More than a Farmer: I'm an Environmentalist

Though this may only be a 12 credit semester, it has proven to be one of my busiest yet. All but one of my classes are discussion based and require readings, papers and prepared debate material. The main idea of these courses are based around the many similar questions. One being, "How can we feed a world of 9 billion people without destroying the environment?"

I'm all about feeding the world and the new technology we've created to do so. However, I am NOT all about people criticizing farmers for not caring for their land. As said by a very good friend and former colleague Kelcie Degenfelder, "Farmers are the best stewardess to the land! In order to prosper the farmer needs to take care of the land."

Unfortunately, not all people like to think that. After a pretty heated debated in an International Agriculture class on this topic, an ERM (Environmental Resource Management) major approached me and said,

"I like the environment and you like cows and farms... can we be friends?" 

As silly as something like that sounds, it gave me the idea for this "More than a Farmer" idea. I couldn't stop thinking about this girl's question while I was on a field trip last Saturday to learn about a biodigester on a nearby dairy farm.

Schrack Farms, located in Loganton, PA, runs a biodigester off of his herd of 1,000 milking cows and around 400-500 dry cows and heifers. For the past 7 years, his biodigester has run at a 99% usage rate, fueling the entire farm, only needing half of the electricity produced. The remaining 50% is then sold back to the grid and used by the surrounding towns and communities.

These cows and heifers are producing manure and waste that is then pumped into a biodigester, and the burning of the methane gas creates electricity. The leftover waste is put to good use as well. The solid matter is dried and used as bedding for the cows and the liquid left over is used on fields as a fertilizer for the soil and its crops.

All during the visit, our tour guide, manager and partial owner of Schrack Farms, made it clear many times that he is not only a farmer, but a stewardess to the land as well. Without adequate soil, he has no farm. So, by implementing this biodigester he has turned waste into a number of beneficial solutions throughout his entire farm, from his cows to his crops.

My point is for you to remember...

We are farmers. We are environmentalists. We are making a difference. Poop happens, and sometimes... poop is excellent.

Food Inc: Round 3

If you've been keeping with the Cow Chronicler (and if you haven't, this is awkward) you'd be expecting my last and final post with regards to the movie Food Inc. Well folks, here it is... and it's another step in the right direction to making a difference.

Before our last class discussion even began, I walked into a class already debating... well only one person debating with everyone surrounding him. Yea you know that kid who said I let my emotions get the best of me? He was back in full force (also interrupting my stupid-expensive McLanahan's dinner) telling people "Monsanto is out to get everyone. They don't care about us. They know exactly the effects their products have on people." (Referring to Agent Orange, GMOs, etc). Before I could even respond, our professor cut him off to hand back our survey results. It's probably a good thing she did before I threw away all of my class and dignity and chucked my turkey wrap at his head.

So, in preparation for class we were instructed to complete a response survey created by me and two other classmates, also known as the "Farm Girls." The results (including anonymous quotes from classmates) are as follows:

1. Who do you feel that the film Food Inc. is attacking?
• 83% Corporations
• 4% Farmers
• 0% Consumers
• 13% Other
• "Both corporations and farmers. Corporations are mainly to blame, but at the same time farmers are compromising their values and the food supply for monetary gain so that they can continue to support their farms and families."
2.  What was the most important issue brought up in the film, Food Inc.?
• Food safety and disease prevention
•  Corporations are controlling farmers and the market
• Putting unhealthy products into the market without considering the health of consumers
• Industrialization and modernization of today's agriculture
• "Personally, I believe the most important issue brought up during the film was the lack of overall consumer knowledge and the hurdles that are placed out there to keep information at bay and harder to obtain, whether it is for a consumer or agriculturalist. I believe there is a strong movement that needs to be attended to working towards a more 'glass case' environment in terms of our food production."
3.  While watching the film Food Inc., did you find the portrayal of any practices, technologies, farm operations, etc. hard to believe?
• The Monsanto controversy
• Organic being healthier than everything else
• Ammonia being used in meat packing plants
• Chicken farming practices and techniques
• "I am not sure if I would describe it as 'hard to believe' - however, I believe that some of the imagery chosen for the documentary was chosen in order to best hook an audience by tugging at their heart strings, very similar to the tactics taken by Chipotle in their Scarecrow commercial released in the Fall of 2013."
4. Modern agriculture has no glaring problems
• 0% Yes
• 100% No 
5. After the film, Food Inc. did you go look up information about the topic discussed?
• 50% Yes
• 50% No
6. Are there any technologies used in modern day agriculture that you believe address environmental or human health issues negatively?
• Waste entering our water supply
•  Pesticides, chemicals and other unnatural ingredients
• Over use and reliance on GMOs
• Fast production and "efficiency" tactics
• Use of antibiotics in animals
• "There is a long list of things in modern day agriculture that affect the environment. We have pollution issues in water from fertilizer run-off and soil eroding into the water. There are numerous other things, but we are slowly starting to correct them. There are not as many health issues today as there were in the past. The biggest issue now is just to produce healthier food, and produce enough to feed the worlds growing population."
7. Are there any technologies used in modern day agriculture that you believe address environmental or human health issues positively?
• Waste management plans implemented by farmers
• The use of GMOs
• Increased production of food allowing us to feed the world
• Sanitation in food processing companies, eliminating harmful bacteria
• "There are many things that have positively influenced environmental concerns. Such things as methane digestors convert methane in manure to energy (like electricity) and reduce the methane put into the air. Also, I believe modified crops have allowed higher yields and disease resistance which has lead to more food for the growing population."

