Another farm under siege article

[MistyBlue]

[QUOTE=RodeoFTW;8637243]
If I were him and I wanted to keep my business, yes. Sometimes that’s how it goes. Have you do not watch the news? Or read the newspaper?

Sometimes you even have to grasp change your business model to fit the changing cultural shifts lest be left behind or criticized![/QUOTE]

Sometimes you have to gasp educate oneself before making demands of anyone else changing their business model for one’s ignorant, uneducated and completely unfounded opinions.
So far you’ve quoted or referred to mainly the protesting side. You’ve made statements showing how little you know of farming and livestock outside of equine hobbies. And yet you’re the most prolific poster on a subject you know little to nothing about and have seemed to only bothered “learning” the side you’ve had a knee-jerk emotional reaction to.

The farmer isn’t being left behind and is only being criticized by people who don’t have even the bare-basic understanding of how food animals are raised.

You haven’t bothered learning anything about said-same subject but seem very eager in making proclamations on how that subject should be handled by people who do know all about it.

In this age of instant access to a world/history of knowledge, people are somehow becoming more ignorant. And becoming extremely emotional about their ignorance.

It hasn’t been false advertising or misrepresentation at all, their website says it all. Just because people are too ignorant or lazy to actually read that doesn’t mean the farmer has to change…it means those protesting him should be the ones changing…or at least learning. Or doing a teeny-tiny bit of research before blasting off.

I joined their Save Minnie FB page and was accepted, for reasons of curiosity and how this would play out. It’s frankly horrifying. I’ve read less stupidity in gang graffiti and less violent psychosis in mass-shooter manifestos. If you question anything they post or offer some information that’s actually valid, they’ll copy and paste a bunch of online articles they didn’t understand when they read them (that actually prove them wrong) or handfuls immediately hurl death threats, rape threats, “we’ll find you” threats and all sorts of nonsense.

They also gleefully point out every which way they can lie to gain media attention to force this farm to do whatever they want. “we’ve got him in the palm of our hand now, he has to do what we say or we can ruin him!” “The media isn’t returning calls any more, everyone start calling them with new stories! Make them even worse!” (suggestions for people to make up abuse stories for media attention, directed at people who’ve never been to the farm)

[roseymare]

@RodeoFTW;8637218

Yeah, I said go buy a dead one. That’s it. Sell the heifer and go buy dead one. He’s a farmer. As if he doesn’t know others like himself. It wouldn’t cost him much of anything (and would save his business, appeasing the haters) if he sold her for her true market value.

I’m not the only one who suggested he should just go buy another cow either.
XD

So now 2 farmers are going to lose money on this deal? And you have no idea about markets and value. Selling Minnie for market value is not going to get him the same return on his dollar as processing her for meat would. He would need to sell her above market value to cover processing costs and markup from retailer.

[Lord_Helpus]

These people should go to a 4H fair (and auction). The girls and boys raise a calf or pig or whatever and feed and groom it so it is in perfect condition and they present it to judges who give awards based on ??? Then, the next day there is an auction of meat buyers who bid on each animal, by the pound. these kids are very proud of having raised the animal who sold for the most in its category.

I would love for that lady to see the judging of these superbly clean and brushed animals, and the proud kids who win awards – then comeback for the meat auction, and see those same kids very pleased that what they have raised going to slaughter.

Those kids (and the FFA – Future farmers of America) know what it is to be close to an animal that will be killed for its meat.

PS: I think part of the problem with the farmer is that he only had one cow/bull. If he had 10, the “going to slaughter” issue might never have come up. But 1 or 111, the man has a right to do whatever he wants with his cow

[Gestalt]

[QUOTE=xQHDQ;8631232]
I don’t understand your question. I would much rather that the cow that I get my meat from was treated humanely, name or not. And, I’m sure this cow was treated as a cow and not a pet like a dog or cat. But, being treated like a cow (should) means getting proper veterinary care, being kept clean and free from parasites, being fed and watered appropriately, having shelter, not being overcrowded or in a situation of fear, etc.

This crazy woman seems to have ASSUMED that the farmer was treating the cow like a pet just because she had a name and was living in an ideal environment. It’s a pity that people like her have such a visual platform with today’s social media.[/QUOTE]

I don’t disagree that the woman seems silly and the issue is nuts, BUT anybody that deals with the public needs to understand that there are a lot of different viewpoints. Animals with adorable names are not what the general public think of when they think of beef.

The farmer humanized this animal. The cow isn’t a wild girl living on the open range. Her name is Minnie. There’s no getting around the pet status. I don’t think the woman is right to demonize the family, but she is entitled to her feelings and opinions however much we may think she’s nuts.

[Gestalt]

And I must ask, do you believe that cows are given medications and such? Kept free from parasites? I gotta say I think your post is…

[RodeoFTW]

[QUOTE=Gestalt;8637314]
I don’t disagree that the woman seems silly and the issue is nuts, BUT anybody that deals with the public needs to understand that there are a lot of different viewpoints. Animals with adorable names are not what the general public think of when they think of beef.

