Posted on 07/10/2009 6:00:25 AM PDT by missycocopuffs
Animal welfare activists threaten nation’s agriculture Producers need to tell their story
By Elizabeth Barrett
July 10, 2009
Clouds loom over agriculture today.
According to Roger Berry, the average American is three generations removed from the farm while animal rights groups don’t understand the importance of animal agricultural.
“We’re in danger of losing animal agriculture,” said Berry, the field director for the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture.
Berry spoke to Gothenburg Rotarians at their noon meeting Monday at the Parlor Restaurant.
A-FAN is a non-political organization formed to help Nebraska farmers and ranchers protect and preserve the quality of life in rural communities through the development of responsible livestock production.
Nebraska’s economy is rooted in agriculture.
Even today, as a $14.5 billion business, it’s the No. 1 engine driving the economy followed by manufacturing and tourism.
Animal agriculture is an $8.3 billion business, Berry said, and is the largest segment of the ag industry.
Agribusiness and production agriculture produce 33% of the jobs in the state.
Dawson County is the seventh largest livestock county in Nebraska.
That’s important to know, he said, because residents in the top seven counties enjoy a 9.7% higher average annual per capita personal income than counterparts in other rural counties.
Story image 2 Residents in Cuming County, the state’s largest livestock producer, have a 25.4% higher average personal income.
With more revenue, he said there are more opportunities:
It helps keep the next generation on the farm.
More customers patronize local businesses.
Rural populations are stabilized.
“If this is lost, it will make a huge difference,” Berry said.
The storm clouds brewing are what he describes as animal rights agendas.
Although Berry’s description of animal welfare means providing what an animal needs, Berry said some activists think animals should have the same rights as humans.
“A lot of people in urban areas compare their pets to farm animals because they’re three generations removed (from the farm),” he explained.
The best tool to change this mind set, Berry said, is for ranchers and farmers to tell their story.
“Most ranchers and farmers are very humble,” he said. “If they don’t tell their story, the disconnect will become wider and animal rights will take off.”
The truth today, Berry said, is that livestock producers care for animals in a better way than in the past.
Growing up on a farm, Berry remembers relighting propane burners to keep pigs warm in 20-degree weather with a 30 mph wind.
“They were in sheds huddling together to keep warm and some smothered,” he said.
Today, the temperature inside many finishing buildings is 65 to 70 degrees in the winter.
Unfortunately, Berry said the majority of people working for such organizations as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and PETA have never been on a farm or ranch and don’t understand the care animals receive.
Although local humane societies need support, he said the HSUS is a radical group intent on doing away with animal husbandry.
“The majority of their money goes into lobbying,” Berry said.
In Nebraska, the group has introduced legislation to restrict swine gestation stalls and a couple of bills to limit the size of dog breeder operations.
If restrictions are allowed on businesses like dog breeding, he said it could carry over into animal agriculture.
“They’re working to create a vegetarian society,” Berry said, inviting the audience to look at the organization’s Web site which encourages vegetarian eating.
He said he’s not against being a vegetarian but opposes being told he has to give up meat and pass rules to take out aspects of animal agriculture.
Berry noted that only 4% of the HSUS budget goes to local shelters.
“What you hear from them (HSUS) is not necessarily the truth,” he said. “We need a grassroots movement or be devastated if we lose the ability to be economically feasible.”
For those who believe corporations have taken over farming, Berry pointed out that 99% of farms in Nebraska and 97% in the United States are operated by families.
Berry said A-FAN is committed to helping foster the success of Nebraska farmers and their communities and to build awareness about agriculture and why it’s important to preserve what producers have today.
“Animal agriculture is too important to the state to allow organizations like HSUS to take it away from us,” Berry said.
ebarrett@gothenburgtimes.com 308-537-3636 Animal welfare activists threaten nation’
Rule One
provide for the humans
these kooks that want to elevate a tree or a frog to the point that people have no food and shelter are evil
“They’re working to create a vegetarian society,” Berry said.
I’m not a vegetarian because I love animals. I’m a vegetarian because I hate vegetables and I want them all to DIE! ;)
And, yes. I WILL be hugging a Farmer later on today. :)
“some activists think animals should have the same rights as humans.”
Many forget that one of the most pro-animal rights groups were:
Nazi Germany.
http://www.worldfuturefund.org/wffmaster/Reading/Germany/Nazianimalrights.htm
Yes.
I think they’re actually working for a *vegan* society...no mean, no eggs, no dairy, no honey...
HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle is a vegan as is his girlfriend, as are most of the other execs and management team. Their director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture is a VEGAN...yeah, he’s a real stakeholder...
The July 4th picnic menu with recipes at HSUS were all vegan!
For everyone, please do not donate to the Human Society of the United States (HSUS)—they are not animal welfarists, they’re animal rightists.
Glad you have a farmer to hug :-)
Missy
er...”meat”
It will take a disaster or a near disaster to wake people up and the scary thing is that it might be too late for the United States by the time people figure it out.
If you really think about it, the scope and diversity of American agriculture is what has allowed America to be great. It had a huge hand in winning both World Wars and it was also the last time farmers got any real respect.
Rolling out the rants about agribusiness and corn subsidies in 3, 2, 1...
It’s a real bummer that groups like the Humane Society and the Audobon (sp?) Society have been infiltrated by nuts. Their extreme agendas need to be opposed vigorously. Better yet, they need to be taken over and returned to their original purposes.
Any damn fool that disrupts our food supply ought to be shot. We’re getting down to the fundatmentals, folks. Don’t mess with the food supply. The communist crazies would have us starve to death, just as they have done anywhere that communism rears up its ugly head.
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