 So, simply put... a lot of these answers reflect issues us as "agvocates" face every day. People think antibiotics are bad, GMOs are the devil, corporations are trying to take over the world... yada yada yea we get it, you hate the modernization of agriculture. And we were debating and forth for an hour, everyone with good (but different) points and opinions. But what we DID all agree on as a class is this; Food Inc. was simply portraying that modern day is bad and organic is good. HOWEVER, if you pay very close attention, you'll realize this guy (for lack of a better expression) shits on organic production as well (when Stonyfield sold their company and their products ended up in Walmart). Basically, anybody who goes "big" is bad.. very very bad.

At the end of class, whether or not any minds were changed from the beginning to the end, one point was made clear... if us "farm girls" want to make a statement, we need to try something else. We can argue all day in the agricultural community that we're doing what it takes to reach out to consumers, but if the consumers disagree... are we really doing what it takes? A soon-to-be film major put it perfectly:

"Before Food Inc. I never would've cared or had an interest in what I'm eating at all, and I know the same is true for the general consumer. The fact of the matter is, people are in love with convenience and it's hard to get them away from it without scaring them out of their seats. It's why the news broadcasts extremes, not happy mediums. It's why activists ignore points that count against them. The point is to build up a big enough problem that people want to do something about it.....In class people mentioned a lot of discussion that was happening in the community of agriculture, but nothing really happens when you're preaching to the choir. You've got to get your message out to the public and in a way they want to see. People always talk about wanting to back to the good ol' days but no one really means, why would I drive a half hour into the farmlands when my grocery store down the block has tomatoes and for less. So instead I think moving forward is the way to go. Digital media has made so much information sharing possible. For example the protests in Egypt were aided and organized through facebook. Prof. Ostiguy mentioned that she likes to know her farmer, I think a lot of us would. And I think there's a huge division in or culture where there doesn't need to be. I think it's time for people to integrate into the new media since that's where people give their attention. So if farmers could enter into the media and become less of strangers to America that would be great."

 

The class of consumers has spoken... and there were enough of us who listened. Next step? Digital media ladies and gentleman. Until then... bring on the next battle of "Farm Girls vs. The Public" because we're all ready, and we're excited.

Learn to Listen

I went into class yesterday with a mission.. to put the myths brought forward by evil media to rest. But while watching the second half of Food Inc., I realized that I wasn't angry anymore... I was nervous. The palm sweating and heart racing before a big rival basketball game nervous. (The large coffee I was drinking on an empty stomach probably wasn't helping either).

Why? Good question. I went into this class overly prepared. I mean, I had resources out the wazoo explaining the "Myths vs. Facts" of the movie, UDSA and FDA rules and regulations and all other bizarre and bogus things I wanted to clear out of my classmates minds. Everything was laid out and ready to face the class and tell them "this is my story." When it came time for discussion, I was the first to comment. I felt my face starting to flush and my temperature sky rocketing. But when I started talking, there was only one line that I wanted everyone to hear:

"When you watch this film, I don't want you all leaving with this in your mind as an accurate picture of agriculture. This isn't how we are spending our lives and careers trying to feed you."

That's when I saw a classmate rolling his eyes before blurting out and interrupting me:

"But you're a farmer so you're just letting your emotions make you bias."

