Animal Rights Initiatives A Little Scary

[KMacGinley]

The first step to all of this needs to be education. Bring back the ag programs and make the whole country understand what it takes to raise and animal, How much work goes into their food and were it comes from. Not The grocery store. Teach them that wheat makes bread, What livestock produces what cuts of meat and where there milk comes from. Let them see how much ground it takes to raise the vegetables they eat. Let them taste the difference between what is shipped from other countries to what is grown hear. Maybe then we won't get the same price for commodities now as we did in the 60's when tractors were a couple grand and land was a couple hundred dollars an acre.

I wholeheartedly agree. The problems with our food system are largely based on ignorance. Everybody is to blame for this, whether it is the urban consumer, the food conglomerates, or the farmer who continues business as usual when change is in order.

People on this board often demonize "city slickers" as ignorant fools who willy-nilly promote legislation that threatens their livelihoods. We need these people on our side, because as everyone on this board knows, rural people are greatly outnumbered. I think urban consumers could potentially be our most powerful allies for two reasons:

1. If most people were aware of the disgusting conditions that occur in the confinement livestock industry they would probably hesitate to purchase meat at all. If most people were aware of the hazards to their health and their environment from modern agriculture (and the fact that their tax dollars are subsidizing it), you could bet we'd see a shift in consumption patterns and Farm Bill priorities.

2. The more people who are conscious about the impact their food choices have, the more demand there will be for sustainably raised meat and produce. Check out the Swedish pork industry as an example of what can happen when government regulation, progressive farmers, and conscientious consumers get together.

I agree we do need education, but not the traditional type of agricultural education that unquestionably reaches out for any type of technological fix or form of vertical integration that continues the erosion of our rural communities.

The change is happening. It's on a small scale right now, but for savvy producers, it might be a good time to get on board.

I have to agree. Is Driftless WI anything like Nowhere Indiana?

 

[hraz]

AZ does not currently have a veal industry. We do however have an ever growing dairy industry. Lots of bull calves. So, should someone decide to utilized these calve for veal it will have to be more humane than in other places. Currently most of these calves are going to calf ranches and being fed out for beef.

 

[3MR]

AZ does not currently have a veal industry. We do however have an ever growing dairy industry. Lots of bull calves. So, should someone decide to utilized these calve for veal it will have to be more humane than in other places. Currently most of these calves are going to calf ranches and being fed out for beef.

OK

 

[badaxemoo]

I have to agree. Is Driftless WI anything like Nowhere Indiana?

I think so. It might also be like Backwater, California, or Out in the Sticks Vermont. I suppose it's anywhere that people are directly involved in the backlash to industrial agriculture.

It certainly ain't God's Country, because we all know that progressive, sustainable farmers are a bunch of godless baby-hating, gun-grabbing heathens.

 

[3MR]

Im in th emiddle ground ont his. I know absolutely that PETA spends a bunch of money with missleading propaganda.

I cant comment on the actual legislation as I kow nothign about the pig industry, but I do think animals should be raised humanly. I agree with Dun and others that have posted that the majority of producers have their animals best interest at heart being that translates into profit. You cant put human emotions on an animal, and different species have different levels of awareness so cross comparign them isnt acurate either.

 

[dun]

Should people be allowed to hunt animals into extinction? If humans used a little restraint and managed the populations instead of extinguishing them PETA etc. would not be able to restrict the hunting the way they have. We are so excessive in everything. Self regulation does not seem to work. Who is protecting the aniaml populations. When they are gone they are gone. Then what do you hunt?

You might want to look into who si responsible for the recovery of most game species. Hunters are the real conservationists. Market hunting has as much to do with hunting as rape does with love making.
peta would be able to get their legislation passed because of uninformed/naive people that have very little grasp of what any particular issue is all about.

"A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy."

— Ingrid Newkirk, President, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)

Does that sound like a statment from anyone that should be fostering her ideas?

dun

 

[hraz]

The woman is a nut for sure. That does not change whether or not we should treat our food animals humanely. There are extremists everywhere, including the your gun battles. If the reasonable majority can continue to provide sensible solutions to problems the public will respond ina favorable manner. Everyone needs to face the fact that people are starting to care about thier food, where it came from and how it was raised. We can fight and argue or like someone already said-start making the changes. I have not heard anyone say they do anything to thier cattle that makes me think they are inhumane. I am not real big on feeding antibiotics and implanting hormones but I would not call that inhumane to the animal. I just do not want to eat it or feed it to my children so if I have to buy beef at the store I go out of my way to find the good stuff.

 

[MillIronQH]

If the reasonable majority can continue to provide sensible solutions to problems the public will respond ina favorable manner. .

One small problem there. The "reasonable majority" is busy trying to make a living and feeding their families. They're not living off of donations from the uninformed. the tree/bunny huggers know this and use it to their advantage.

If you want to give me $100,000 a year after taxes plus expenses I'll be glad to quit what I'm doing and lobby for the Ag people and the hunters.Z

 

[Jogeephus]

I work for a gonvernment agency- does that mean i am an unethical crook?

