Propaganda Machines

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Nesikep

Nesikep

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 13, 2008
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18,351
City & State/Province
Lillooet, BC, Canada
Nope, nothing to do with the gov't here!

I'm talking about businesses that stop at nothing to make themselves look good. The kind that are shameless, that pick out the most minute thing they do and make it sound like it's the holy grail. I'm finding this kind of marketing absolutely rampant in the farm community and am absolutely disgusted by it. Often it will include putting other products down, with at least inaccurate statements, and at worst completely false ones.

The next thing that's driving me nuts is the "Award machine".. where no one goes home loser, if there aren't enough awards, they'll make another category, and being nominated for the award is usually something to brag about already.

So.. I'll just pick out some examples close to me, roughly in order of how unashamed they seem to be


Here's one really close to home.. a winery.
www.fortberens.ca
Somehow I don't understand how you can win awards for wine they year you plant the vines and don't have any facilities yet. They've got awards coming out of the yingyang for what I consider "mild vinegar" at $35/bottle. They also try and convey that they have history around here with the old fort.. THEY DON'T. They leased the land in about 2009 I think, They are from the Netherlands. NOTHING to do with any history around here. The wine they won awards with they will never be able to make again.. They are just amazing at piling on the BS, eternal articles in the local newspaper...


Here's another with a store in vancouver, and a ranch a ways north of us.. the bullshit they pile on to the beef is mindboggling.
http://www.pasturetoplate.ca/ethical-harvesting/#
In their brochure, they tout the benefits of having a "PRIEST COW" with the animals that will be slaughtered.. they have some fancy artwork in the tile of the kill floor, they have music playing.. yadda yadda yadda. I can't find a link to the brochure we got at their store.. sorry.


I was just pointed to this site by a friend.. heaps of disinformation there, though I
http://www.sumasmountainfarms.ca


A bit lower on the list
http://www.bigbearranch.com


What I don't get is why people have to be so proud of doing things the way they should be done to begin with. I don't agree with a lot of the aspects of commercial food production... Why does everything need a certification (and associated bureaucracy) I have seen firsthand how it works.. I call it "Brand mining"... an organization starts off with a fancy, high flying, and probably good idea.. It is an exclusive club, which means in order to get popularity, they need to expand.. that means the quality controls or standards gradually get eroded away. "Organic" is just perfect example. It used to be based on sustainability, being free of pesticides and fertilizers, incorporate crop rotations, etc. I think these days the list of "allowed" chemicals is longer than that of disallowed ones... crop rotations are laughable, sustainability is a farce.

Here is a perfect example of that
http://www.veganic.com/
I typed up a big paragraph on this but was going off on a tangent.. it'll be for another day!
 
:lol2: :lol2: I know what you are saying. I've been raging about this for some time. Its selling the fuzzy feeling to the sheep happy rather than a quality product but it does sell. I think wineries have are the best at this. Awards and tons of awards are doled out at each wine and cheese party they host. Everyone is a winner except the duped public.
 
I'm talking about businesses that stop at nothing to make themselves look good. The kind that are shameless, that pick out the most minute thing they do and make it sound like it's the holy grail. I'm finding this kind of marketing absolutely rampant in the farm community and am absolutely disgusted by it. Often it will include putting other products down, with at least inaccurate statements, and at worst completely false ones.
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None are worse than some of the breed associations and their ardent supporters.
 
It's something that's starts in high school.. you volunteer for a good cause, not because you want to help.. but because you need something on your resume. Newspapers love this, they can fill pages of how good people are and everyone goes home a winner.

Wineries, and now breweries are the same.. touting a few solar panels on their roof and some expensive (read: tax writeoff) gizmo or whatever is going to save the world.. their beers usually taste like yeast.. I'll stick to Old Milkwaukee

The farms are really catching up fast. That Sumas mountain farm actually does things in a way I like.. but they do spread a lot of disinformation about the rest.

I haven't looked too closely at the breed associations, I could see a exaggerations from them and skewed gain numbers by feeding them more than the average producer ever will, but they haven't achieved the level of BS the wineries and these farms have... not even close.
 
