This evening I was invited by the Truman University Collegiate Farm Bureau to sit on a panel regarding animal welfare issues and the impact on the environment from CAFO’s. I had the honor of sitting on this panel with a life long farmer from Marion County, Ralph Grisbaum. Ralph and I listened intently while we heard comments from an environmental professor from Truman and a retired economics professor as they shared their views on agriculture and how farmers should produce food to feed this country.
It was interesting to hear them talk about the many things they felt farmers were doing to harm the environment, like spraying manure in the air. Ralph and I quickly informed the audience that farmers INJECT their nutrients into the soil after we have tested the soil and nutrient. We explained to the crowd how farmers are the original environmentalist and how we take great pride in caring for our environment and animals.
Another misconception shared by our co-panelist was that farmers use antibiotics on a daily basis to promote growth. Our animals don’t carry health insurance and antibiotics are VERY expensive. We only use antibiotics when necessary to improve the quality of life for our animals.
Ralph and I spent three hours countering misconceptions about our industry. The one thing we, the panelist, all had in common was our desire to never have our food imported, our differences fell on how to achieve this goal. These professors were well intentioned but having never lived on a farm, they have fallen victim to the misconceptions being spread about our industry. While Ralph and I know we didn’t change everyone’s mind tonight, we know we made some of the attendees question the information they have been exposed to previously.