Before I could even respond, our professor put up her hand and cut him off with (what seemed like) disgust. After his outburst and about three more minutes of discussion, class was over. Right away our professor came over to where Kelley, Mary (fellow farm born and raised classmates) and I were sitting to say thank you. With a genuine smile she explained to us how she liked the discussion points we were bringing up. It was that moment I realized that this woman and I may not agree on much, I respected the hell out of her.

We discussed that it seemed like the class was split half and half. Some thought farmers were being attacked while others thought it was big corporations. Because we ran out of time in class, no one was able to get into a deep discussion. However, us three farm girls were given a task by our professor. It is now our job to create discussion points and concerns that we have for our classmates. Our professor is then going to take what we want to know and create a response survey. Together, we came up with a three step plan:

1. Have students take response survey
2. Base the class discussion around the survey questions
3. Have students retake response survey

Then what? Oh I'll tell you what's next... my most epic blog yet. **Fireworks and sparklers going off in the background** I cannot WAIT to dive into the different results this discussion may yield in the survey. Even if the results don't swing the way I hope they do, it's still  going to open a window into the minds of my fellow classmates and peers. Maybe keeping my mouth closed and just listening to what these students have to say will help me start understanding their thought process and reasoning will help me find the right approach to communicating with them and other young adults I have to study and work with.

Despite the outcome, this is a huge step... actually leap in the right direction. A professor has opened her mind and lecture for us to express our passion, promoting the positives of the agricultural industry. This one is definitely a win for farmers!

Food Inc: A blessing in disguise

Sometimes in life, you just want to tell people...

"I respect your opinion. But you know what? Your opinion is horse shit."

Unfortunately, that's not acceptable in today's society (nor should it be acceptable, ever, despite how good that may feel). It's also a weee bit rude, no matter how high their pile of shit is. Therefore, you've got to find a way to disagree in a more professional way that gets people to listen to what you have to say. My latest struggle? Food Inc. What is Food Inc.? If your views on agriculture are anything like me, it's you sitting down to enjoy a movie when the popcorn bowl ends up smashing the TV screen and your blood is boiling enough to cook enough spaghetti noodles for a third world country.

OK, so here's the thing. I'm a girl who's been raised on a farm and grown up while being surrounded by family, friends and fellow members of society dedicated to portraying a positive image of the world of agriculture. We are communicating the difference that we, farmers of all sorts, are trying to make. Where does your food come from? US! And we want to you to see that!! So when my ERM 210 (Environmental Resource Management) Professor starts off our first class with the film Food Inc., here are the words my classmates and I are greeted with:

"Now our food is coming from enormous assembly lines where the animals and the workers are being abused. And the food has become much more dangerous in ways that are being deliberately hidden from us ... This isn't just about what we're eating. This is about what we're allowed to say, what we're allowed to know."

WAIT. NO. REALLY?! Busted, you've caught us red handed. That's EXACTLY what our goal is! To keep eeeeeverything we do a big fat secret. Behind those closed barn doors we're kicking our chickens, mocking cows who can't get up with juicy Big Macs and chasing pigs around with a skid loader and pitch forks.

LOL. Come ON people! We are doing what we do because we LOVE what we do! This movie is absurd and just pure evil media. I get it... some things that are happening in that film make valid points. Preventing E. coli outbreaks and improving food safety are things we should never lose focus on. And, we need to treat our animals with the dedication, respect and care that it takes for them to prosper and provide a valuable food product. It's sad to say that animals get abused every day.. there are just plain crappy people in this world. But what we're seeing in this film is the minority in agriculture. The majority are people (like me) who, along with their families, have committed their lives, studies and careers on ridding the industry of those nasty and unwanted farms and filling those vacancies with men and women who want to feed a rapidly expanding population with safe and healthy food products. All while keeping the well being of the animals AND the public in mind.

I'm happy to say that I wasn't alone in that classroom. There were others who had smoke coming out of their ears by the end of the class. When we heard this movie "accurately captures agriculture today," that's when the smoke started coming out of our ears. I asked two of my classmates, Kelley and Mary, what bothered them most about the film. This is how they responded:

"The thing that upset me the most is that this video displays only bad cases of the industry such as the "old style" chicken houses. No wonder they are "old" and there are now new and improved ways. And then the comment in the paper we had to fill out that "we aren't producing chickens, we are producing food." No kidding...that's why we have regulations that ensure that the animals are taken care of properly to ensure a quality product." -Kelley

You tell 'em Kelley.. also, I don't know how many times we have to say this but I'll say it again since this was also brought up in the film.. THERE ARE NO ANTIBIOTICS OR HORMONES IN THE (CHICKEN) MEAT YOU ARE CONSUMING.