Nesikep, I know exactly what you are talking about and it is a pet peeve of mine. Especially the disinformation some spread and the groin kicks they like to use on conventional farmers so the green bunch can justify and be rewarded for their inefficiencies. But maybe you will find solace in this thought. Do you really care that these libtards get fleeced out of their money in pursuit of that fuzzy tree hugging feeling they do so relish?
 
Nesikep":562xnogj said:
What pizzes me off is that they aren't paying me!
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I like to think that honesty is the optimal long term plan.
But with the sheer ignorance abounding and fallacies accepted as fact...
sometimes I wonder.
 
Nesikep":3aff8074 said:
What pizzes me off is that they aren't paying me!
Click to expand...

You just need to liquidate your herd and take the money and add a few thousand dollars to it and buy an Imbalancer Starter Kit from me. Survey shows 5 out of 5 cattlemen agree they are the best thing since sliced bread. And they are trained to EAT GRASS! Guaranteed! Or half your money back less book keeping fees.
 
For years now I've been harping about the same BS. Don't know how many times I have mentioned the "organic egg" myth on here, you know, the one that has the brown egg being organic. Being brown don't make them organic but some folks believe that.
 
That's something I failed to mention about that winery.. they're about $7,000,000 in debt to their investors... I see it as something they're going to just get off the ground, then sell with hopes of a profit.
I will say that there are some good spinoffs from it for a small town, but now they built a gigantic dining/tasting room, and the tour busses come, but don't even stop in town anymore now.

I touched on resume's before.. and that is something I was never good at.. I wasn't good at thinking of mundane things I've done and making it sound amazing.. I suck at selling myself, and I'm not sure I'd ever want to be good at that either. I'm confident in the things I know I'm good at.. My last job before the farm I got the job interview and the supervisor was showing me around the shop, explaining how some of the machines worked.. and then I corrected him on something I'm sure few people would ever notice. I thought it might have been a deliberate test, but when I got to know the supervisor I think it was actually just a fumble on his part... I got the job.
For the farm, it's the same thing.. I don't believe we need more institutions telling us what something is, how to do something, etc... We have by far exceeded organic standards for 25 years.. we stopped getting certified because we didn't want to be lumped in with the same bunch of people who do the least amount required for the fancy stamp on their label... Instead I'll gladly talk to anyone who's interested and explain how we do it, and they're welcome to come and see my place at any time.. I also don't need the SPCA/HSUS, etc to certify my cows are treated well.. As much as the cows complain and claim the grass is too short to eat, they do quite well, they all come running.. and heck, I get as much licking as the calves.
 
Quality sells, ribbons or certifications or not.

I have a greenie who buys stuff from me. He keeps telling me I raise cattle organically - I keep telling him not. He insists I do. I quit arguing with him.
 
greybeard":3lmrapgp said:
None are worse than some of the breed associations and their ardent supporters.
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Jogeephus":3lmrapgp said:
You just need to liquidate your herd and take the money and add a few thousand dollars to it and buy an Imbalancer Starter Kit from me. Survey shows 5 out of 5 cattlemen agree they are the best thing since sliced bread. And they are trained to EAT GRASS! Guaranteed! Or half your money back less book keeping fees.
Click to expand...

I rest my case.
 
AllForage.. They certainly are!

Things may not stay this way forever, and with cattle prices the way they are now, I can't complain too much when I get just about $3/lb live at the sale barn and don't have to deal with arseholes.
 
greybeard":1q34p3we said:
greybeard":1q34p3we said:
None are worse than some of the breed associations and their ardent supporters.
Click to expand...


Jogeephus":1q34p3we said:
You just need to liquidate your herd and take the money and add a few thousand dollars to it and buy an Imbalancer Starter Kit from me. Survey shows 5 out of 5 cattlemen agree they are the best thing since sliced bread. And they are trained to EAT GRASS! Guaranteed! Or half your money back less book keeping fees.
Click to expand...

I rest my case.
Click to expand...

If 5 out of 5 cattlemen agree then what does that say about you if you disagree? ;-)
 

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