I posted an article a few weeks ago talking about estate planning and the personal responses I got back were great. There's no doubt in my mind that this is one of the most difficult things that farming and ranching families have to deal with. It's also one of those things that an expert must be used to complete. Finding that expert to guide your family along the estate planning path is hard.
Stacy and I have found that expert and have developed a partnership with him to help bring the best estate planning tool to you. Randy McKee, is a nationally recognized expert on guiding farming and ranching families through this difficult process. He's South Dakota born and raised, has a passion for agriculture and mostly, he has a passion for helping families in agriculture.
Because of the interest that so many of you have, including me, on this topic Randy has graciously scheduled a free webinar to talk about some of the sucessful strategies he's developed for families to use. Everything from dealing with family relationships (good and bad) to learning the pieces of an estate plan will be discussed.
Please take advantage of this unique opportunity. All the details on how to register for this free webinar are posted below.
Your friend in ag,
Troy
A quality estate plan can literally save your place (farm) from negatives such as estate taxes, family fights, legal losses and uninsured losses.
During this short, 45-minute seminar you will learn why it is so important to take care of estate planning. We will also introduce the most effective tool available today - specifically designed to educate and motivate farm and ranch families to get that estate planning work completed. This is the national webinar premier for this program and you are sure to learn some valuable strategies and enjoy the content.
Title: "Persuading The In-Charge Generation To Do Estate Planning"
Date: Thursday, January 13, 2011
The webinar will be offered at: 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM EST and 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM MST
Register now by clicking the link below:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/983080825
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
Showing posts with label family farms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family farms. Show all posts
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Monday, October 25, 2010
Farm American
We’ve been saying it for a long time in agriculture, we need to be proactive in our efforts to educate the consumer about domestic food production and the farmers and ranchers that grow it rather than being reactive to the latest inaccurate accusations from an anti-ag group. There’s not a better way to do this than to tell our story one person at a time and let consumers get to know us, let them meet a real farmer or rancher. But we’ve also talked about how great it would be to tell our story on a bigger stage to a bigger audience. With limited resources and opportunities it hasn’t happened yet, however, that is about to change.
I truly believe that the opportunity we have been looking for has just landed in our lap. Even more amazing than that is it’s coming from someone with no ties to agriculture at all yet he realizes the important job that farmers and ranchers have and wants to help tell the story of the 21st century agriculturalist. His name is Barney Visser and he owns the Furniture Row chain of furniture stores. Like most farmers and ranchers, Visser is a self-made man and a great example of what you can achieve with hard work. He started with a single store in Denver selling an invention of his called the bean bag chair. That single store turned into the fastest growing furniture chain today which includes brands like Denver Mattress and Oak Express.
Visser recently formed the Furniture Row Racing NASCAR team but unlike most teams he wanted to use his to promote worthwhile causes when possible. When he was presented with the idea of promoting the American farmer and rancher he knew it was the right thing to do. At one time he had 800 employees in Colorado making furniture for him. Unfortunately he had to eventually close it down though because he couldn’t compete with less expensive imports. Reflecting back on that experience Visser stated that it was bad enough he now has to get his furniture from overseas, the last thing he wanted is his food coming from there. So over the past year he has spent millions of his own money developing the Farm American project.
The Farm American project has several facets to it. Visser has generously offered to turn the Furniture Row Racing team into the Farm American team. The Farm American car ran at three Sprint Cup races this year and we were fortunate enough to be at the final running a few weeks ago in Fontana, CA where we got to meet Visser and his family and the entire race crew. The paint scheme is beautiful on the car and really stands out among the rest of the field because it’s not cluttered with advertisements. Along with this, we want to develop a traveling interactive display that would be set up in the Fan Zone at every race. It would include having local farmers and ranchers there to share with consumers what they do, a real farmers market, farm machinery simulators and other great teaching tools. Research has shown that this segment of the project can reach 33% of the American public every week.
The next phase of the plan also highlights the commitment and generosity of Barney Visser. He is going to allow us to use all of his retail locations across the country to promote farmers and ranchers as well. This will include in-store displays featuring local farmers and ranchers as well as promotional material included in their advertisements. Visser has even offered to re-paint all of his delivery trucks to match the paint scheme on the Farm American car. This would reach another 30% of the American public.
Finally, the Farm American car and traveling educational exhibit could be available for various other functions, including fairs and shows.
When you add it all up, this project could reach nearly 200 million people. That’s an astonishing number! Unfortunately, it will take some money to bring this project to it’s full potential. As I mentioned earlier, Mr. Visser has already put a couple million dollars of his own money into it to get it off the ground. Now it’s time for agri-business to step up and help the farmers and ranchers they depend on to tell their story.
The Farm American project will need to raise $22 million in order to implement all of the components and operate for a full year. Now I know that seems like a big mountain to climb but in reality it’s not. When you think about the economic impact that agriculture has on this country and the importance of this issue, that’s a small price to pay to educate our consumers. It would be tough for individual farmers and ranchers to raise that kind of money so that’s why we need ag businesses to step up.
We need agri-business to realize that they need to become partners in our efforts to tell the real story of modern agriculture. It’s been great to see some companies realize this and trying to do what they can to help. For those, it’s their opportunity to become part of something even bigger than themselves. If there are companies out there that feel it’s not their responsibility to help tell this story, then they have a shockingly short-sighted view of what needs to be done. I plan on asking all of these companies, both privately and publicly, to help with this project. Their survival depends on our survival.
So what do we need from you? We need your voices. We need your passion. We need you to help share the story of the Farm American project so we can share the story of the American Farmer and Rancher with 200 million consumers. These ag businesses will need to hear from each and every one of you about why this is important. I am going to commit to giving my business to the companies that support this project and will encourage all of you to do the same. It's also important for me to stress that neither Visser or Furniture Row Racing will be profiting from this project. They are doing it because it's the right thing to do.
Above all else, we want this effort to stay very positive! The anti-ag groups like to stoop to that level on a regular basis. We don’t have to, our message speaks for itself. So thank you in advance for keeping all of your comments very positive and helping us make this incredible project a reality.
Let me know if you have any ideas, comments or questions and stay tuned for more updates!
I truly believe that the opportunity we have been looking for has just landed in our lap. Even more amazing than that is it’s coming from someone with no ties to agriculture at all yet he realizes the important job that farmers and ranchers have and wants to help tell the story of the 21st century agriculturalist. His name is Barney Visser and he owns the Furniture Row chain of furniture stores. Like most farmers and ranchers, Visser is a self-made man and a great example of what you can achieve with hard work. He started with a single store in Denver selling an invention of his called the bean bag chair. That single store turned into the fastest growing furniture chain today which includes brands like Denver Mattress and Oak Express.
Visser recently formed the Furniture Row Racing NASCAR team but unlike most teams he wanted to use his to promote worthwhile causes when possible. When he was presented with the idea of promoting the American farmer and rancher he knew it was the right thing to do. At one time he had 800 employees in Colorado making furniture for him. Unfortunately he had to eventually close it down though because he couldn’t compete with less expensive imports. Reflecting back on that experience Visser stated that it was bad enough he now has to get his furniture from overseas, the last thing he wanted is his food coming from there. So over the past year he has spent millions of his own money developing the Farm American project.
The Farm American project has several facets to it. Visser has generously offered to turn the Furniture Row Racing team into the Farm American team. The Farm American car ran at three Sprint Cup races this year and we were fortunate enough to be at the final running a few weeks ago in Fontana, CA where we got to meet Visser and his family and the entire race crew. The paint scheme is beautiful on the car and really stands out among the rest of the field because it’s not cluttered with advertisements. Along with this, we want to develop a traveling interactive display that would be set up in the Fan Zone at every race. It would include having local farmers and ranchers there to share with consumers what they do, a real farmers market, farm machinery simulators and other great teaching tools. Research has shown that this segment of the project can reach 33% of the American public every week.
The next phase of the plan also highlights the commitment and generosity of Barney Visser. He is going to allow us to use all of his retail locations across the country to promote farmers and ranchers as well. This will include in-store displays featuring local farmers and ranchers as well as promotional material included in their advertisements. Visser has even offered to re-paint all of his delivery trucks to match the paint scheme on the Farm American car. This would reach another 30% of the American public.
Finally, the Farm American car and traveling educational exhibit could be available for various other functions, including fairs and shows.
When you add it all up, this project could reach nearly 200 million people. That’s an astonishing number! Unfortunately, it will take some money to bring this project to it’s full potential. As I mentioned earlier, Mr. Visser has already put a couple million dollars of his own money into it to get it off the ground. Now it’s time for agri-business to step up and help the farmers and ranchers they depend on to tell their story.
