A checklist: Ways to Reconnect with Consumers
Posted on September 09, 2009 at 9:14 AM
By Mike Wilson
In my column in the September 2009 issue of Farm Futures, I gave you some ideas for connecting with consumers. It's something we must do if agriculture wants to continue its track record of efficiency and hold off a growing tide of burdensome regulations. Here's the full list of ideas:
1) Let’s start with your approach to your customers. We can no longer simply claim that we can’t make changes to how we do business because it will raise our costs. We have used that argument many times; in fact, consumers don’t care about your costs. They want things the way they want them, and if that means a change in practices, then proactive adoptive farmers will capitalize on those trends.
2) Next, let’s talk about our bad apples. When those bumble-headed workers at a California meat packing plant were video-taped dragging defenseless, lame cows around with a skid steer loader a few years ago, it sent a chill down the backs of the livestock industry. Never mind that 99% of livestock farmers would never treat animals that way; it’s that one moment that causes irreparable damage. Groups like HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) prey on bad apples. Those bad apples in your neighborhood must be outed and isolated. Read More
Yesterday I wrote about the importance of seeking out opportunities to tell the story of American agriculture and modern food production. This article ties into that with some tips for getting your message out. Farming and ranching are certainly full time jobs without having to worry about things like this, but in today’s climate it’s essential that we are available to our consumers to introduce ourselves and answer their questions.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Vilsack Urges Media To Get It Right
Vilsack admonishes media for misrepresenting flu virus
Sep 11, 2009 9:32 AM, By Dale Miller, Editor, National Hog Farmer
"I want folks who are in the business of conveying information to understand that behind that message there is a family sitting at a breakfast table wondering how in the hell they are going to pay the bills, when they continually have to sell pork for less than what it costs to produce as they continue to get hammered for something that they had absolutely nothing to do with."
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack held a press conference Sept. 10 with the intended purpose of explaining the USDA’s preparedness to handle the potential onset H1N1 influenza this fall.
As the 30-minute media briefing drew on, the secretary’s exasperation with the general media’s persistent misrepresentation of the 2009 Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus as “swine flu” became apparent.
“As you know, since last spring and the onset of the H1N1 outbreak in humans, USDA has consistently asked those in the media who convey information to consumers and to citizens to be careful about what they call this virus. We would ask, respectfully, that the media give serious consideration to transitioning from what they have been doing — which is to call this (virus) the swine flu, incorrectly, to considering using H1N1 as the appropriate name for this virus.”
“It is not swine flu,” he admonished. “It’s just not correct to call it that. It‘s a novel virus and the most appropriate and correct way to refer to it is 2009 Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus This may seem difficult or silly to some people — but it’s not if you’re out there trying to make a living and taking care of your family.” Read More
Since many in the media seem to be more concerned about causing a panic among the public, it should be no surprise that they have been reluctant to use the correct name of the virus. It should be more important to them to be accurate with their information, but sadly it isn’t and it is affecting America’s family hog farmers. Getting the media to change the name they use has been a big job but many gains have been made and it’s been due to the efforts of America’s farmers and ranchers. The work isn’t done however, so remind people, whenever you get the chance, to use the accurate name of H1N1 virus.
Sep 11, 2009 9:32 AM, By Dale Miller, Editor, National Hog Farmer
"I want folks who are in the business of conveying information to understand that behind that message there is a family sitting at a breakfast table wondering how in the hell they are going to pay the bills, when they continually have to sell pork for less than what it costs to produce as they continue to get hammered for something that they had absolutely nothing to do with."
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack held a press conference Sept. 10 with the intended purpose of explaining the USDA’s preparedness to handle the potential onset H1N1 influenza this fall.
As the 30-minute media briefing drew on, the secretary’s exasperation with the general media’s persistent misrepresentation of the 2009 Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus as “swine flu” became apparent.
“As you know, since last spring and the onset of the H1N1 outbreak in humans, USDA has consistently asked those in the media who convey information to consumers and to citizens to be careful about what they call this virus. We would ask, respectfully, that the media give serious consideration to transitioning from what they have been doing — which is to call this (virus) the swine flu, incorrectly, to considering using H1N1 as the appropriate name for this virus.”