"But, honestly it wasn't Food Inc. that surprised me the most. The fact that a professor, who has accomplished a PhD, could be so ignorant and believe everything that is shown on Food Inc. and believe that indeed is American agriculture is what shocks me. And yet what mortifies me is that she teaches hundreds of students a year, that don't have our backgrounds and understanding, which allows them to walk away from the course believing the same thing that she does, which continues to further the gap between producer and consumer and allows those who have absolutely no understanding of production agriculture leave with a negative and FALSE image in their heads." -Mary

But Mary, she's a Doctor...

These opinions are real, people. I'm shoving direct quotes at you. But what I'm REALLY trying to do is bring attention to the other side of reality. One classmate that I spoke with told me "I walked out of that classroom not wanting to eat meat ever again. That stuff can't be all true right?" No sista, it ain't. She wasn't the only one who looked disgusted. Judging by the sighs, grunts, comments and facial expressions of my classmates, it looked like they all wanted a farmer's head on a stick. But can we blame them? This movie makes "our kind" seem like cold, heartless soul-eating demons.

But as always, there's a silver lining in all of this. Together, we could make something positive out of something as repulsive as Food Inc. It's our time to battle back. For me personally, this lecture came as a blessing in disguise. Thanks to ERM 210 and Food Inc., there is finally a fire lit under lazy senior bum and it's time for me to make a difference.. are you with me?

PS check out the links... they're legit, or what our professor likes to say, "backing up our opinions with science."

TRUE LIFE: Organic ... A lifestyle, not a health choice

The old Becca used to hear the word organic and just laugh in a person's face and say "You're stupid." The new and improved Becca, however, has learned to step back and look at both sides of anything and everything agriculture.... including the organic industry.

Or maybe the new Becca is just better at hiding her eye rolls previously directed towards people buying into the "healthy" organic section at a grocery store... or maybe not.

Let's take a walk through Wegmans, the best grocery store in the whole wide world. Why is it the best ever? BECAUSE I FINALLY FOUND HONEY CRISP APPLES. AT WEGMANS. But wait, hold the excitement because this chick missed the (what I like to think was) fine print on the sign... these Honey Crisp apples weren't just any apples. They were ORGANIC Honey Crisp apples.

Even better huh? Sooo much better that when I was paying for my groceries the cashier was kind enough to say "Uhm, ma'am do you realize that these organic apples are going to cost you $13.98?"

After I brushed off the "ma'am" comment (I'm 21 years old... stop it) I realized that I was about to pay $13.98 for 6 apples.... in case you hate math like the rest of the entire human race, that's $2.33 per apple. Unless there are fireworks that go off in the background and shirtless pool boys that fan me while I'm eating this apple, I'm gunna go ahead and say that price is bullshit.

But, some would argue with me that I'm paying that extra amount of money to be healthy. I didn't pay for the "healthier" choice. I just paid for that organic "lifestyle" that people are confusing with some sort of health trend. What I don't quite understand is where people got this whole "organic is healthier" concept.. SINCE WHEN?!

I'm open to anything and I love to hear other opinions and thoughts. But if you want me to buy into your case, there better be cold hard facts supporting it. Sure, some woman with way too much time and money on her perfectly manicured hands told you that buying that organic green pepper is going to change your life. But why is it healthier? Because it's more expensive than the "regular" version? Organic products are expensive because of the added expenses along the supply chain, not because of and added "value." If just once someone provided me with credible research and studies that organic is healthier, then I'd listen.

But until then, my money supports "regular" products. And in case anyone is wondering, those $2.33 Honey Crisp apples? BIG SURPRISE.. They taste like apples. No fireworks or marching band to follow a mouth watering experience. Just apples with an outrageous price tag that left this broke college student with an empty wallet and disappointed taste buds.

Bloggin out,
Bec

Am I overreacting?

Since arriving back at Penn State, I've had a number of friends asking me to go on a Panera Bread date. When I say no, people look at me like I have three heads. But wait, it gets better. When I go on and tell them I'm not eating there because of the disrespect they showed to farmers in a recent advertising campaign, I have been receiving quite the collection of reactions.