The Farm American project will need to raise $22 million in order to implement all of the components and operate for a full year. Now I know that seems like a big mountain to climb but in reality it’s not. When you think about the economic impact that agriculture has on this country and the importance of this issue, that’s a small price to pay to educate our consumers. It would be tough for individual farmers and ranchers to raise that kind of money so that’s why we need ag businesses to step up.
We need agri-business to realize that they need to become partners in our efforts to tell the real story of modern agriculture. It’s been great to see some companies realize this and trying to do what they can to help. For those, it’s their opportunity to become part of something even bigger than themselves. If there are companies out there that feel it’s not their responsibility to help tell this story, then they have a shockingly short-sighted view of what needs to be done. I plan on asking all of these companies, both privately and publicly, to help with this project. Their survival depends on our survival.
So what do we need from you? We need your voices. We need your passion. We need you to help share the story of the Farm American project so we can share the story of the American Farmer and Rancher with 200 million consumers. These ag businesses will need to hear from each and every one of you about why this is important. I am going to commit to giving my business to the companies that support this project and will encourage all of you to do the same. It's also important for me to stress that neither Visser or Furniture Row Racing will be profiting from this project. They are doing it because it's the right thing to do.
Above all else, we want this effort to stay very positive! The anti-ag groups like to stoop to that level on a regular basis. We don’t have to, our message speaks for itself. So thank you in advance for keeping all of your comments very positive and helping us make this incredible project a reality.
Let me know if you have any ideas, comments or questions and stay tuned for more updates!
Friday, October 1, 2010
EPA's Anti-Ag Agenda
NCBA Blasts EPA for Anti-Agriculture Agenda
09/30/2010
by Gary Truitt
The National Cattleman’s Beef Association has launched a series of blistering allegations against the Environmental Protection Agency. Last week EPA administrator Lisa Jackson testified before the Senate Ag Committee that her agency is not out to get American agriculture. But, this week National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Chief Environmental Counsel Tamara Thies accused the agency of trying to put the cattle industry out of business, “It is ironic that as we strive to become less dependent on imported oil the policies of the Obama administration are likely to make us more dependent on imported beef.” She accused the EPA of waging a war to bring an end to production agriculture, “EPA exhibits reckless indifference to scientific fact, and instead imposes stringent regulations based on nothing more than its biased, anti-animal agriculture agenda that will leave many cattle operations with no recourse but to shut down.”
Speaking on Wednesday at a forum focused on the impact of EPA regulations on job creation and economic growth in the nation’s rural communities, Thies told members of the Rural America Solutions Group that EPA’s regulations will result in a loss of jobs, just the opposite of what the White House says they want to do. She said EPA regulations are causing economic uncertainty in the cattle industry and throughout rural American because they are “vague, overreaching, costly, unnecessarily burdensome, ludicrous, and sometimes illegal.” Read More
09/30/2010
by Gary Truitt
The National Cattleman’s Beef Association has launched a series of blistering allegations against the Environmental Protection Agency. Last week EPA administrator Lisa Jackson testified before the Senate Ag Committee that her agency is not out to get American agriculture. But, this week National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Chief Environmental Counsel Tamara Thies accused the agency of trying to put the cattle industry out of business, “It is ironic that as we strive to become less dependent on imported oil the policies of the Obama administration are likely to make us more dependent on imported beef.” She accused the EPA of waging a war to bring an end to production agriculture, “EPA exhibits reckless indifference to scientific fact, and instead imposes stringent regulations based on nothing more than its biased, anti-animal agriculture agenda that will leave many cattle operations with no recourse but to shut down.”
Speaking on Wednesday at a forum focused on the impact of EPA regulations on job creation and economic growth in the nation’s rural communities, Thies told members of the Rural America Solutions Group that EPA’s regulations will result in a loss of jobs, just the opposite of what the White House says they want to do. She said EPA regulations are causing economic uncertainty in the cattle industry and throughout rural American because they are “vague, overreaching, costly, unnecessarily burdensome, ludicrous, and sometimes illegal.” Read More
The mentality at the EPA is that everything humans do is inherently damaging to the environment and that their job is to continually come up with more “solutions” to these problems. It’s beginning to look like the EPA is more of a threat to the people of this country than people are to the environment. This has never been more apparent that it is now with their goals of regulating dust.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Maine Reporter Spread Ag Misinformation
Natural Foodie: The real cost of the food we eat
By Avery Yale Kamila akamila@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer
The massive recent egg recall reveals how much our food actually costs. As Americans, our food is abundant and the price at the checkout is remarkably cheap. But the costs don't end there.
We pay the full price for our food in doctor visits, environmental clean-ups, antibiotic resistance, loss of farmland to sprawl, dead zones in the ocean and property damaged by global warming-fueled storms.
And some of us pay for it with our lives after consuming tainted food.
The recall of 500 million eggs due to salmonella contamination makes it difficult to ignore the stark realities of our industrial agriculture system, where filthy factory farms, toxic petro-chemicals, adulterated animal feed, massive feces lagoons, chronic soil degradation and fragile monocultures have become the norm. Read More
The amount of almost pure hatred of agriculture in this article is amazing. The author appears to have swallowed every misconception of ag as the truth and feels compelled to share it. What’s really interesting is that she says that all the food grown in Maine is fine but the rest of the food comes from the faceless world of agribusiness. Apparently she thinks there aren’t any family farmers and ranchers in other parts of this country. This is the perfect example of what we are up against in our efforts to educate people about where their food comes from.
By Avery Yale Kamila akamila@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer
The massive recent egg recall reveals how much our food actually costs. As Americans, our food is abundant and the price at the checkout is remarkably cheap. But the costs don't end there.
We pay the full price for our food in doctor visits, environmental clean-ups, antibiotic resistance, loss of farmland to sprawl, dead zones in the ocean and property damaged by global warming-fueled storms.
And some of us pay for it with our lives after consuming tainted food.
The recall of 500 million eggs due to salmonella contamination makes it difficult to ignore the stark realities of our industrial agriculture system, where filthy factory farms, toxic petro-chemicals, adulterated animal feed, massive feces lagoons, chronic soil degradation and fragile monocultures have become the norm. Read More
The amount of almost pure hatred of agriculture in this article is amazing. The author appears to have swallowed every misconception of ag as the truth and feels compelled to share it. What’s really interesting is that she says that all the food grown in Maine is fine but the rest of the food comes from the faceless world of agribusiness. Apparently she thinks there aren’t any family farmers and ranchers in other parts of this country. This is the perfect example of what we are up against in our efforts to educate people about where their food comes from.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Western Ranchers Need Your Help
Let's call it the El Paso Payoff. Last week I found out the El Paso Corporation paid $20 million to the Western Wateshed Project and the Oregon Natural Desert Association. In return, both of these environmental groups agreed to drop all opposition to El Paso's plan for running a natural gas pipeline from Wyoming to Oregon. I immediately called the company to get their side of the story. They called me back later that day and I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to visit with a Mr. Robert Wheatley, El Paso's media relations guy.
I had characterized this whole situation as nothing more than a bribe given to the last big opponents of their pipeline. After all, $20 million made a problem go away. While Mr. Wheatley certainly disagreed with my evaluation, his explanation of what happened did little to change my mind.
It's admirable that El Paso wanted to do what they could to lessen the impact to the environment that their pipeline will create, however, dealing with a radical environmental group that has the stated goal of getting ranchers off federal land was about the worst way to go about it. I asked Mr Wheatley why they didn't give it to a group that wasn't anti-ranching or give some money to a ag group as well as the WWP. He didn't have an answer but if he was honest the real answer is that the squeaky wheel got the grease.
So ranching families are now facing an already wealthy environmental group, with a stated goal of getting ranchers off the land, that's just recieved a large cash infusion.
This part of the ag community will now need your help and support even more. After my visit with El Paso I was apparent that they were feeling some heat from this deal. It's important that the entire ag community stand together on this issue and let El Paso know that this isn't acceptable. Please leave a comment on the El Paso Facebook page or phone them with your thoughts. It's a quick and simple thing you can do to be an advocate for agriculture.
I had characterized this whole situation as nothing more than a bribe given to the last big opponents of their pipeline. After all, $20 million made a problem go away. While Mr. Wheatley certainly disagreed with my evaluation, his explanation of what happened did little to change my mind.
It's admirable that El Paso wanted to do what they could to lessen the impact to the environment that their pipeline will create, however, dealing with a radical environmental group that has the stated goal of getting ranchers off federal land was about the worst way to go about it. I asked Mr Wheatley why they didn't give it to a group that wasn't anti-ranching or give some money to a ag group as well as the WWP. He didn't have an answer but if he was honest the real answer is that the squeaky wheel got the grease.
