Telling My Story

Recently we have seen several attacks on modern day agriculture by the “Main Stream Media”. Two articles in particular have been attracting a lot of attention. The first is the cover article for the August 31, 2009 edition of Time Magazine titled “Getting Real About the High Price Of Cheap Food”, and the second is an Op-ed that ran in the New York Times titled “Food For The Soul”. These are not the first attacks we have seen, and they certainly won’t be the last. In an effort to protect my way of life and the livelihood of my family, I find it necessary to respond to these attacks and attempt to tell the story of a family that is daily involved in production agriculture.

I own and operate a dairy farm, it is not just a job, it is my way of life. My children help with the chores, everything from feeding calves to milking to opening gates while I clean corals. They are as much a part of my dairy as anyone. Just the other day I was talking to some of my neighbors about what needed to be done while I was gone. My three year old son jumped into the conversation by telling them that someone had to milk, and someone had to feed the cows. We need to scrape the corals, but the tractor is broken so we have to use the skid loader, and on and on. It is as important to him as it is to me. I am constantly amazed by my 10 year old son, because he now knows the cows better than I do. If a cow or calf looses their tag, he can always tell me who it is. He can even tell me who their mothers are; he remembers them because he fed them as calves. I tell these quick stories to show that we do care for our cows. It is not uncommon to be up early or out late taking care of a sick calf or checking on a cow that is calving. Even on weekends and holidays the chores must be done before anything else.

With my family being so much a part of my life, the last thing I would want to do is endanger their health and future wellbeing by harming the environment and/or my community (as the critics of modern agriculture suggest I do). Our home is right next to our dairy. We take great care to see that the manure from our cows does not get into any water ways or cause any environmental damage; it is used as fertilizer to help grow crops to feed the cows. We understand the value of preserving and protecting the environment as our livelihood depends on it. Who is more likely to properly care for the environment, someone who visits once or twice a year or someone who is there every day? In reality, farmers and ranchers are the best stewards of the land because we have the most at stake.

In order for my cows to support me and my family they must be well cared for. The claims that we do not care for our animals, and are only involved for the profit is absurd. I would however like to see some profit someday soon. When one of your children gets sick, you take them to the doctor, give them medicine or do whatever is necessary for them to get better. We do the same for our animals. I consult regularly with my veterinarian, use antibiotics when needed, (but only when needed as they are expensive) and provide whatever care is needed to help the sick animal get better. I have found that this extra care most often takes place in the middle of the night or in a pounding rain, often an a Sunday morning, but it is part of the job and we do what we have to. Our animals are our livelihood, they are of the utmost importance to us. They do not sleep at the foot of our beds at night, have a place at the dinner table, or get invited in for family prayer, (although they are prayed for regularly). I am sometimes asked how I can spend all the time raising these animals and then send one of them to slaughter. The answer is simple; we understand the purpose of our animals, and the cycle of life.

Modern agriculture is often criticized for changing and adopting new technology. Today’s farms are not the same as they were 40 or 50 years ago, no industry is. Modern technology has allowed for higher yields per acre/per animal. This is important in order for us to feed an ever increasing population, on fewer and fewer acres. Modern technology also increases the quality and safety of the food we produce. Today, we can test for and prevent diseases that we did not even know existed 50 years ago. I know we hear about food recalls and people getting sick form something they ate, we only hear about this because today we have the ability to test for and track a disease all the way back to its point of origin, we could not do this 50 years ago. Modern technology allows us to produce food and get it to your table cheaper, this doesn’t happen because we cut corners on quality, we are simply more efficient at producing the food. Even on my relatively small family farm, I readily embrace new technology and am thankful for it. I would not want to go back to the “good old days” when everyone had 2or 3 cows some chickens and a pig in order to feed their families. My grandpa used to tell stories of hauling milk in a horse and wagon, he had to load the ten gallon milk jugs up onto the wagon at each stop and then deliver them to the creamery to be made into cheese, much less sanitary than the refrigerated trucks we use today. In his later years he told me anyone who talks about the “Good Old Days” has a dam poor memory.

I love being a farmer and being able to raise my children with a love for the land and the animals which we are stewards over. I take great pride in producing a product that is healthy and nutritious as well as delicious. When I take a drink of milk, eat a slice of cheese, or enjoy a bowl of ice cream, I am happy to have been able to produce the milk that went into that product. I personally know many farmers and ranchers from across the country who feel the same way about the products they and their families produce on their farms. In the United States today we have the cheapest, safest, most abundant food supply in history. I feel it is time that story is told.