I don't know only you can answer that. Have you ever taken a kick back? Have you ever personally benefited from your job at the expense of the tax payer? Have you ever interfered with someones work only to ease up when you are given some cash, trips, meals, hunting trips, ect.? I know some that do and I know plenty that are upstanding and honest. Regulations are strangling the growth in this country and dishonest crooked government employees should be thrown in prison and tried for treason.

 

[dun]

dishonest crooked government employees should be thrown in prison and tried for treason.

And not giving an honest days work for an honest days pay is the crookedest. For that I think theft would be the appropriate crime classification

dun

 

[Crowderfarms]

dishonest crooked government employees should be thrown in prison and tried for treason.

And not giving an honest days work for an honest days pay is the crookedest. For that I think theft would be the appropriate crime classification

dun

Better be some dam big prisons built. Soon.

 

[dun]

dishonest crooked government employees should be thrown in prison and tried for treason.

And not giving an honest days work for an honest days pay is the crookedest. For that I think theft would be the appropriate crime classification

dun

Better be some dam big prisons built. Soon.

Make the lazy louts build it or better yet send them to see Joe Arpaio

dun

 

[hraz]

Sheriff Joe supported the cause here in Az. Made several TV commercials in favor of the bans. I think that in your quest to remain legislation free you are losing sight of right and wrong. If he government did not step in, encouraged by the tax paying voters, who would change the way the sows were being housed and mishandled?

 

[dun]

Sheriff Joe supported the cause here in Az. Made several TV commercials in favor of the bans. I think that in your quest to remain legislation free you are losing sight of right and wrong. If he government did not step in, encouraged by the tax paying voters, who would change the way the sows were being housed and mishandled?

Just someone lending their celebrity to a cause that they feel they're qualified to speak for. At least when rosie odonnel speaks out in favor of queers as adoptive parents she has experience on the subject.

dun

 

[auctionboy]

Sheriff Joe supported the cause here in Az. Made several TV commercials in favor of the bans. I think that in your quest to remain legislation free you are losing sight of right and wrong. If he government did not step in, encouraged by the tax paying voters, who would change the way the sows were being housed and mishandled?

Now that AZ has passed the laws against sows and veal what are these people going after now? The extremists wont stop, when your rights are taken away don't wonder why.

 

[Jogeephus]

dishonest crooked government employees should be thrown in prison and tried for treason.

And not giving an honest days work for an honest days pay is the crookedest. For that I think theft would be the appropriate crime classification

dun

Dun, I was wondering if anyone else noticed this. I guess its just a matter of perspective. If I sit down during the day and enter this forum .... I am not getting paid. However, a government employee is drawing a salary and BS'ing all day on the computer is OK. If HRAZ worked for me .... it wouldn't be for long. I don't cotton well to people who steal time on the job. I wonder how the taxpayers feel about this practice?

I too, USED to work for the government. Had a belly full of it. The waste, ignorance and corruption is unbelievable. I am convinced that many upper level government employees have simply been promoted to their highest level of incompetence!

What ever happened to "a government for the people by the people"?

 

[dun]

I am convinced that many upper level government employees have simply been promoted to their highest level of incompetence!

It's called the Peter Principle

dun

 

[SCRUBS620]

I am convinced that many upper level government employees have simply been promoted to their highest level of incompetence!

It's called the Peter Principle

dun

I call it the stroking principle

Stroking the voters
Stroking Egos
and Stroking D!@k :lol:

As much as I hate the comy tree huggers they are not just going to go away. With all of the misimformation and negative propoganda and publicity presented by these people we need counter with a positive light on farming. Money needs to be spent to improve the image of farming and to counter the mistruths told by PETA and others. We need to stand together as a farming community rather than bickering between ourselves. With that being said the major poultry and pork industries (and to a much lesser extent the dairy industry) do not contribute to the needed positive image. I agree that farmers care for their animals and recognize that a happy, well taken care of animal will produce more income and hence a better life for all. What happens when the owners are not the producers. Many poultry and pork facilities are owned by large companies in which the decision makers are far removed from actually caring for the animals. They SIT in offices looking at numbers and base their decisions solely on them and the written law. The producer has little choice but to follow these decisions. If they did not they would lose their jobs and be replaced or break their contracts and lose their investment. I live in a large pork producing state and I have seen the impact of big pork companies. I raise a few pigs for myself, family and friends. If I sold them at market price I would make maybe $15 per pig. This is being raised on pasture, without any overhead, large facilities or loans. If it were not for the misaligned payouts and subsidies these companies would go out of business. On another post several people said that the beef industry is not keeping up with the pork and poultry industry- to this I say THANK GOD!!!!

 

[KMacGinley]

Maybe you should think about marketing your pigs as Pastured pork, raised with loving care. Many people are doing this now and making a lot more than $15 per head.

 

[hraz]

Before you critisize someone elses work ethic you shoud get your facts. What hours of the day do I work? For that matter what days of the week do I work? You have no idea. I do not socialize when I should be doing other things- at either of the 2 full time jobs i hold down to support my three children by myself. Not to mention the time I spend volunteering for 4h, school activities, and the occasional political cause. Oh yeah, and the various aniamls we show and raise for food here at home. And the house, got to clean the house and cook and do laundry. Because I find several minutes through out the day to comment on this forum does not make me a lazy freeloading government employee.