So ranching families are now facing an already wealthy environmental group, with a stated goal of getting ranchers off the land, that's just recieved a large cash infusion.
This part of the ag community will now need your help and support even more. After my visit with El Paso I was apparent that they were feeling some heat from this deal. It's important that the entire ag community stand together on this issue and let El Paso know that this isn't acceptable. Please leave a comment on the El Paso Facebook page or phone them with your thoughts. It's a quick and simple thing you can do to be an advocate for agriculture.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Good Neighboring
Brush up on Neighbor-relations Skills
Pork news source Friday, May 14, 2010
Warmer spring and summer weather means increased farm activities and non-farm families spending more time outside where farm odors are present — a recipe for potential conflict, says Nicole Olynk, Purdue University agricultural economist.
Citizen complaints against farmers most often stem from odors, but many times relate to surface or ground water, or a combination of the three. And while traditionally most complaints are related to animal agriculture, crop farmers are not exempt.
"Crop farms are not immune to negative perceptions of cropping practices," Olynk warns. "Recent times have seen debates surrounding livestock production practices and related animal welfare and humane treatment concerns. But also in the forefront of citizens' minds are environmental impacts of agricultural practices."
One way farmers can reduce friction is being mindful of the ways nonfarm neighbors perceive on-farm practices. Small acts of neighborly kindness such as helping neighbors after snowstorms or inviting them to visit the farm may build goodwill. Slight modifications to farming practices can also help ease tension. Read More
Here’s a good reminder that working with our non-farming neighbors and keeping good lines of communication open can reduce the odds of having problems with them. Many of these people don’t understand how food is grown, so not only do these conversations help reduce potential conflicts but it also gives us a chance to teach more people about agriculture.
Pork news source Friday, May 14, 2010
Warmer spring and summer weather means increased farm activities and non-farm families spending more time outside where farm odors are present — a recipe for potential conflict, says Nicole Olynk, Purdue University agricultural economist.
Citizen complaints against farmers most often stem from odors, but many times relate to surface or ground water, or a combination of the three. And while traditionally most complaints are related to animal agriculture, crop farmers are not exempt.
"Crop farms are not immune to negative perceptions of cropping practices," Olynk warns. "Recent times have seen debates surrounding livestock production practices and related animal welfare and humane treatment concerns. But also in the forefront of citizens' minds are environmental impacts of agricultural practices."
One way farmers can reduce friction is being mindful of the ways nonfarm neighbors perceive on-farm practices. Small acts of neighborly kindness such as helping neighbors after snowstorms or inviting them to visit the farm may build goodwill. Slight modifications to farming practices can also help ease tension. Read More
Here’s a good reminder that working with our non-farming neighbors and keeping good lines of communication open can reduce the odds of having problems with them. Many of these people don’t understand how food is grown, so not only do these conversations help reduce potential conflicts but it also gives us a chance to teach more people about agriculture.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
OH Politician Urges Support for Livestock Board
Board should decide Ohio's livestock standards
BY GERALD STEBELTON • May 5, 2010
Ohio's history is deeply rooted in the agricultural industry and continues to produce quality products for local and national use. Ohio is one of the top states for agriculture products, excelling in farming, cultivation and raising livestock. Our livestock and poultry industries play an especially important role in our state's economic success. Annually, Ohio produces more than 5 billion pounds of milk and 7 billion eggs and has roughly 75,000 farms. It is crucial to support this industry and community to keep our state economically competitive.
Last July, the Ohio General Assembly passed a resolution that placed an initiative on the November 2009 ballot. The initiative, Issue 2, was approved by voters and created the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board, an agriculture committee responsible for crafting standards to govern the care and well-being of livestock. The standards will be created through consideration of factors such as food safety, biosecurity, disease prevention and how to protect Ohio farms and families.
Recently, the majority of the appointments to this 13-member board were announced, consisting of Ohioans familiar with our state's agricultural industry, including veterinarians, local farmers and consumers. These new board members represent all parts of Ohio and the livestock industry, and the board will provide a public forum to make the best decisions for Ohio's livestock industry. It is imperative that we do all we can to support our local farms, and creating this board is a significant step in continuing Ohio's revered agricultural operations.
However, as I have written before, our agriculture community is being threatened by a Washington-run special interest group pushing regulations that would devastate our farmers. This organization is the Humane Society of the United States but should not to be confused with our local, nonprofit humane societies that focus on responsible pet ownership and animal adoptions. Instead, the HSUS is swiftly working on a ballot initiative for this November to enact over-reaching regulations on our livestock industry. Our newly created board, made up of only Ohioans, should be the group to create such regulations and standards, not an out-of-state special interest group.
As your state representative, I will continue advocating for sound policies that will serve to protect all Ohioans. I encourage you to be cautious of proposals from outsider groups that would undermine the very support you have shown Ohio's agriculture industry through the creation of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board. Link
This Ohio State Representative realizes that Ohio residents, not Washington, DC animal rights groups, are the ones who are most qualified to make decisions about livestock care. The HSUS has also run into some problems getting signatures. It seems that it’s illegal for non-residents to collect petition signatures in Ohio. This really puts a damper in their normal procedure of bringing in out-of-state hired guns to do their dirty work. If they truly had the support they claim to have I wouldn’t think they’d need to sue the state of Ohio in an attempt to change the law. It’s another great example of where they spend their money. Not on needy pets but on lawyers.
BY GERALD STEBELTON • May 5, 2010
Ohio's history is deeply rooted in the agricultural industry and continues to produce quality products for local and national use. Ohio is one of the top states for agriculture products, excelling in farming, cultivation and raising livestock. Our livestock and poultry industries play an especially important role in our state's economic success. Annually, Ohio produces more than 5 billion pounds of milk and 7 billion eggs and has roughly 75,000 farms. It is crucial to support this industry and community to keep our state economically competitive.
Last July, the Ohio General Assembly passed a resolution that placed an initiative on the November 2009 ballot. The initiative, Issue 2, was approved by voters and created the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board, an agriculture committee responsible for crafting standards to govern the care and well-being of livestock. The standards will be created through consideration of factors such as food safety, biosecurity, disease prevention and how to protect Ohio farms and families.
Recently, the majority of the appointments to this 13-member board were announced, consisting of Ohioans familiar with our state's agricultural industry, including veterinarians, local farmers and consumers. These new board members represent all parts of Ohio and the livestock industry, and the board will provide a public forum to make the best decisions for Ohio's livestock industry. It is imperative that we do all we can to support our local farms, and creating this board is a significant step in continuing Ohio's revered agricultural operations.
However, as I have written before, our agriculture community is being threatened by a Washington-run special interest group pushing regulations that would devastate our farmers. This organization is the Humane Society of the United States but should not to be confused with our local, nonprofit humane societies that focus on responsible pet ownership and animal adoptions. Instead, the HSUS is swiftly working on a ballot initiative for this November to enact over-reaching regulations on our livestock industry. Our newly created board, made up of only Ohioans, should be the group to create such regulations and standards, not an out-of-state special interest group.
As your state representative, I will continue advocating for sound policies that will serve to protect all Ohioans. I encourage you to be cautious of proposals from outsider groups that would undermine the very support you have shown Ohio's agriculture industry through the creation of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board. Link
This Ohio State Representative realizes that Ohio residents, not Washington, DC animal rights groups, are the ones who are most qualified to make decisions about livestock care. The HSUS has also run into some problems getting signatures. It seems that it’s illegal for non-residents to collect petition signatures in Ohio. This really puts a damper in their normal procedure of bringing in out-of-state hired guns to do their dirty work. If they truly had the support they claim to have I wouldn’t think they’d need to sue the state of Ohio in an attempt to change the law. It’s another great example of where they spend their money. Not on needy pets but on lawyers.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
MO Court Reverses Hog Farm Decision
Missouri court overturns ruling in hog farm case
By CHRIS BLANK
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.
A Missouri appeals court on Tuesday overturned a ruling that blocked a proposed hog farm from expanding near Arrow Rock.
A Cole County judge blocked the farm from expanding so near the historic central Missouri village, but a three-judge panel of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District dismissed the case because the permit required to expand the farm expired more than a year ago.
The Kansas City-based appeals court also ordered opponents of the farm expansion to pay court costs.
The appeals court also raised several other concerns about Joyce's ruling that it said would also could have been grounds to overturn her decision.
One was that the initial lawsuit was filed only against the Department of Natural Resources and did not include Gessling, who would have been affected the outcome. Requests to join the case by the Missouri Farm Bureau and Missouri Cattlemen's Association also were denied. Read More
One of the biggest issues with this case was the fact that the judge placed a boundary of random size around this town where livestock production would be severely restricted. This was regardless of whether or not all environmental regulations had been met. This is a perfect example of judicial activism. It’s an extremely dangerous thing to let happen because there is no recourse at the ballot box. Thankfully, better trained legal minds reversed this decision.