“It is not swine flu,” he admonished. “It’s just not correct to call it that. It‘s a novel virus and the most appropriate and correct way to refer to it is 2009 Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus This may seem difficult or silly to some people — but it’s not if you’re out there trying to make a living and taking care of your family.” Read More
Since many in the media seem to be more concerned about causing a panic among the public, it should be no surprise that they have been reluctant to use the correct name of the virus. It should be more important to them to be accurate with their information, but sadly it isn’t and it is affecting America’s family hog farmers. Getting the media to change the name they use has been a big job but many gains have been made and it’s been due to the efforts of America’s farmers and ranchers. The work isn’t done however, so remind people, whenever you get the chance, to use the accurate name of H1N1 virus.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Sunstein Nomination Vote Today
Cass Sunstein latest target for the anti-‘czar’ bunch
By Matthew Shaer 09.09.09
The same critics that successfully lobbied for the resignation of White House adviser Van Jones are now attacking Cass Sunstein, a prominent legal scholar and a professor at Harvard Law School. In January, the White House confirmed that Sunstein was in line to head the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, which oversees privacy, information, and regulatory policy.
At the time, Sunstein was lauded by many conservatives, including the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal.
But in recent weeks, the appointment has come under heavy fire. One of the most outspoken Sunstein opponents is Glenn Beck, who spearheaded the drive to oust Van Jones. Using his hit Fox News show as a platform, Beck has excoriated Sunstein for — among other perceived sins — leftist views on animal rights, hunting, gun control, and economic policy. Read More
Cass Sunstein has made it quite clear in the past that he does not like hunting and that he believes that animals should be able to sue people. The position that he has been nominated for is considered the most powerful position in Washington DC that no one has ever heard of before. The Senate is expected to vote on this today so it’s important that you contact your Senators and let them know that we don’t need someone like Sunstein that believes animals should have the same rights as you do in America’s courts.
By Matthew Shaer 09.09.09
The same critics that successfully lobbied for the resignation of White House adviser Van Jones are now attacking Cass Sunstein, a prominent legal scholar and a professor at Harvard Law School. In January, the White House confirmed that Sunstein was in line to head the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, which oversees privacy, information, and regulatory policy.
At the time, Sunstein was lauded by many conservatives, including the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal.
But in recent weeks, the appointment has come under heavy fire. One of the most outspoken Sunstein opponents is Glenn Beck, who spearheaded the drive to oust Van Jones. Using his hit Fox News show as a platform, Beck has excoriated Sunstein for — among other perceived sins — leftist views on animal rights, hunting, gun control, and economic policy. Read More
Cass Sunstein has made it quite clear in the past that he does not like hunting and that he believes that animals should be able to sue people. The position that he has been nominated for is considered the most powerful position in Washington DC that no one has ever heard of before. The Senate is expected to vote on this today so it’s important that you contact your Senators and let them know that we don’t need someone like Sunstein that believes animals should have the same rights as you do in America’s courts.
New Senate Ag Cmte Chair
Likely Agriculture Committee Chair Lincoln Will Be Tougher Sell on Climate Legislation
By Kate Sheppard 9/9/09 9:50 AM
With Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) apparently assuming the chairmanship of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, moderate Arkansas Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln is set to take over as chair of the Agriculture Committee.
The shift would have the most significant impact on the Senate’s pending climate legislation, as the Ag Committee is expected to shape the offset and agricultural provisions. While Harkin has been supportive of Senate action on climate legislation, Lincoln has been less than enthusiastic.
Lincoln has called for a delay on climate legislation until 2010, arguing that it would be too difficult for the Senate to move both health care and a climate and energy bill this year. “The problem of doing both of them together is that it becomes too big of a lift,” Lincoln said last month. Though the Senate could move energy legislation, she said, “I see the cap-and-trade being a real problem.” Read More
With so many issues involving agriculture and the ability to produce food being debated in Congress, it’s vital that farmers and ranchers stay informed. Sen. Lincoln appears to be our new Senate Ag Committee Chair. It’s encouraging to hear that she realizes that there are serious problems with the climate change legislation being proposed. As always, the involvement of all of us will be needed to make sure agriculture and our country isn’t harmed by this bill.
By Kate Sheppard 9/9/09 9:50 AM
With Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) apparently assuming the chairmanship of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, moderate Arkansas Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln is set to take over as chair of the Agriculture Committee.
The shift would have the most significant impact on the Senate’s pending climate legislation, as the Ag Committee is expected to shape the offset and agricultural provisions. While Harkin has been supportive of Senate action on climate legislation, Lincoln has been less than enthusiastic.
