Wednesday morning on the farm - 3/18/09

The sun has come up, birds are singing, the air is crisp and cool...apparently I didn't die and go to Hell for raising livestock (as a couple of nice e-mailers implied I would).

Yesterday was pretty routine on the farm, and pretty wild off of it. No, I'm not talking about St. Patty's Day celebrations, I'm talking about the feedback I received from making comments on this blog and on a couple of others about animal care. If you didn't see them, I and many of my peers made a point yesterday to talk about the high standard of care that's given to animals on 99.9% of the farms around this country. This was in response to HBO's "Death on Family Farm " documentary and the flood of accusations that the abuses uncovered are commonplace in America. Unfortunately, there's too much of a philosophical divide to have a productive conversation with some of these folks making those claims. I mean, they have actually likened my raising of animals to human slavery and the Holocaust!

But that was yesterday.

Today really is shaping up to be beautiful. The stars were out in all their glory early this morning and I don't know if we could ever come any closer to having "perfect" weather. We have several odds and ends to take care of this morning. We'll be replacing the a/c thermostat and rear window on our Case 5230 (and painting it as well); we'll be repairing the front end on our International; and the chainsaw, bushhog, and fencing tools may all get a workout today.

The ground has dried enough that we've been able to start grazing the milking herd again in the mornings. They seem to be slowly picking back up in production after the big dropoff over the wet weekend.

The rain did have an adverse effect on milk production, but it's been great for our spring forages. With plenty of soil moisture, the rye and triticale we planted is really taking off now that the sun's back out and it's getting warmer. I swear I can almost see it growing before my eyes!

Hopefully I'll come back home at lunchtime with a whole lot accomplished and not quite so much hate mail in my inbox.

HBO Documentary Tries to Paint with too Broad a Brush

I watched HBO's Death on a Factory Farm last night, and must say it was disturbing on multiple levels.

Before I go any further, let me add that I realize that there are people out there who are philosophically opposed to raising animals for human consumption. If you are among them, I respect your right to hold that belief and realize that we'll probably never be able to find any middle ground. For those of you who do consume meat and are concerned about the way that your meat is raised, I hope you will give consideration to what I have to say.

The undercover video was damning. If you saw the documentary, there's no need for me to rehash it here. Much of what was shown is simply unacceptable and indefensible in today's world, and I'm sure it's being discussed at length today on websites and around water coolers.

Equally as disturbing to me, though, was the running commentary that seemed to suggest that the footage shot at this particular farm was standard operating procedure on all or most livestock farms throughout our nation. This couldn't be further from the truth! Quite frankly, it made me angry that the filmmakers were trying to imply that I and other family farmers across this nation held our animals in such callous disregard.

American farmers view their roles in life as stewards of creation, responsible for using creation in a respectful way for the betterment of humanity. Those of us who raise livestock strive to provide the best of care to our animals so that both their life and death will be of maximum benefit to our fellow man. To do otherwise would violate the sense of ethics and morality that most of us hold at the core of our being.

I raise my calves from birth to grow into strong and healthy cows that will not only provide lots of quality milk during their life, but will also provide quality beef through their death. The only way I can do so is to provide the best care I possibly can to my cows. Yes, my bottom line depends on it, but my conscience demands it even more.

Livestock care is constantly evolving as farmers are working in partnership with veterinarians, scientists, and other animal experts to develop best management practices that will allow us to continue providing safe, abundant, and affordable food to the public. We see the social and cultural consequences of not following animal care guidelines and are holding each other accountable for raising our animals with care and compassion. And never forget that you, the consumer, hold us accountable every time you walk into a grocery store or market. The choices you make dictate both the food we supply and the methods as to how that food is produced.

If you have any questions about how your meat is raised, please ask! We farmers are happy to talk about the things we're doing on our farms. If you have anything for me specifically, please comment on this post or contact me via GilmerDairyFarm.com. You can also check out several of the links on the right-side column of this blog or go to sites such as Dairy Farming Today  to learn more.