By CHRIS BLANK
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.
A Missouri appeals court on Tuesday overturned a ruling that blocked a proposed hog farm from expanding near Arrow Rock.
A Cole County judge blocked the farm from expanding so near the historic central Missouri village, but a three-judge panel of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District dismissed the case because the permit required to expand the farm expired more than a year ago.
The Kansas City-based appeals court also ordered opponents of the farm expansion to pay court costs.
The appeals court also raised several other concerns about Joyce's ruling that it said would also could have been grounds to overturn her decision.
One was that the initial lawsuit was filed only against the Department of Natural Resources and did not include Gessling, who would have been affected the outcome. Requests to join the case by the Missouri Farm Bureau and Missouri Cattlemen's Association also were denied. Read More
One of the biggest issues with this case was the fact that the judge placed a boundary of random size around this town where livestock production would be severely restricted. This was regardless of whether or not all environmental regulations had been met. This is a perfect example of judicial activism. It’s an extremely dangerous thing to let happen because there is no recourse at the ballot box. Thankfully, better trained legal minds reversed this decision.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Food Inc. Is More Fantasy Than Documentary
What If Food Inc. Takes Home An Oscar?
03/02/2010 02:02PM
CattleNetwork.com
You may not care much about the Academy Awards, but this Sunday (Mar. 7) may be worth a bit of your time; at least pay attention to the “Best Documentary “ category.
Nominated for an Oscar is Food Inc.-- The film that “lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies USDA and FDA.” That’s a promotional line from the film that appeared in theaters for most of last summer.
While you’re not fooled by Food Inc. carrying the label “documentary”, most of the viewing public takes it more literally. The common logic is-- in order for a film to be set apart as a documentary, it has to be truthful—Food Inc. is a documentary, therefore Food Inc. must be truthful.
Between the theater release and DVDs, millions of people have already seen this movie. Too often they walk away believing American farmers are greedy, reckless with food safety and the environment and are forcing unhealthy products upon the public—and U.S. regulators are supporting all of it.
The film is filled with mistruths and misrepresentations. “Our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, and the safety of workers and our environment.” Organic is the only sure choice, is one of the messages drilled home. Another tells consumers that they are the only hope to drive change, because the regulators and corporations are in control and don’t care. Read More
It’s troubling that we have so many high-profile people in the many different types of media that are more concerned about personal wealth through activism rather than journalism. Real journalists provide all of the information and allow people to form their own opinions. Wealthy activists like Pollan provide only what he wants his audience to know about and then tells them what to do with it. If Food Inc wins an award this weekend, we will need to view this as an opportunity and motivation to do a better job of sharing the real story of production agriculture.
03/02/2010 02:02PM
CattleNetwork.com
You may not care much about the Academy Awards, but this Sunday (Mar. 7) may be worth a bit of your time; at least pay attention to the “Best Documentary “ category.
Nominated for an Oscar is Food Inc.-- The film that “lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies USDA and FDA.” That’s a promotional line from the film that appeared in theaters for most of last summer.
While you’re not fooled by Food Inc. carrying the label “documentary”, most of the viewing public takes it more literally. The common logic is-- in order for a film to be set apart as a documentary, it has to be truthful—Food Inc. is a documentary, therefore Food Inc. must be truthful.
Between the theater release and DVDs, millions of people have already seen this movie. Too often they walk away believing American farmers are greedy, reckless with food safety and the environment and are forcing unhealthy products upon the public—and U.S. regulators are supporting all of it.
The film is filled with mistruths and misrepresentations. “Our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, and the safety of workers and our environment.” Organic is the only sure choice, is one of the messages drilled home. Another tells consumers that they are the only hope to drive change, because the regulators and corporations are in control and don’t care. Read More
It’s troubling that we have so many high-profile people in the many different types of media that are more concerned about personal wealth through activism rather than journalism. Real journalists provide all of the information and allow people to form their own opinions. Wealthy activists like Pollan provide only what he wants his audience to know about and then tells them what to do with it. If Food Inc wins an award this weekend, we will need to view this as an opportunity and motivation to do a better job of sharing the real story of production agriculture.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
WI Lawmakers See Empty Plates
Ag Groups to Educate Lawmakers on Humane Society's Impact
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 02/24/2010
Several Wisconsin farm organizations are going on the offense against animal rights groups by meeting personally with state legislators to talk about the negative impact the Humane Society of the United States has on production agriculture.
On Wednesday, members of the Wisconsin Pork Association, Dairy Business Association, Wisconsin Soybean Association, Wisconsin Corn Growers Association will be delivering a letter to members of the State Assembly and Senate that calls into question the activities and actions of the HSUS.
One of the objectives of the campaign is to educate the public that the HSUS is not an animal shelter, but rather a lobbying organization. The letter points out that many people donate to the group thinking the funds are going to help animals in a shelter, when in fact most of the money goes to funding the efforts of HSUS--many of which are anti-animal agriculture.
The farm groups will also be handing out empty plates to signify the damage production agriculture faces when HSUS-supported policies become law. Link
The image of an empty plate is a great way to symbolize what would happen if many of the anti-ag groups got their way. It will take all forms of agriculture and continued advancements in technology to ensure we can produce enough food for everyone to eat. Until I see people volunteering to stop eating and wearing clothes, then agriculture must be allowed meet that demand. Advocating for policies that will require half of the world’s population to starve seems reckless to me.
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 02/24/2010
Several Wisconsin farm organizations are going on the offense against animal rights groups by meeting personally with state legislators to talk about the negative impact the Humane Society of the United States has on production agriculture.
On Wednesday, members of the Wisconsin Pork Association, Dairy Business Association, Wisconsin Soybean Association, Wisconsin Corn Growers Association will be delivering a letter to members of the State Assembly and Senate that calls into question the activities and actions of the HSUS.
One of the objectives of the campaign is to educate the public that the HSUS is not an animal shelter, but rather a lobbying organization. The letter points out that many people donate to the group thinking the funds are going to help animals in a shelter, when in fact most of the money goes to funding the efforts of HSUS--many of which are anti-animal agriculture.
The farm groups will also be handing out empty plates to signify the damage production agriculture faces when HSUS-supported policies become law. Link
The image of an empty plate is a great way to symbolize what would happen if many of the anti-ag groups got their way. It will take all forms of agriculture and continued advancements in technology to ensure we can produce enough food for everyone to eat. Until I see people volunteering to stop eating and wearing clothes, then agriculture must be allowed meet that demand. Advocating for policies that will require half of the world’s population to starve seems reckless to me.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
PETA Attacks Congressman For Killing A Rabid Raccoon
FOXNews.com
February 16, 2010
Iowa Lawmaker Tells PETA Not to Have a Cow Over Raccoon Kill
Rep. Steve King didn't back down from a home-invading raccoon and now he's not backing down from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which blasted the Iowa Republican for tweeting about fatally shooting the animal.
Rep. Steve King didn't back down from a home-invading raccoon and now he's not backing down from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which blasted the Iowa Republican for tweeting about fatally shooting the animal.
On Tuesday, the animal welfare group challenged the Iowa Republican to "pick on someone your own size, not a small animal seeking warmth in a blizzard."
"It doesn't give you comfort in your representatives when a member of Congress finds it amusing to boast of shooting a desperately cold animal who is 100 times smaller than he is and whose only misstep was trying to get into a large, warm house," Jaime Zalac, a PETA spokeswoman, said a written statement provided to FoxNews.com.
"I hope he's not on any committees that made decisions regarding cruel and unusual punishment," Zalac added. "Decent people would call animal control for help, not get on Twitter to boast about having a really, really big gun."
Last week, King tweeted that a "Crazy Raccoon chewing & clawing his way into my house" didn't make it out alive.
"Desert Eagle 1, Crazy Raccoon 0," King wrote, revealing the pistol he used to kill the raccoon.
Roll Call newspaper reported that King said he felt he needed to kill the critter because he believed it was rabid and could potentially hurt his family. He also told the newspaper that he appreciates wildlife, saying that he often sees deer, rabbits, squirrels and other animals on his property.
King told Fox News on Tuesday that he'd offer PETA more hospitality than the animal.
