AgriThoughts

Consumer Education

The most recent trend in modern consumers, from what I’ve seen, is taking it upon themselves to go out and become “educated” about the modern food industry. Don’t get me wrong, I think people going out and trying to learn about modern agriculture is a great thing. However, the ways in which these people are educating themselves seems to be a little skewed.

Its seems now that everyone is an expert on modern agriculture practices and what is the best way to not only feed our nation, but also what is best for the earth. I have no problems with organic farming practices. I have no problems with those who wish to carry around the “all natural” flag. I do however have a problem with self appointed avengers who feel they can assault my ears with non supported evidence that my products are causing global warming, early puberty in children, and can kill those who eat the product for a long period of time.

GMO wheat and corn crops are not out there taking the lives of thousands of people. My steers were not the direct cause of people’s heart attacks. Whole Foods has created a huge customer based simply by people’s simple misunderstanding and lack of knowledge. Over Christmas, I spoke with a few of my mother’s friends about meat processing and handling. One woman told be that she buys from Whole Foods because she imagines that the animals that are sold there never see a concrete slab and never has to “suffer” in a feed lot. That they don’t go through the same slaughter process as conventional cattle simply because they are “all natural” or organic and they of course taste better because they aren’t filled with antibiotics. That right there proves that people are so farm removed from modern production.

I bet I could put one of my conventional steer steaks and an organic steak on a plate. The consumer not only wouldn’t be able to tell  me which is organic and which is conventional, but 9 out of 10 times they would pick the conventional beef as tasting better.

I’ve had a few people tell me that since the EU won’t accept growth additive animals, that it is obviously wrong and bad for you. The reason that the EU won’t accept these cattle is because in the 70’s producers were using six or seven implants per animal- which of course is going to cause harm to people eating it. Who implants animals with six times the amount of additive?! There has been no scientific evidence to claim that RALGRO has any negative effect on human growth and development or could lead to any health problems.

Authors, such as Michael Polan, encourage their readers to go out and educate themselves about what they are eating. Stand up against “factory farming” and preserve the old ways of life. Ok Mike- I gotta ask: How do you expect to feed a couple billion people simply on cow manure? How are you going to combat disease and drought. What will this new growing style do to crop and cattle prices? Enlighten me, please- I’d love to know. And please, consumers that follow him- talk to your organic farmers. Ask them where they are getting their labor. And ask cattle producers what they do when the animals suffer from shipping fever and how they treat BVD. How long does it take for a mastitis infection to clear up and how often do these cattle relapse?

I have nothing against organic or all natural farming as a style. Its a market. A well paying market, it would seem. But you can’t feed our country on organic. You can’t feed other countries on organic. Industrial agriculture is here to stay, and I’m thankful for it. Without it, I’d be living off of tap water and 13 cent ramen every night for the foreseeable future.