The farmer humanized this animal. The cow isn’t a wild girl living on the open range. Her name is Minnie. There’s no getting around the pet status. I don’t think the woman is right to demonize the family, but she is entitled to her feelings and opinions however much we may think she’s nuts.[/QUOTE]

Exactly my point.

Everyone has a different culture relating to animals.

People should see how cattle are treated in the Philippines, it’s bizarre as hell.

[Red_Barn]

@D_BaldStockings;8636983

Perhaps you need to get a bit more information about agritainment and agritourism, both of which are legal recognized adjunct to farm income.
Doing ‘country things’ in a country setting is all part of the concepts.
http://extension.psu.edu/business/ag-alternatives/farm-management/agritainment

Right.

I’m no world-class expert or anything, but I have taken a number of undergrad courses on the politics and marketing of sustainable food. It’s an important industry in my state, and I’m well aware of how important community outreach and education can be.

This is one of the main reasons that Mr Benner and his ultra-twee theme park are so galling to me. One jerk like this, alienating consumers and turning small farms into laughing stocks, sets everybody back a couple of pegs, and that’s the last thing we need.

Now, I understand that a number of the loudest voices here are really just factory/CAFO people indulging in the usual paranoia about “extremists” and “agri-terrorists”. God knows we’ve heard it all before, but I really think that this approach is quite inappropriate here.

Minnie’s misguided defenders aren’t PETA, and they aren’t particularly “radical”. These are ordinary people who might have been part of a great support network for family farming across the board. Instead of this, though, they’re angry, alienated, and newly militant for reasons that the people on this board really ought to grasp fairly readily.

The fact that they obviously don’t grasp these reasons at all, and that they’re mightily defending some shyster’s inalienable “right” to lie endlessly about farming practice if only it rakes in the pennies, really is just about the weakest, most self-defeating position I can imagine.

[MistyBlue]

There’s a VAST difference in college courses on farming, agri, etc and living it.
Vast. Seriously. I could take all of the pre-med and med courses and not be qualified to either perform surgery or dictate parameters for it to surgeons.

Those on here that aren’t outraged by a man eating a cow he named and not giving in to the shrill demands of the Feels Group aren’t factory/cafo…(not to mention that ‘factory farm’ is a term used as accurately as “assault rifle” by people without experience in either one)…the people lacking the outrage happen to have common sense and multi-generational first hand experience and knowledge of actual livestock and farming. On a small scale. Like the subject farm of this thread.

Farming for profit is very little profit garnered by a lot of manual work. Just because they make an income on trying to teach others about farming does NOT make them evil, bad, shysters, whatever.

I’m on their FB page, they most definitely are “PETA” by majority. Just click on any of their personal pages and you’ll see PETA in their list of likes/support on a large majority of them. Because they’ve all gravitated to pages like this. The radicals are having a blast riling up the ignorant. The ignorant are lapping it up.

This was started by a woman incapable of understanding the wording on the farm’s website stating that the animals are part of the raising food and became shrill and attention-grabbing by insisting the man sell her the cow and go buy a Whole Foods steak.
She was joined by a cadre of nitwits insisting that the man GIVE them the cow FOR FREE and then thank his lucky stars that they didn’t “Ruin his life!” for trying to force public theft of his next year’s groceries. Because those groceries had a name and nobody was able to understand that MOST small to medium farms NAME their food. And they LET KIDS PET the groceries! The HORROR! The GALL!

But all of this is a-ok as long as nobody ever meets the animals they eat, or names it.

But then “factory farms” are big meanies because they don’t care about the cows! Nobody pets them! They have numbers, not names!

Well hello there Removed From Reality America…let’s all force everyone to kowtow to the lowest level of ignorance because…well, the feels ya know.

[RodeoFTW]

I am flabbergasted by your first paragraph alone. Like, do you feel that threatened by someone who might have more education than you?

Experience isn’t everything, although Red Barn also has a farm herself. She’s not all books and no dirt.

Just. Wow.

[dags]

[QUOTE=RodeoFTW;8637323]
Exactly my point.

Everyone has a different culture relating to animals.

People should see how cattle are treated in the Philippines, it’s bizarre as hell.[/QUOTE]

And then get on the internet, launch a volatile petition, and demand to take away all their cows?

Because the Philippine tourist web site neglected to mention that Philippine cows don’t sing in the bathtub like they do in America?

[RodeoFTW]

[QUOTE=dags;8637419]
And then get on the internet, launch a volatile petition, and demand to take away all their cows?

Because the Philippine tourist web site neglected to mention that Philippine cows don’t sing in the bathtub like they do in America?[/QUOTE]

It’s perfectly legal. You don’t have to like it.

Oh no, in the PI they tie their cows against their houses or right next to the street or in the ditches. It makes for very interesting scenery.

[dags]

[QUOTE=RodeoFTW;8637423]
It’s perfectly legal. You don’t have to like it.

Oh no, in the PI they tie their cows against their houses or right next to the street or in the ditches. It makes for very interesting scenery.[/QUOTE]

Okaaay. It’s perfectly legal for the man to slaughter his own cow and they don’t have to like it.