"That crazy coon ran up against 'a man's home is his castle' and this man's castle won. But if it had been PETA volunteers outside in the middle of a blizzard, I'd like to think they would have rang the doorbell, instead of trying to claw into the house. And I would have given them shelter for the night and served them bacon and eggs the next morning," he said in a statement. Link
Rep. Steve King from Iowa has about as much common sense as you can find in Washington DC. He’s never been afraid to share the real story of agriculture, especially when farmers and ranchers get unfairly attacked by animal rights zealots. In fact just one year ago, Robert Kennedy Jr was testifying before Congress when Rep. King got a chance to ask him some questions. I have to laugh when Kennedy considers it an inflammatory remark to restate some of his own quotes. Apparently when you claim that hog farmers are a bigger threat to American democracy that bin Laden, it just doesn't sound very good when someone reads it back to you. Here’s the video of the exchange.
February 16, 2010
Iowa Lawmaker Tells PETA Not to Have a Cow Over Raccoon Kill
Rep. Steve King didn't back down from a home-invading raccoon and now he's not backing down from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which blasted the Iowa Republican for tweeting about fatally shooting the animal.
Rep. Steve King didn't back down from a home-invading raccoon and now he's not backing down from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which blasted the Iowa Republican for tweeting about fatally shooting the animal.
On Tuesday, the animal welfare group challenged the Iowa Republican to "pick on someone your own size, not a small animal seeking warmth in a blizzard."
"It doesn't give you comfort in your representatives when a member of Congress finds it amusing to boast of shooting a desperately cold animal who is 100 times smaller than he is and whose only misstep was trying to get into a large, warm house," Jaime Zalac, a PETA spokeswoman, said a written statement provided to FoxNews.com.
"I hope he's not on any committees that made decisions regarding cruel and unusual punishment," Zalac added. "Decent people would call animal control for help, not get on Twitter to boast about having a really, really big gun."
Last week, King tweeted that a "Crazy Raccoon chewing & clawing his way into my house" didn't make it out alive.
"Desert Eagle 1, Crazy Raccoon 0," King wrote, revealing the pistol he used to kill the raccoon.
Roll Call newspaper reported that King said he felt he needed to kill the critter because he believed it was rabid and could potentially hurt his family. He also told the newspaper that he appreciates wildlife, saying that he often sees deer, rabbits, squirrels and other animals on his property.
King told Fox News on Tuesday that he'd offer PETA more hospitality than the animal.
"That crazy coon ran up against 'a man's home is his castle' and this man's castle won. But if it had been PETA volunteers outside in the middle of a blizzard, I'd like to think they would have rang the doorbell, instead of trying to claw into the house. And I would have given them shelter for the night and served them bacon and eggs the next morning," he said in a statement. Link
Rep. Steve King from Iowa has about as much common sense as you can find in Washington DC. He’s never been afraid to share the real story of agriculture, especially when farmers and ranchers get unfairly attacked by animal rights zealots. In fact just one year ago, Robert Kennedy Jr was testifying before Congress when Rep. King got a chance to ask him some questions. I have to laugh when Kennedy considers it an inflammatory remark to restate some of his own quotes. Apparently when you claim that hog farmers are a bigger threat to American democracy that bin Laden, it just doesn't sound very good when someone reads it back to you. Here’s the video of the exchange.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Couric Was Short on Facts
Antibiotic Report Short on Facts, Long on Speculation
Marlys Miller Thursday, February 11, 2010
Pork Magazine
"Like many stories on this issue, it was rather short on facts and science and long on speculation," says Richard Carnevale, DVM, and vice president of the Animal Health Institute, about this week's CBS Evening News report on antibiotic use in animal agriculture and potential antibiotic resistance.
"Bacteria do not fly through the air and cause human infection, despite what the PEW spokesperson claimed in the story," he adds. "And, antibiotics are not simply used to produce cheap meat; they are used with at-risk animals to prevent disease, which is far more humane than waiting for them to get sick."
Among the plethora of misleading information was the failure to illustrate that all antibiotics used in animal agriculture are approved by the Food and Drug Administration and that the potential for residues and bacterial resistance are monitored and measured repeatedly throughout the food production and processing chain. "FDA has a very rigorous approval process," Carnevale says, and all of the products "are subject to follow-up surveillance to assure they're being used properly. The agency operates under a strict risk-assessment paradigm." As a matter of fact, FDA is the lead entity of international risk-assessment guidelines.
The CBS story failed to put into perspective the actual risk to consumers from resistant bacteria, he contends. "The CBS story focused on MRSA, which is a problem in humans, but failed to note that MRSA found in animals is not the same strain responsible for human infections," Carnevale notes. In fact last year, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention sent a letter to Congress stating that food animals have not been identified as risk factors and that MRSA is not acquired through eating or handling meat. More specifically, CDC’s surveillance division reports that of the 10,000 MRSA investigated cases, none have been associated with animals. Read More
As more professionals have had more time to break down the piece about antibiotics by Katie Couric, more inaccuracies and half truths are being revealed. The information in this article is important for livestock producers to share with friends, neighbors and consumers. This serves as an important reminder for everyone that no one else is going to accurately explain what happens on our family farms and ranches. If we want it done right then we need to be actively doing it ourselves. Obviously Couric wasn’t interested in sharing the whole story with her viewers
Marlys Miller Thursday, February 11, 2010
Pork Magazine
"Like many stories on this issue, it was rather short on facts and science and long on speculation," says Richard Carnevale, DVM, and vice president of the Animal Health Institute, about this week's CBS Evening News report on antibiotic use in animal agriculture and potential antibiotic resistance.
"Bacteria do not fly through the air and cause human infection, despite what the PEW spokesperson claimed in the story," he adds. "And, antibiotics are not simply used to produce cheap meat; they are used with at-risk animals to prevent disease, which is far more humane than waiting for them to get sick."
Among the plethora of misleading information was the failure to illustrate that all antibiotics used in animal agriculture are approved by the Food and Drug Administration and that the potential for residues and bacterial resistance are monitored and measured repeatedly throughout the food production and processing chain. "FDA has a very rigorous approval process," Carnevale says, and all of the products "are subject to follow-up surveillance to assure they're being used properly. The agency operates under a strict risk-assessment paradigm." As a matter of fact, FDA is the lead entity of international risk-assessment guidelines.
The CBS story failed to put into perspective the actual risk to consumers from resistant bacteria, he contends. "The CBS story focused on MRSA, which is a problem in humans, but failed to note that MRSA found in animals is not the same strain responsible for human infections," Carnevale notes. In fact last year, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention sent a letter to Congress stating that food animals have not been identified as risk factors and that MRSA is not acquired through eating or handling meat. More specifically, CDC’s surveillance division reports that of the 10,000 MRSA investigated cases, none have been associated with animals. Read More
As more professionals have had more time to break down the piece about antibiotics by Katie Couric, more inaccuracies and half truths are being revealed. The information in this article is important for livestock producers to share with friends, neighbors and consumers. This serves as an important reminder for everyone that no one else is going to accurately explain what happens on our family farms and ranches. If we want it done right then we need to be actively doing it ourselves. Obviously Couric wasn’t interested in sharing the whole story with her viewers
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Couric's Antibiotic Piece Part 1
Katie Couric's 3-minute “Factory Farm” Barrage
By Dairy Herd Management staff Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Editors Note: Dairy Herd Management is a sister publication of Pork.
The fact that she used the term “factory farm” or “factory farming” five times in a three-minute period probably showed her bias.
CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric left the confines of her New York City TV studio to visit an Iowa hog farm and ask some questions related to antibiotic use in livestock — and whether such use could be contributing to drug-resistant bacteria. The first of a two-part series aired Tuesday night.
Here’s an exchange between Couric and Liz Wagstrom, DVM, vice president, science and technology, National Pork Board:
Couric: “Some people say giving animals antibiotics to prevent illiness or promote growth is like putting antibiotics in a child’s cereal. You know, save them so they’ll work when they’re really needed.”
Wagstrom: “I’d say that we do strategically place them. It’s not an all day, every pig gets antibiotics every day of its life.
Couric: “So you don’t think they’re being overused by farmers anywhere in this country?”
Wagstrom: “The vast majority of producers use them appropriately.”
Couric also interviewed some poultry plant or hatchery workers in Arkansas who reportedly became infected with methicillin-resistant staph or MRSA. In the case of one worker, doctors had to try several drugs that usually work on this type of infection before finding one that saved his life.
“Public-health officials are concerned,” she reported. “If workers who handle animals are getting sick, what about the rest of us? Drug-resistant infections have skyrocketed over the past two decades, killing an estimated 70,000 Americans last year alone. It’s an emerging health crisis that scientists say is caused not only by the overuse of antibiotics in humans, but in livestock as well,” she said.
See the entire broadcast. The broadcast runs 7 minutes, 37 seconds. There is one three-minute stretch where Couric makes five references to "factory farms" or "factory farming."