Lincoln has called for a delay on climate legislation until 2010, arguing that it would be too difficult for the Senate to move both health care and a climate and energy bill this year. “The problem of doing both of them together is that it becomes too big of a lift,” Lincoln said last month. Though the Senate could move energy legislation, she said, “I see the cap-and-trade being a real problem.” Read More
With so many issues involving agriculture and the ability to produce food being debated in Congress, it’s vital that farmers and ranchers stay informed. Sen. Lincoln appears to be our new Senate Ag Committee Chair. It’s encouraging to hear that she realizes that there are serious problems with the climate change legislation being proposed. As always, the involvement of all of us will be needed to make sure agriculture and our country isn’t harmed by this bill.
Young Farmer Tells His Story
Young farmer works to tell the other side of the story
August 25, 2009 by Ken Anderson
Agriculture and the U.S. food production system seem to be under constant attack these days, with the movie Food Inc. and the recent Time magazine cover story on food being the latest examples.
So what do young farmers think of the constant criticism of what they do?
“It’s hard to take it sitting down,” says Jason Kvols, a 35-year old farmer from Laurel, Nebraska. “You know, we get automatically defensive of our industry, and I think what needs to be done is more opportunities for farmers and ranchers to get into situations where they have a voice-where they can speak out and say ‘this is what I do and this is why I do it’.”
Kvols, who serves on the Nebraska Farm Bureau board of directors, was recently part of a panel discussion following the showing of the Food Inc. movie in Lincoln. He says it was a good experience and an excellent opportunity to present the other side of the story. Kvols says social networking, such as Twitter and Facebook, is also a great tool. Read More
Being at the table for these discussions is so important. Congratulations to Jason for being willing to represent agriculture at a showing of Food Inc. Not only do we need to be willing to do things like this, but we should be actively seeking these opportunities to do so. Many consumers never have the chance to visit with a farmer or rancher. Making those personal connections are a great way to drive home the fact that this country is still being fed by family farms and ranches.
August 25, 2009 by Ken Anderson
Agriculture and the U.S. food production system seem to be under constant attack these days, with the movie Food Inc. and the recent Time magazine cover story on food being the latest examples.
So what do young farmers think of the constant criticism of what they do?
“It’s hard to take it sitting down,” says Jason Kvols, a 35-year old farmer from Laurel, Nebraska. “You know, we get automatically defensive of our industry, and I think what needs to be done is more opportunities for farmers and ranchers to get into situations where they have a voice-where they can speak out and say ‘this is what I do and this is why I do it’.”
Kvols, who serves on the Nebraska Farm Bureau board of directors, was recently part of a panel discussion following the showing of the Food Inc. movie in Lincoln. He says it was a good experience and an excellent opportunity to present the other side of the story. Kvols says social networking, such as Twitter and Facebook, is also a great tool. Read More
Being at the table for these discussions is so important. Congratulations to Jason for being willing to represent agriculture at a showing of Food Inc. Not only do we need to be willing to do things like this, but we should be actively seeking these opportunities to do so. Many consumers never have the chance to visit with a farmer or rancher. Making those personal connections are a great way to drive home the fact that this country is still being fed by family farms and ranches.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
PETA Displays at Michigan State
PETA vice president to speak on animal rights
By Marilyn King (Last updated: 09/07/09 8:47pm)
Michigan State University, State News
Dan Mathews encourages people to parade around busy cities entirely naked. He also has been in jail more than seven times.
For Mathews, it’s all in a day’s work. And it’s all for the animals.
Mathews, senior vice president of international animal rights group PETA, will speak at 8 p.m. Thursday in room B104 as part of PETA’s Liberation Project. The project includes displaying provocative photos that compare animal abuse to the human abuse that comes with slavery and other suffering.
“Some people have a hard time relating to the suffering of other species,” Mathews said. “When we draw these parallels people think, ‘what’s the difference really?’ We’re forcing them to work and killing them for our own amusement.”
As someone who was raised Jewish, Mathews said it is more effective to compare the killings of animals to injustices such as the Holocaust to get people’s attention about animal abuse. PETA’s Liberation Project was first launched in Poland, where Mathews assumed it would receive negative backlash and complaints but instead were welcomed by media groups who thought the project was innovative. Read More
The Animal Liberation Project is something that I have been telling people about for nearly two years now. They blatantly lie about things in their online display. For example, Alec Baldwin is the narrator of the display and he says things like, millions of cattle go through the harvesting process while still fully conscious and claims that cattle with cancerous lesions can still receive the grade of USDA Pure. There is no cattle grade called USDA Pure. But then again, PETA has never let the facts get in the way of them raising money. It’s all about fundraising for these groups and the best way they know how to do it is by creating one crisis after the next.