They are being radical, which is just a Nope. for me. Life wasn’t as pretty as they wanted it to be and they are throwing a hissy fit. In front of children. A Cause landed on their New York lap and they’re gonna save ONE cow.

Instead of explaining to the children that this is why it’s great to buy locally sourced meat that is humanely (and maybe even lovingly!) raised & slaughtered. And potentially making the lives of millions of cows better by raising awareness about meat processing practices in the next generation of carnivores.

[RodeoFTW]

But they aren’t so there you go.

[Red_Barn]

[QUOTE=RodeoFTW;8637413]
I am flabbergasted by your first paragraph alone. Like, do you feel that threatened by someone who might have more education than you?

Experience isn’t everything, although Red Barn also has a farm herself. She’s not all books and no dirt.

Just. Wow.[/QUOTE]
Thank you, Comrade Rodeo.

But yeah. I do have a farm, and this is why I take such an interest in this topic.

It’s also why I don’t fall for all the truly appalling self-pity that inevitably bubbles up in these discussions . . . the feeling of superiority; the contempt for any consumer who actually wants to be informed about what she shoves in her gob . . . and OMG, the whining.

[Insert eye-roll emoticon here.]

Not every farmer on earth has a chip on his shoulder, or considers himself endlessly entitled for no apparent reason.

Many farmers honestly love their work, respect the people who eat their food, and are actually proud and happy to explain exactly what it is they do, and why they struggle so hard to remain independent.

Those people are admirable.

[myhorse]

RodeoFTW, did you join here just for this thread?

[RodeoFTW]

rUDE

[Mosey_2003]

Think so.

[D_BaldStockings]

[QUOTE=MistyBlue;8637300]
Sometimes you have to gasp educate oneself before making demands of anyone else changing their business model for one’s ignorant, uneducated and completely unfounded opinions.
So far you’ve quoted or referred to mainly the protesting side. You’ve made statements showing how little you know of farming and livestock outside of equine hobbies. And yet you’re the most prolific poster on a subject you know little to nothing about and have seemed to only bothered “learning” the side you’ve had a knee-jerk emotional reaction to.

The farmer isn’t being left behind and is only being criticized by people who don’t have even the bare-basic understanding of how food animals are raised.

You haven’t bothered learning anything about said-same subject but seem very eager in making proclamations on how that subject should be handled by people who do know all about it.

In this age of instant access to a world/history of knowledge, people are somehow becoming more ignorant. And becoming extremely emotional about their ignorance.

It hasn’t been false advertising or misrepresentation at all, their website says it all. Just because people are too ignorant or lazy to actually read that doesn’t mean the farmer has to change…it means those protesting him should be the ones changing…or at least learning. Or doing a teeny-tiny bit of research before blasting off.

I joined their Save Minnie FB page and was accepted, for reasons of curiosity and how this would play out. It’s frankly horrifying. I’ve read less stupidity in gang graffiti and less violent psychosis in mass-shooter manifestos. If you question anything they post or offer some information that’s actually valid, they’ll copy and paste a bunch of online articles they didn’t understand when they read them (that actually prove them wrong) or handfuls immediately hurl death threats, rape threats, “we’ll find you” threats and all sorts of nonsense.

They also gleefully point out every which way they can lie to gain media attention to force this farm to do whatever they want. “we’ve got him in the palm of our hand now, he has to do what we say or we can ruin him!” “The media isn’t returning calls any more, everyone start calling them with new stories! Make them even worse!” (suggestions for people to make up abuse stories for media attention, directed at people who’ve never been to the farm)[/QUOTE]

Can’t like this enough!!!
Thank you!

[amm2cd]

So far, what I’m getting is that it’s someone else’s fault when the truth doesn’t paint the picture you want. And, as usually happens when the individual runs out of cohesive arguments or lacks a leg to stand on, the insults and threats start.
When you visit a Working Farm, everything has a job or purpose; cats hunt mice, horses pull plows, cows provide milk meat and future generations of milk and meat. None of those things are pets, even if they have names. A name does not equal pet. Livestock does not equal passive neglect or “hide behind the barn” mentality.

When did it become society’s job to shelter individuals from truths? Meat comes from cows. Cows are sometimes treated very well until their time comes. Sometimes that involves a name.

I don’t understand the names this farmer has been called, shyster, fraud, lier, etc. He very well could have given a non-answer like “she will spend her life with us”. Because he honestly put a face with that package she probably just bought from Whole Foods, she got all agasted. As long as the cow is content and cared for, what is the big deal? Does she want beef cows to be unhandled, impersonable, neglected creatures?

I’ll bet she’s the type of mom who campaigns to get a teacher fired when her kid fails a test…

[SuzieQNutter]

Yes our cattle are given vaccinations and wormed. We vaccinate with 7 in 1 which vaccinates for 7 disease in once. We inject with dectomax which kills internal and external parasites. What makes you think that we don’t. If we have a sick calf we can give it penicillin.