Tonight (Feb. 10), CBS Evening News will air part two. It will reportedly focus on Denmark and what happened to farmers, livestock and people in that country when the use of antibiotics "in healthy farm animals" was banned. Link
It seemed that Couric made a very conscious effort to paint the picture that only faceless “factory farms” use antibiotics. The reason this was done is because she knows that it’s popular to attack so-called factory farms, but not family farms, even though the two are one in the same most of the time. She also ignored much of the real science that is available on this subject in favor of personal opinion and lay person expertise. After tonight’s portion, we will be get the full picture of what this report is saying, but unfortunately I think I already know.
By Dairy Herd Management staff Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Editors Note: Dairy Herd Management is a sister publication of Pork.
The fact that she used the term “factory farm” or “factory farming” five times in a three-minute period probably showed her bias.
CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric left the confines of her New York City TV studio to visit an Iowa hog farm and ask some questions related to antibiotic use in livestock — and whether such use could be contributing to drug-resistant bacteria. The first of a two-part series aired Tuesday night.
Here’s an exchange between Couric and Liz Wagstrom, DVM, vice president, science and technology, National Pork Board:
Couric: “Some people say giving animals antibiotics to prevent illiness or promote growth is like putting antibiotics in a child’s cereal. You know, save them so they’ll work when they’re really needed.”
Wagstrom: “I’d say that we do strategically place them. It’s not an all day, every pig gets antibiotics every day of its life.
Couric: “So you don’t think they’re being overused by farmers anywhere in this country?”
Wagstrom: “The vast majority of producers use them appropriately.”
Couric also interviewed some poultry plant or hatchery workers in Arkansas who reportedly became infected with methicillin-resistant staph or MRSA. In the case of one worker, doctors had to try several drugs that usually work on this type of infection before finding one that saved his life.
“Public-health officials are concerned,” she reported. “If workers who handle animals are getting sick, what about the rest of us? Drug-resistant infections have skyrocketed over the past two decades, killing an estimated 70,000 Americans last year alone. It’s an emerging health crisis that scientists say is caused not only by the overuse of antibiotics in humans, but in livestock as well,” she said.
See the entire broadcast. The broadcast runs 7 minutes, 37 seconds. There is one three-minute stretch where Couric makes five references to "factory farms" or "factory farming."
Tonight (Feb. 10), CBS Evening News will air part two. It will reportedly focus on Denmark and what happened to farmers, livestock and people in that country when the use of antibiotics "in healthy farm animals" was banned. Link
It seemed that Couric made a very conscious effort to paint the picture that only faceless “factory farms” use antibiotics. The reason this was done is because she knows that it’s popular to attack so-called factory farms, but not family farms, even though the two are one in the same most of the time. She also ignored much of the real science that is available on this subject in favor of personal opinion and lay person expertise. After tonight’s portion, we will be get the full picture of what this report is saying, but unfortunately I think I already know.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Katie Couric's Report on Antibiotic Use in Livestock
Watch CBS News Videos Online
Tonight will begin the two part series on CBS News about antibiotic use in livestock. Unfortunately by the looks of the preview, Katie is going to be more interested being an activist rather than a journalist. Just count how many times she uses the undefineable term "factory farm" in this preview.
I am very concerned about "superbugs" and antibiotic resistance, just like everyone else. However, attacking one area of usage, mostly the low hanging fruit, will not help. All of us use products that are designed to kill bacteria every single day. If we want to have a serious discussion about antibiotic resistance, we are going to need to evaluate everything. I will be disappointed if Katie doesn't address that.
This should open up many opportunities for family farmers and ranchers to explain how and why they use antibiotics. Their is a big misconception that all livestock are fed antibiotics all the time. The phrase most commonly used is "they are pumped full of antibiotics". They are just too expensive to do such a thing. I don't know who she refers to everytime she talks about a factory farm, but everyone that I know who raises livestock tries to give them the very best care possible.
That's the story I am looking forward to sharing with people.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Yellow Tail Donates To HSUS
Yellow Tail Wine Gives Money to HSUS
Sportsmen Urged to Voice Protest
From US Sportsmen's Alliance
The Australian maker of Yellow Tail Wine has pledged $100,000 to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the nation’s largest anti-hunting organization. This partnership offers further proof of HSUS’ work to spin its animal rights message in a way as to seem mainstream.
As HSUS states on its website:
“… the HSUS has paired with [yellow tail] for the "tails for tails" program. Through the end of March, you'll see special [yellow tail] displays bearing The HSUS name and logo in stores across the country.
Through "tails for tails," [yellow tail] is donating $100,000 to support us and our programs to help animals, including our Spay Day Online Pet Photo Contest.”
Alerted to this relationship, the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) immediately contacted the American distributor of the wine, W.J. Deutsch and Sons Ltd., and urged them to ask Yellow Tail to sever its relationship with HSUS.
A copy of the letter the USSA sent to management can be found by clicking here. Thus far, the USSA has not heard from W.J. Deutsch regarding our request.
“This wine maker has fallen into the same trap as other companies who donate money to HSUS,” said Bud Pidgeon, president of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance. “They believe they are helping animals in shelters when in fact they are funding an agenda from an animal rights group that is largely divergent from the vast majority of Americans.” Link
Yesterday morning I became aware of Yellow Tail Wines plan to donate $100,000 to HSUS. As an amateur wine enthusiast, I was very familiar with the Yellow Tail name. They are an Australian wine company that sells many different varieties of wine at a very reasonable price. The good value you get with this wine has made it quite popular in the United States and readily available almost anywhere. Unfortunately they were somehow convinced that donating money to the HSUS would be a great way to help needy dogs and cats. Nothing could be further from the truth. I’m sure their heart was in the right place, but their money is headed to the wrong one.
According to the HSUS tax returns, chances are that if Yellow Tail does give them the full $100,000, only $500 would end up going to a hands-on pet shelter. Historically, only one-half of one percent of their $200,000,000 budget does.
In order to let Yellow Tail know how I felt about this, I looked up their Facebook fan page and left a comment. In addition to that, I put it out on Twitter and our Advocates for Ag Facebook fan page, and asked everyone else to do the same. And boy did they ever! In the last 24 hours, several hundred comments have been left by people from all over the country voicing their frustrations. This same scene is being played out on their Twitter page. So far, one single response has been offered by Yellow Tail, only stating that they will be announcing something soon. That’s PR speak for “Uh oh, what do we do now?”
By not doing the necessary research and having an entire industry, one of which they are part of, calling them out, Yellow Tail is now in a near no-win situation. The high paid lawyers from HSUS will no doubt put the pressure on them to fulfill their previous commitment, but if they do, it will be at the expense of thousands of upset customers. It’s not impossible for them save face though. My guess is that not many of the executives over at HSUS (where more than 40 of them make greater than $100,000) drink much Yellow Tail. I’m sure it’s beneath their standards. However, Yellow Tail has become wine that hard working Americans, many of whom are involved in agriculture, do enjoy. If they care about their customers, they will stop this from happening.
If you haven’t left your comments on Yellow Tail’s Facebook page, please do so. You can also contact them through Twitter at @YellowTail_USA . Thanks for everyone’s help. Yesterday was a great example of what can happen when Team Agriculture suits up together to make it’s voice be heard! ~Troy
Sportsmen Urged to Voice Protest
From US Sportsmen's Alliance
The Australian maker of Yellow Tail Wine has pledged $100,000 to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the nation’s largest anti-hunting organization. This partnership offers further proof of HSUS’ work to spin its animal rights message in a way as to seem mainstream.
As HSUS states on its website:
“… the HSUS has paired with [yellow tail] for the "tails for tails" program. Through the end of March, you'll see special [yellow tail] displays bearing The HSUS name and logo in stores across the country.
Through "tails for tails," [yellow tail] is donating $100,000 to support us and our programs to help animals, including our Spay Day Online Pet Photo Contest.”
Alerted to this relationship, the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) immediately contacted the American distributor of the wine, W.J. Deutsch and Sons Ltd., and urged them to ask Yellow Tail to sever its relationship with HSUS.
A copy of the letter the USSA sent to management can be found by clicking here. Thus far, the USSA has not heard from W.J. Deutsch regarding our request.
“This wine maker has fallen into the same trap as other companies who donate money to HSUS,” said Bud Pidgeon, president of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance. “They believe they are helping animals in shelters when in fact they are funding an agenda from an animal rights group that is largely divergent from the vast majority of Americans.” Link
Yesterday morning I became aware of Yellow Tail Wines plan to donate $100,000 to HSUS. As an amateur wine enthusiast, I was very familiar with the Yellow Tail name. They are an Australian wine company that sells many different varieties of wine at a very reasonable price. The good value you get with this wine has made it quite popular in the United States and readily available almost anywhere. Unfortunately they were somehow convinced that donating money to the HSUS would be a great way to help needy dogs and cats. Nothing could be further from the truth. I’m sure their heart was in the right place, but their money is headed to the wrong one.