"That's ridiculous."

"Really? Is that a joke?"

"No offense, but that's a stupid reason."

*An example of the EZ Chicken campaign (trying to be "clever" in saying farmers are lazy)*

 

 

NO, it is not a joke and NO, it is not stupid. This is me being very, very serious. Panera Bread attacked and insulted an industry that I'm passionate about and everything I stand for. OF COURSE I'm going to react and retaliate! Not supporting their business is hardly drastic when compared to the EZ Chicken campaign they created .

 

Trust me, giving up Panera wasn't easy for me. I have yet to find a Sunday cure as satisfying as a bowl of broccoli cheddar soup and an iced green tea. But just take a second and put yourself in my shoes....

 

You're on a collegiate baseball team. Nike creates a series of ads and commercials that target baseball players as the "lazy athlete" and accuses you being 'slackers' when compared to other athletes, like football and soccer players. Would you still continue to purchase Nike products and apparel?

 

You're a Penn State alumni. Penn State just released a series of articles that accused the past five years of graduates to be lazy and subpar to those graduating before them. Basically, you're a bad example of the student that the University is trying to produce. So when Penn State calls you for an annual alumni donation, are you still going to give back?

 

You're a young, single parent. Johnson & Johnson has been slandering unmarried and 'young' parents, saying that you are irresponsible  and unreliable to raise a child. Are you going to continue buying Johnson & Johnson products? If you only have even an ounce of self respect, you would be saying "see ya later" to such an offensive company.

 

Now remember, these were all hypothetical situations. Nike, Penn State and Johnson & Johnson have done NOTHING I mentioned above. Why? Because they have a brain and just plain common sense. I'm simply trying to put you in 'my shoes.'

 

My refusal to eat at Panera Bread is my way of standing up for what I believe in. It's only a small step, but a step nonetheless towards supporting the industry of agriculture.

 

 

 

Sit back and think for a moment. What are you passionate about? Someone attacks it. Not just someone, but a someone who either depends on you, or you depend on them to keep that passion chugging along. Like Panera Bread, who depends on farmers for ALL of their products, but still had the nerve to call them out for taking care of their sick animals and assuring that they are healthy. Because we'd all rather be eating sick animals right? Because Panera Bread can get their chickens from somewhere other than farmers, right? Riiiight.....

 

Bloggin out,

Bec

 

 



PETA is a little confused

PETA, more commonly referred to as "People Eating Tasty Animals," has been consistently blowing up our Twitter feeds with campaigns against the dairy industry. These are a few of the images I found interesting:

So what are they angry about? They are angry that dairy farmers are dehorning calves. But let me ask you this, PETA members. Have you ever worked with dairy animals? I highly doubt it. Because if you had, you would understand WHY we remove the horns from all of our animals.

I'll tell you why. Safety and just plain common sense. When you have a farm of 600 dairy animals, imagine all of them running around with huge horns. That sounds like a good idea, right? No, it doesn't. It's not safe and not only putting the farm employees at danger, but other animals as well. And isn't that what you're all about PETA, protecting animals?

Dehorning calves is done carefully and early enough that the calf will recover quickly and completely. Check out how and why we dehorn calves.

Here's another fun fact. Temple Grandin, a well-known and highly respected  doctor of animal science and professor at Colorado State University is pro-dehorning calves. You can also add bestselling author, autistic activist, and consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior to her lists of talents. Why is her opinion valid? Ohhh I don't know, maybe because HBO thought her opinion was important enough that they made a movie about her work and accomplishments. Let's hear what she has to say about dehorning:

"There is no excuse for not dehorning very young calves. There are several very good heating devices which will destroy the horn button on a calf. These methods are more effective than paste. There have been a few insensitive people who have suggested cutting horns off of cattle shortly before slaughter. This would be very cruel to the animals and it would also result in condemnation of most of the heads by the meat inspector due to hair and dirt entering the openings in the skull." -Temple Grandin

There are always going to be bad people in this world who do bad things. I'm not saying everyone in the dairy industry is dedicated to the safest practices. However, what people (PETA members and supporters) need to realize is that the larger majority of us are.

We're in this industry because we love dairy animals. There is rhyme and reason behind our practices. PETA is like your little brother who stole a cookie from the cabinet and suddenly a UFO came and aliens invaded the kitchen. Because that happens all the time, right?