Got Milk? Animal Rights v. U.S. Dairy Industry - ABC News

Got Milk? Animal Rights v. U.S. Dairy Industry - ABC News 

At Pleasant Veiw Dairy, we strive to care for our animals in a humane and caring environment.  I personally don't know any farmer who mistreats his animals, even when tempers flare and you've heard the comment, "kick the dog", we don't abuse our animals in any way, shape, or form. 
It appears that unknowing farming families have hired "undercover people" who, for some reason or another, take measures to uncover anything that slightly resembles what a consumer might think of as "mistreatment".  Then these "employees" (undercover people)  just look for things to video tape that any uneducated consumer might not understand.  Instead of standing up for these animals, they expose the animals, and in the end laugh at the fact that they are somehow a celebrity in the eyes of uninformed people.  If PETA, HSUS, and Mercy for Animals were so concerned, then they should teach their hired "informants" (undercover people) to correct the alleged abuse (which they do not).
Let's look at the practice of tail docking.  Some dairy farmers used this practice.  Surely the cow didn't agree and so the practice was eliminated from the course of keeping the udder clean.  But why do we need to keep the udder clean, and is that the only reason dairy farmers did it?  The daily ritual of cleaning the udder to wipe away bedding materials (sand or newspapers, etc.) and possibly manure begins with a pre-dip, wipe, and hook up to the udder. In simple terms, we want to be sure that the udder is cleaned before we begin to milk the cow.  Think about it.  Another reason to dock a cow's tail is to eliminate the unpleasant surprise when a cow's tail (manure ridden or not) slaps you in the face, this usually happens when the switch (hairy end of the cow's tail) is there and the cow feels the need to swat at something.  It's not pretty!  So many farmers have gone to shaving the hairy end of the tail, therefore just eliminating the "wet slap".  :)
And how about de-horning.  This is the practice of removing horns or parts thereof from the head of a cow.  The most important reason for doing this is...SAFETY!  Cow's are large animals, and not all are "happy cows" all of the time.  Just recently a local man was "gorged" by a bovine.  He crawled to safety and a Life Flight helicopter had to take him to a hospital.  This is very serious, I do not know the condition of the man or his injuries, but he could have been killed. When cows or bulls are protective, they use what they have, and that can be horns.  To protect our workers, our other cattle, and ourselves, we de-horn.  This is done when they are young. 
I am not here to say that all farmers do it right-but I believe that 99.9% of farmers do!  This is our livlihood, this is where we raise our children.  We are good stewards of the land.  We are producers of your food and fiber, and we are happy to be supplying you with products that are nutritious, delicious and American made.

Michigan Agriculture-What Does the Future Hold?

Check this out!! HSUS has infiltrated Michigan, and although a coalition of farm commodity groups and organizations was formed, the pressure got to some and a compromise was initiated.

Some say the future is uncertain for agriculture here. Please support your local farm families as this is their way of life. Feeding the world-that's what it's all about! But it may be the world feeding us-sooner than you think!


http://advocatesforag.blogspot.com/2009/09/michigan-caves-to-hsus-pressure.html

Where's the Beef, the Chicken or the Pork?

You may be asking yourself this very question in the future.  "Where has all the meat gone?  Why can't I buy it in Michigan or Ohio or California anymore?"  Or any of the other states affected by poor legislative actions from people who don't really know the truth but rely on others to tell them the "story".
Do you believe everything you read or hear?  I would hope not.  But, I would say that sometimes you may hear things are just "amazing", "incredible", or even "inhumane?".   
As a dairy farmer, who is truly pro-active in the promotion and education of all of agriculture, it saddens me to think that people would believe anyone who isn't an actual farmer.  Would you ask questions of a lawyer if you wanted a diagnosis for an ailment?  Probably not.  Your best bet is to find a person who really knows their "business". 
Animal agriculture in this country is huge.  The majority of the population likes meat (and no I don't have numbers to back this statement up).  I am one of those people-the ones who enjoy a good steak, chicken salad, and pork loin.  I cannot think of a time or place where I have not seen any type of meat (pork, beef, chicken, fish) on a menu or in a store.  Obviously, I am not a vegetarian, but I am aware that there is a small population that does not eat meat.  And some don't even consume or use products from animals-not even dairy or poultry, these people are called vegans.  Each to his own.  And, I certainly don't ridicule these people, they have a choice, just like I have a choice to "Eat Meat".
I am no different than most people that I know.  I stand up for what I believe in and I tell the truth.  I don't make it a habbit to talk negatively about others.  But just for this "year", I am having a hard time sticking to that last point.  You see, there is a national organization, called the "Humane Society of the United States", HSUS, (led by a smooth talking man named Wayne Pacelle), not to be confused with any state or local Humane Society/Shelter.  This organization's purpose is to "eliminate animal agriculture" in the United States.  Now that leaves me in a bit of a pickle.  My families livelihood depends on animal ag, just like the thousands of farmers and ranchers throughout the U.S.  Where will McDonalds and Wendy's and all the other fast food chains be without hamburgers?  You guessed it-in another country.  And if there's no meat here, then the meat will come to us. Which leads us into another quandry-food safety!  America has the safest food supply in the world. Not to mention, the cheapest. 
The HSUS uses cute little puppies and kittens as their motive for collecting Millions of dollars a year from unsuspecting people, their annual budget is somewhere around $130 Million dollars. You may think you're helping to save the seals or the lost and abandoned animals, but in actuality you are contributing to their fundraising efforts to pass ballot initiatives in states such as California and Ohio.
My point is that people in the "business" know what they are talking about.  To let "outsiders" come into our state and fight for their "beliefs" is just immorally wrong.  Talk to a farmer, or someone who is directly connected to agriculture.  They are the experts-not people who don't live and breath it every day of their life.