According to the HSUS tax returns, chances are that if Yellow Tail does give them the full $100,000, only $500 would end up going to a hands-on pet shelter. Historically, only one-half of one percent of their $200,000,000 budget does.
In order to let Yellow Tail know how I felt about this, I looked up their Facebook fan page and left a comment. In addition to that, I put it out on Twitter and our Advocates for Ag Facebook fan page, and asked everyone else to do the same. And boy did they ever! In the last 24 hours, several hundred comments have been left by people from all over the country voicing their frustrations. This same scene is being played out on their Twitter page. So far, one single response has been offered by Yellow Tail, only stating that they will be announcing something soon. That’s PR speak for “Uh oh, what do we do now?”
By not doing the necessary research and having an entire industry, one of which they are part of, calling them out, Yellow Tail is now in a near no-win situation. The high paid lawyers from HSUS will no doubt put the pressure on them to fulfill their previous commitment, but if they do, it will be at the expense of thousands of upset customers. It’s not impossible for them save face though. My guess is that not many of the executives over at HSUS (where more than 40 of them make greater than $100,000) drink much Yellow Tail. I’m sure it’s beneath their standards. However, Yellow Tail has become wine that hard working Americans, many of whom are involved in agriculture, do enjoy. If they care about their customers, they will stop this from happening.
If you haven’t left your comments on Yellow Tail’s Facebook page, please do so. You can also contact them through Twitter at @YellowTail_USA . Thanks for everyone’s help. Yesterday was a great example of what can happen when Team Agriculture suits up together to make it’s voice be heard! ~Troy
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
HSUS To Return To Ohio
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
HSUS trash talk? Bring it on!
by Susan Crowell
Farm and Dairy Magazine
I should have known better.
Did I really think the Humane Society of the United States would leave Ohio farmers alone after voters spoke soundly at the polls in favor of a livestock care standards board? Did I really think Wayne Pacelle, HSUS CEO, would admit defeat and simply turn his attention and money to a weaker farm state?
No, I guess not, and so, ready or not, here they come.
The Humane Society of the United States, I remind you, is NOT affiliated with local or county humane societies that shelter unwanted pets, or promote spay and neuter programs. It has a stated goal, one of its Three Rs, of “replacing meat and other animal-based foods in the diet with plant-based foods.” In other words, the “humane” in HSUS means the activists believe there is no “humane” treatment of meat-producing animals. Period.
Unhappy with the outcome of Ohio’s Issue 2, HSUS’ Pacelle has declared the group will wage its own ballot initiative in the Buckeye State, saying the livestock care standards board was “cooked up” to block real reform (meaning the HSUS’ definition of reform). Read More
In some sort of effort to save face in Ohio and of course, to raise more money, HSUS is bragging about how they will ride in and propose a ballot initiative. It has to be really eating away at them that Issue 2 passed with just as wide of margin in Ohio as Prop 2 passed with in California. As much as he has tried to tell us that he didn’t care if Issue 2 passed, this was his first big loss. And believe me, he cares. If they didn’t care about it, he wouldn’t have been in Ohio on the day before the election campaigning. But as Susan mentions in this article, this is no time to rest. Ohio farmers will need to continue on their campaign trail to educate consumer about who they are and what they do.
HSUS trash talk? Bring it on!
by Susan Crowell
Farm and Dairy Magazine
I should have known better.
Did I really think the Humane Society of the United States would leave Ohio farmers alone after voters spoke soundly at the polls in favor of a livestock care standards board? Did I really think Wayne Pacelle, HSUS CEO, would admit defeat and simply turn his attention and money to a weaker farm state?
No, I guess not, and so, ready or not, here they come.
The Humane Society of the United States, I remind you, is NOT affiliated with local or county humane societies that shelter unwanted pets, or promote spay and neuter programs. It has a stated goal, one of its Three Rs, of “replacing meat and other animal-based foods in the diet with plant-based foods.” In other words, the “humane” in HSUS means the activists believe there is no “humane” treatment of meat-producing animals. Period.
Unhappy with the outcome of Ohio’s Issue 2, HSUS’ Pacelle has declared the group will wage its own ballot initiative in the Buckeye State, saying the livestock care standards board was “cooked up” to block real reform (meaning the HSUS’ definition of reform). Read More
In some sort of effort to save face in Ohio and of course, to raise more money, HSUS is bragging about how they will ride in and propose a ballot initiative. It has to be really eating away at them that Issue 2 passed with just as wide of margin in Ohio as Prop 2 passed with in California. As much as he has tried to tell us that he didn’t care if Issue 2 passed, this was his first big loss. And believe me, he cares. If they didn’t care about it, he wouldn’t have been in Ohio on the day before the election campaigning. But as Susan mentions in this article, this is no time to rest. Ohio farmers will need to continue on their campaign trail to educate consumer about who they are and what they do.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Don't Cap Our Future
November 2009
Don’t Cap Our Future
By: Bob Stallman
Farm Bureau recently kicked off a climate change grassroots campaign appropriately titled “Don’t Cap Our Future.” Farm Bureau members are getting out the word on Capitol Hill that cap-and-trade legislation would impose higher energy and food costs on consumers, raise fuel, fertilizer and energy costs for farmers and ranchers, and shrink the American agricultural sector, resulting in reduced U.S. food production.
The consequences of climate legislation far outweigh the benefits and aren’t worth capping America’s future.
Paying the Piper
Under the cap-and-trade legislation in the House and Senate, American families will pay higher energy costs. According to the Department of Energy, energy costs could grow by $1,870 per household. Combined with higher costs for food, the additional yearly hit on families would total about $2,300 per household. Said another way, the cap-and-trade law would impose costs of up to $200 billion a year on American taxpayers.
At the farm gate, as much as 17 percent of U.S. agricultural land currently used for food production will be idled and planted in trees under the House bill. That is because the vast majority of incentive payments will go to people who choose to grow and maintain trees for greenhouse gas reduction, rather than farmers who work to put food on American’s tables. This shift in land use will hurt consumers at the grocery store. Food costs could rise by up to an average of $33 billion annually in 2020 and up to $51 billion annually by 2030 as a result of this legislation. Read More
The American Farm Bureau has launched this innovative idea to help drive home the message that any type of cap and trade system will be very detrimental to farmers and ranchers and their ability to grow our food. The real cap from this legislation will be the one put on our ability to continue the amazingly successful American agriculture story. In a land that we have always promoted as having limitless possibilities, we don’t need laws that can cap our success.
Don’t Cap Our Future
By: Bob Stallman
Farm Bureau recently kicked off a climate change grassroots campaign appropriately titled “Don’t Cap Our Future.” Farm Bureau members are getting out the word on Capitol Hill that cap-and-trade legislation would impose higher energy and food costs on consumers, raise fuel, fertilizer and energy costs for farmers and ranchers, and shrink the American agricultural sector, resulting in reduced U.S. food production.
The consequences of climate legislation far outweigh the benefits and aren’t worth capping America’s future.
Paying the Piper
Under the cap-and-trade legislation in the House and Senate, American families will pay higher energy costs. According to the Department of Energy, energy costs could grow by $1,870 per household. Combined with higher costs for food, the additional yearly hit on families would total about $2,300 per household. Said another way, the cap-and-trade law would impose costs of up to $200 billion a year on American taxpayers.
At the farm gate, as much as 17 percent of U.S. agricultural land currently used for food production will be idled and planted in trees under the House bill. That is because the vast majority of incentive payments will go to people who choose to grow and maintain trees for greenhouse gas reduction, rather than farmers who work to put food on American’s tables. This shift in land use will hurt consumers at the grocery store. Food costs could rise by up to an average of $33 billion annually in 2020 and up to $51 billion annually by 2030 as a result of this legislation. Read More
The American Farm Bureau has launched this innovative idea to help drive home the message that any type of cap and trade system will be very detrimental to farmers and ranchers and their ability to grow our food. The real cap from this legislation will be the one put on our ability to continue the amazingly successful American agriculture story. In a land that we have always promoted as having limitless possibilities, we don’t need laws that can cap our success.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Challenging Times For Farming and Ranching Families
October 11, 2009
Decline in grocery food prices stretches to farmers' profits
by PHILIP BRASHER & DAN PILLER
Des Moines Register
Prices in the grocery store are down by 10 percent from last year, the Iowa Farm Bureau reports.
So are farmers' profits.The Farm Bureau's survey of food prices shows the fourth consecutive quarterly decline from 2008, when corn and soybean prices hit record levels and food processing companies and supermarket chains were warning of spikes in food prices.
