animal rights/activists around these days; it is often hard to outrun them and their agenda. Another major group which may be well-known is the US Humane Society. The US Humane Society has Carrie Underwood a self-proclaimed vegetarian and a well-known female country singer. She claims to have grown up on a farm. She recently remade a song to perform as a guest on American Idol. She then stated that it would be for sale on iTunes, and that all of the proceeds would go towards the US Humane Society.
Personally, I have been recruited by animal rights groups to donate money towards the cause. I received in the mail a pocket-sized calendar book along with an informational pamphlet from the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association.
Now, I am not trying to say that the vegetarian lifestyle is wrong, because I have friends and know people that don’t like or eat meat. I don’t ridicule them for their dietary decisions, but I always try to show to them that I care for my animals and that animal agriculture is not harming the environment. However, I don’t believe in the overall goals and advertising tactics of groups like PETA. They are getting money from people who genuinely believe in the cause, but are using their funds incorrectly as they are attempting to ban any type of animal captivity (which includes dogs and cats) while doing this sometimes in a violent atmosphere.
To sum up what I am thinking and how I feel about this topic, I think that it is best to use a comment which I found on the State News website from a article written by Bruce Friedrich prior to coming to campus on Thursday, April 9:
“If you choose to be vegan based upon sound science and an informed decision, you are welcome to do so. However, please understand PETA is not about sound science; they are simply looking a headline and always play the sensationalism.
As very proud Spartan – and a graduate of both ANR Communications and Animal Science – it is disappointing that The State News gave PETA space. When will you provide agriculture with the opportunity share how they’ve worked diligently to keep food costs at an affordable level, provide nutrition for a population expected to double by 2050, or be the economic bright spot of Michigan – even in a dismal economy?
And, by the way, if your readers really want to know what happens in food production, take a look south of campus. Or, find a farmer and have a genuine conversation about why they do what they do (check with CANR or Michigan FB to find one in your area). Don’t believe the misinformation spouted by one sensationalist; agriculture has “shown up” since the beginning of this country – and will continue to do so at your next meal.”
- Michele Payn-Knoper

I guess to end this right, I will share with you a story that I found on Ms. Amanda Nolz' BEEF Blog that I read today from Cindi Young Puyear - a Simmental rancher in Missouri.

Calving season is wrapping up at Rocking P Ranch. Although breeding season has begun (through artificial insemination) we have two cows that for one reason or another were scheduled to calve later than the others. One of the cows was due to calve Monday, so my husband vigilantly watched for signs that the cow was nearing parturition.
As her time drew near Sunday morning, Jim knew by the cow’s behavior that something wasn’t quite right. He called our veterinarian with a “head’s up” that we might need his help if there were indeed complications with the birth. A friend who is also a cattleman came by to see if he could be of assistance. By 9:30am, it was time to stick an arm in to determine the position of the calf. When a tail was felt instead of front legs, it was obvious the calf was breech and we would need more help.
Doc got the message on his cell phone as he left church. He arrived at our place minutes later with wife and kids along. Leaving a basketball game to make a farm call or making a farm call on the way home from church is not an unusual occurrence for this dedicated animal doctor and his family.
Three hours later when all was said and done, two stillborn calves lie in the walking alley of the barn and a cow with a torn uterus lie in the stall, barely hanging on to life. Despite valiant effort by three grown men, the calves were lost and the cow drew her final breath Monday night.
I am certain that any of you who raise or have raised livestock have similar experiences in your life story. You know that it makes no difference how closely you watch and tightly you manage, the man or woman responsible for the care and well-being of the livestock cannot control every situation.
Replaying the Sunday afternoon scene in my mind, I have some mixed emotions. While animal agriculture in the country is under attack and vigilante vegetarians with video cameras slither into livestock farms, hoping to expose abuse and mistreatment of animals, there are so many of us out here doing the right thing.
Where was the video camera when those three men fought to save the lives of the calves and the cow for three hours Sunday? No video camera captured the obvious disappointment in the eyes of all three men as they walked out of the barn, heads hanging in defeat, physically and emotionally exhausted.
No video cameras were rolling when Jim carried buckets of water to the cow, talking to her in the soothing voice of a man who truly cares for his livestock. There were no pictures taken as he stroked the cow’s rump and thanked her for all she had done for us, doing what he could to make her comfortable in her final hours.
While we mourn the loss of a good cow, we also take a sizeable economic hit. It adds up quickly when you figure in the cost of keeping the bred cow for a year, the cost of the drugs, the vet’s farm call and the loss of the cow and her future productivity. As a man of husbandry, Jim did not once consider just letting the cow die or ending its life when it was confirmed the calf was breech and big enough that it’s birth would probably take the cow’s life as well.
My husband is trained and experienced in animal husbandry, but he also has this innate knowledge and connection with livestock that simply amazes me. He can diagnose a cow’s condition from across the pasture and sense their needs as though they are talking to him. It is an awesome thing to see.
As HSUS and PETA spend millions of dollars to convince the unknowing public that those of us who raise livestock are irresponsible and barbaric, I ask again, where are the video cameras when we’re checking cows in ten below zero temperatures in the middle of the night?
How do you want the world to see animal agriculture in this country? If you want them to know the truth – to know your story – you’re going to have to tell it. Write a letter. Make a call. Take some pictures and shoot some of your own video.
We can’t let them win.

You can check out more of Amanda's great articles at: http://blog.beefmagazine.com/beef_daily/!