By Marilyn King (Last updated: 09/07/09 8:47pm)
Michigan State University, State News
Dan Mathews encourages people to parade around busy cities entirely naked. He also has been in jail more than seven times.
For Mathews, it’s all in a day’s work. And it’s all for the animals.
Mathews, senior vice president of international animal rights group PETA, will speak at 8 p.m. Thursday in room B104 as part of PETA’s Liberation Project. The project includes displaying provocative photos that compare animal abuse to the human abuse that comes with slavery and other suffering.
“Some people have a hard time relating to the suffering of other species,” Mathews said. “When we draw these parallels people think, ‘what’s the difference really?’ We’re forcing them to work and killing them for our own amusement.”
As someone who was raised Jewish, Mathews said it is more effective to compare the killings of animals to injustices such as the Holocaust to get people’s attention about animal abuse. PETA’s Liberation Project was first launched in Poland, where Mathews assumed it would receive negative backlash and complaints but instead were welcomed by media groups who thought the project was innovative. Read More
The Animal Liberation Project is something that I have been telling people about for nearly two years now. They blatantly lie about things in their online display. For example, Alec Baldwin is the narrator of the display and he says things like, millions of cattle go through the harvesting process while still fully conscious and claims that cattle with cancerous lesions can still receive the grade of USDA Pure. There is no cattle grade called USDA Pure. But then again, PETA has never let the facts get in the way of them raising money. It’s all about fundraising for these groups and the best way they know how to do it is by creating one crisis after the next.
Wolf Management is Necessary, Not For Fun
September 8, 2009, 4:12 pm
Killing Wolves for Fun
By Randy Cohen
The Issue
The Interior Department has ruled that wolves have sufficiently increased in numbers in the Western continental United States to allow some wolf hunting there. The Idaho hunt began on September 1; Montana’s starts on the 15th. A case might be made for the right to hunt for food and to manage wildlife populations, but surely some of the more than 14,000 people who bought wolf-hunting licenses are interested in neither wolf sandwiches nor animal husbandry: they simply enjoy hunting. Is it morally acceptable to kill a wolf for the fun of it?
The Argument
Unsurprisingly, I believe it is wrong to inflict pain and death unnecessarily on a creature capable of suffering. (Peter Singer more broadly examines the moral standing of animals here.) While this belief might not compel us to be vegetarians, it does demand significant changes in the way we raise animals for food, and it forbids wolf hunting as a form of entertainment. To be clear, I concede all putatively practical justifications for hunting and repudiate only the idea that hunting is a legitimate recreation. It is the person who claims as much who bears the burden of proof — a wolf need not make a case for its not being shot in Montana. I’m not persuaded that hunters have made their case. Read More
The hunting of these wolves is a necessary thing. I’m sure from an office in New York it’s hard to imagine wolves being anything but warm and cuddly but in the real world they need to be managed. These wolves are an apex predator that can severely threaten a family rancher’s livelihood. The population level of these wolves has increased drastically and if they are not managed properly, disease and starvation will threaten them. If this reporter is worried about unnecessary suffering, he should be favoring this hunt.
Killing Wolves for Fun
By Randy Cohen
The Issue
The Interior Department has ruled that wolves have sufficiently increased in numbers in the Western continental United States to allow some wolf hunting there. The Idaho hunt began on September 1; Montana’s starts on the 15th. A case might be made for the right to hunt for food and to manage wildlife populations, but surely some of the more than 14,000 people who bought wolf-hunting licenses are interested in neither wolf sandwiches nor animal husbandry: they simply enjoy hunting. Is it morally acceptable to kill a wolf for the fun of it?
The Argument
Unsurprisingly, I believe it is wrong to inflict pain and death unnecessarily on a creature capable of suffering. (Peter Singer more broadly examines the moral standing of animals here.) While this belief might not compel us to be vegetarians, it does demand significant changes in the way we raise animals for food, and it forbids wolf hunting as a form of entertainment. To be clear, I concede all putatively practical justifications for hunting and repudiate only the idea that hunting is a legitimate recreation. It is the person who claims as much who bears the burden of proof — a wolf need not make a case for its not being shot in Montana. I’m not persuaded that hunters have made their case. Read More
The hunting of these wolves is a necessary thing. I’m sure from an office in New York it’s hard to imagine wolves being anything but warm and cuddly but in the real world they need to be managed. These wolves are an apex predator that can severely threaten a family rancher’s livelihood. The population level of these wolves has increased drastically and if they are not managed properly, disease and starvation will threaten them. If this reporter is worried about unnecessary suffering, he should be favoring this hunt.
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