Instead, commodity prices have come down. Prices for corn, soybeans and livestock are slightly more than half of what they were 12 months ago.
Not surprisingly, it's the farmers who now feel the squeeze."While the decline in global demand has helped bring prices down for shoppers, a combination of decreased demand and other factors has made things more difficult for farmers, particularly those who raise livestock," said Dave Miller, director of research and commodity services for the Iowa Farm Bureau.
"Despite the tremendous efficiency of the American farmer, the profit margins in farming are narrow, and there is a relentless cost-price squeeze. Narrow margins and high efficiency are reflected in the farmer's small share of the food dollar, 19 cents.
"American farmers are doing their part in keeping food affordable for consumers. But those tight margins also mean that farmers and their families are more susceptible to downturns in demand, like we've seen as a result of the weak economy."
Hog and cattle raisers have been losing money for as long as two years. Iowa State University warned that corn and soybean farmers may face losses at current crop prices. Link
It’s been a tough year for many people in agriculture. Whether you raise livestock or crops, the challenges of making ends meet has been particularly tough. With food shortages becoming a major challenge later in this century it’s hard to believe that prices can be so low right now. But one of the opportunities this brings to agriculture is that it gives us a chance and even more reason to educate consumers that family farm are still the ones growing their food in this country.
Decline in grocery food prices stretches to farmers' profits
by PHILIP BRASHER & DAN PILLER
Des Moines Register
Prices in the grocery store are down by 10 percent from last year, the Iowa Farm Bureau reports.
So are farmers' profits.The Farm Bureau's survey of food prices shows the fourth consecutive quarterly decline from 2008, when corn and soybean prices hit record levels and food processing companies and supermarket chains were warning of spikes in food prices.
Instead, commodity prices have come down. Prices for corn, soybeans and livestock are slightly more than half of what they were 12 months ago.
Not surprisingly, it's the farmers who now feel the squeeze."While the decline in global demand has helped bring prices down for shoppers, a combination of decreased demand and other factors has made things more difficult for farmers, particularly those who raise livestock," said Dave Miller, director of research and commodity services for the Iowa Farm Bureau.
"Despite the tremendous efficiency of the American farmer, the profit margins in farming are narrow, and there is a relentless cost-price squeeze. Narrow margins and high efficiency are reflected in the farmer's small share of the food dollar, 19 cents.
"American farmers are doing their part in keeping food affordable for consumers. But those tight margins also mean that farmers and their families are more susceptible to downturns in demand, like we've seen as a result of the weak economy."
Hog and cattle raisers have been losing money for as long as two years. Iowa State University warned that corn and soybean farmers may face losses at current crop prices. Link
It’s been a tough year for many people in agriculture. Whether you raise livestock or crops, the challenges of making ends meet has been particularly tough. With food shortages becoming a major challenge later in this century it’s hard to believe that prices can be so low right now. But one of the opportunities this brings to agriculture is that it gives us a chance and even more reason to educate consumers that family farm are still the ones growing their food in this country.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
All Family Farms Have Evolved
October 5, 2009
Family farm evolves into an egg behemoth
PUGLISI FARMS: Second-largest egg producer in New Jersey
By MICHELLE GLADDEN
FREEHOLD BUREAU
Way back when, at his very bottom, Emanuel Puglisi sold the last prized possession from his egg farm, a half-ton 1950s blue Chevy pickup truck.
The hens had been sold already, so this was the next step toward abandoning his farm. The loss of the pickup is still etched in family lore.
"I can remember the man coming to pick it up on Christmas morning,'' said Puglisi's eldest son John, 53, who was then just 5 years old. "My dad just wasn't making any money, and that helped to make some ends meet.''
But more than 50 years later, no one is abandoning anything at Puglisi Egg Farms, the state's second-largest egg producer. The farm, a complex of steel warehouses and hangar-like hen houses called "clear span'' buildings off Easy Street, is capable of packaging 101,000 eggs per hour. Meanwhile, the family owns other farms in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
The metamorphosis of the Puglisi farm, from American Gothic-like outpost that began with 30 hens to family corporation, is a story of survival and change wrought by an industry meltdown.
Read More
Most of what the anti-agriculture crowd likes to characterize as a “factory farm”, have very similar stories to the Puglisi family. They started from very meager beginnings, worked hard and had a desire to grow their farm. Several decades later their family is still working just as hard and at no point have they quit caring about their hens. So many people today think they can determine the level of care by the size of the operation. As you run a successful livestock operation and you are able to grow it, never to you get to the point that you quit caring for the livestock. This article is a good example of that.
Family farm evolves into an egg behemoth
PUGLISI FARMS: Second-largest egg producer in New Jersey
By MICHELLE GLADDEN
FREEHOLD BUREAU
Way back when, at his very bottom, Emanuel Puglisi sold the last prized possession from his egg farm, a half-ton 1950s blue Chevy pickup truck.
The hens had been sold already, so this was the next step toward abandoning his farm. The loss of the pickup is still etched in family lore.
"I can remember the man coming to pick it up on Christmas morning,'' said Puglisi's eldest son John, 53, who was then just 5 years old. "My dad just wasn't making any money, and that helped to make some ends meet.''
But more than 50 years later, no one is abandoning anything at Puglisi Egg Farms, the state's second-largest egg producer. The farm, a complex of steel warehouses and hangar-like hen houses called "clear span'' buildings off Easy Street, is capable of packaging 101,000 eggs per hour. Meanwhile, the family owns other farms in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
The metamorphosis of the Puglisi farm, from American Gothic-like outpost that began with 30 hens to family corporation, is a story of survival and change wrought by an industry meltdown.
Read More
Most of what the anti-agriculture crowd likes to characterize as a “factory farm”, have very similar stories to the Puglisi family. They started from very meager beginnings, worked hard and had a desire to grow their farm. Several decades later their family is still working just as hard and at no point have they quit caring about their hens. So many people today think they can determine the level of care by the size of the operation. As you run a successful livestock operation and you are able to grow it, never to you get to the point that you quit caring for the livestock. This article is a good example of that.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Farming: Stressful, But Worth It
10 Stressful Jobs That Are Worth It
By Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder writer
I don't know anyone who goes a day without feeling a tinge of stress, but rarely do we all pull our hair out for the same reasons. I'm panicking that my DVR failed to record my favorite TV show; a friend is celebrating her birthday and realizes she hasn't achieved any of her personal goals; another friend is worrying about his sick child.
Not exactly the same kinds of stress, but our blood pressure rises nonetheless.
We've put together a list of jobs that have quite a bit of stress, and in our opinion, these jobs are worth the gray hairs and momentary bouts of anxiety.
Here are 10 jobs that come with equal amounts of stress and satisfaction (in alphabetical order):
3. Farmers Why it's stressful: Physical labor plus anxiety about Mother Nature equals stress. You start work early and stay late, all while being outside. That is if bad weather doesn't ruin your crops. Not to mention the variety of economic pressures for small farms that face competition from large businesses and manufacturers.
Why it's worth it: Farmers are among the few workers that every person in the country relies on for survival. How's that for job satisfaction?
How much you'll earn: Varies Read More
It’s no secret that being involved in production agriculture is stressful. So not surprisingly, farming showed up on a list of high stress jobs. However, it was refreshing to see this article also highlight the rewards that we enjoy in this profession. Without out people growing food, this planet would grind to a halt. Having a safe affordable, abundant food supply is one of the key reasons our country is a superpower.
By Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder writer
I don't know anyone who goes a day without feeling a tinge of stress, but rarely do we all pull our hair out for the same reasons. I'm panicking that my DVR failed to record my favorite TV show; a friend is celebrating her birthday and realizes she hasn't achieved any of her personal goals; another friend is worrying about his sick child.
Not exactly the same kinds of stress, but our blood pressure rises nonetheless.
We've put together a list of jobs that have quite a bit of stress, and in our opinion, these jobs are worth the gray hairs and momentary bouts of anxiety.
Here are 10 jobs that come with equal amounts of stress and satisfaction (in alphabetical order):
3. Farmers Why it's stressful: Physical labor plus anxiety about Mother Nature equals stress. You start work early and stay late, all while being outside. That is if bad weather doesn't ruin your crops. Not to mention the variety of economic pressures for small farms that face competition from large businesses and manufacturers.
Why it's worth it: Farmers are among the few workers that every person in the country relies on for survival. How's that for job satisfaction?
How much you'll earn: Varies Read More
It’s no secret that being involved in production agriculture is stressful. So not surprisingly, farming showed up on a list of high stress jobs. However, it was refreshing to see this article also highlight the rewards that we enjoy in this profession. Without out people growing food, this planet would grind to a halt. Having a safe affordable, abundant food supply is one of the key reasons our country is a superpower.
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