Tag Archives: MUSINGS OF A MIDWEST PIG FARMER

We Should Sit Down with HSUS?

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“Musings of a Pig Farmer” by Larry Sailer

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, during a speech Jan. 14 at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual meeting, encouraged farm leaders to create strategic alliances and reach out to groups that might have differing opinions. Here’s an excerpt from that speech:

Now I know that there are not too many fans of the Humane Society in this room. But egg producers thought it was in their best interest to avoid 50 different referendums, 50 different sets of rules. So they sat down with folks and they reached common ground. After all, isn’t that what we’re asking our Congress to do? Isn’t that what we’re asking our political leaders to do – to sit down and make common cause? I think the egg producers have the right idea. Now, the issues may be different for different types of producers but we need to be constructively engaged at all times and conversations. We may not find agreement. But I think we will substantially reduce those who oppose farming and substantially reduce the reach of those and hopefully be able to get enough proactive activity that results in a five year bill.

If you follow what I preach, you know that I insist we listen to all sides. As much as I agree that farmers must engage in conversation with non-farm groups, I honestly don’t believe sitting down with the Humane Society of the United States would be constructive.

Vilsack sites the chicken and egg folks as a textbook example of how ag groups can find “common ground” with HSUS. Say what? How can we find “common ground” with a special interest group that wants to put livestock producers out of business? Animal rights activities don’t really care what we do because they’re only concerned with pushing their twisted agendas.

HSUS has teamed with some cattle producers to file suit against the Beef Checkoff, and now HSUS is going after the National Pork Checkoff. Here’s where I’m going with this: the U.S. Secretary of Ag oversees all checkoff programs. As a pork producer, I vote on whom I want on the commodity checkoff board but Secretary Vilsack actually decides who gets a seat on that board. Now Vilsack says we must listen to extreme animal right group, and herein lies the problem!

A few of this administration’s moves in recent months cause me great concern:

Because some farmers and advocates of the agricultural community made their voices heard, the USDA retracted its memo in support of Meatless Mondays. The new school lunch rules have been relaxed, and the U.S. Department of Labor put new child labor laws on hold. That doesn’t mean these issues won’t resurface sometime over the next four years, so we must remain vigilant in our agvocating efforts.

The U.S. agriculture community must spend as much time advocating for agriculture within the U.S. Department of Agriculture – which should be a natural ally – as it does with consumers and anti-farming groups. Now the U.S. Secretary of Ag is trying to convince the mainstream that groups like HSUS are best buds with the small farmer—it’ more than I can handle!

I must admit that I’m extremely concerned about our new administration, and some of the people who are serving and their beliefs. We already know there are former HSUS employees high in the ranks of the USDA. Now I’m reading that Raú Grijalva is being considered for U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and he’s being heavily backed by groups that want to eliminate animal ag!

When governmental agencies are infiltrated by this type of fanatics, they’re in place to make policy. We can’t afford to let this happen! Speak up. Write emails. Contact your elected officials. It’s important that people in office understand what we do on the farm.

Threats of New Regulations on the Horizon

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This grass filter strip, planted between my corn field and a creek, traps and filters sediments and nutrients. It prevents potential pollutants from entering the surface water.

“Musings of a Pig Farmer”
by Larry Sailer

Now that the 2012 election is behind us and government officials are returning to work, new regulations are threatening agriculture. I’m hearing the Farm Bill will be tied to something, perhaps conservation. It’s as though farmers will destroy the world if we’re not threatened with something severe enough to make sure that we comply!

Actually, I find it ironic that regulators believe the proverbial stick will be more effective than the carrot when most farmers take great pride in being stewards of the land. This whole idea of tying any conservation practice to some type of support is not a threat to me – or the great majority of farmers and ranchers. Conservation is one of our top priorities anyway. If we don’t take care of our land and soil, it’s not going to produce for very long.

Planted in 1980, this filter strip also serves as a wildlife refuge. It creates food and cover for small birds and animals.

I will admit that “back in the day” I did enjoy plowing the soil in the fall. Plowing was a task where you could see what was getting done. Turning the soil black and covering up corn stalks in preparation for next year’s crop was fun. It was even fun 20 years ago, and the tractors we used then weren’t nearly as warm as those we use today.

As much as I enjoyed farming, I also realized it was a practice that I needed to reconsider. That’s why I first tried no-till farming in the 1970s. At that time, the types of equipment and weed control options available didn’t favor no-till farming. We also didn’t s today’s higher-yielding seed technology, so I kept different types of minimum tillage practices.

In no-till farming, crop residue is left on the field. Crop residue helps prevent erosion and can help conserve soil moisture.

I switched to no till about 5 years ago, but this fall I had to do some deep tillage because of effects from the drought and the fact that I use a lot of natural manure. But even with this tillage pass, the ground is covered by a thick layer of organic matter and is protected from wind and rain.

Bottom line: It doesn’t take a government threat to make farmers do what is right. Doing what’s right just comes naturally to farmers!

Whether You’re Rural or Urban, Listen to Understand

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Musings of a Pig Farmer
by Larry Sailer

You know the old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words?” Apparently some pictures are worth several thousand words!

When I posted this picturesque farm image on my Facebook page last week, I had no idea that it would strike such a cord with some of my friends. This one photo prompted one of my Facebook friends, Janice Person, to pen a couple of blogs about it. She even created her own thought-provoking photo. Here’s an excerpt from JP’s personal blog:

At the end of the day, it’s hard to feel removed from something that not even your grandparents felt a connection to… that’s something we share whether we’re urban or rural. We share a deep interest in wanting our children to have the best the world can offer but maybe our perspective guides us to think of those things differently. We all value relationships with the people we count on day in and day out and almost all of us could find room for a few more friends at dinner time.

If farmers continue to view city folks as removed from the reality farmers know and city folks continue to see farmers as insulated from today’s world, can we move the conversation forward on things we all care about? Or do you think by taking some of the initial steps to understand the other’s perspective…. by focusing on the fact that we don’t understand things from another person’s point of view or by trying to see the world from where they sit, do you think we may change our own way of thinking?

My abbreviated response to Janice was this, “That is a great point, and it’s why I have said that farmers must first listen.” By listening to Janice and others who share similar viewpoints, it helps me see things from a completely different perspective. Listening helps create understanding. My sentiments were shared by Anne Burkholder (aka Feed Yard Foodie), who posted this comment May 24 on Janice’s blog site:

Janice, you are so very right – thank you so much for sharing. We must all “listen to understand, instead of listening to respond.” Empathy is a powerful tool and a good conversation cannot occur without it. I spent the first 22 years of my life in a city and the last 15 on a farm in rural Nebraska. Urban dwellers and rural folks have more in common than they sometimes think. At the very least, we all are interested in “where our food comes from” and that is certainly an important reason to have a good conversation that results in both of us learning from each other.

If you find this dialogue interesting, I’d like to invite you to read Janice’s full post on Just Farmers entitled, “Any Benefits from a Change in Perspective?” You might even feel compelled to join in the conversation!