Has anyone else noticed how we have become a nation of "we can't" as of late.

We can't drill for oil in Alaska because it will destroy the land. We can't drill for oil off our coasts because it will pollute the water. We can't use wind energy because nobody wants to look at those turbines and they harm the birds. We can't use nuclear energy because they will blow up. We can't use coal because it releases plant food (CO2) into the air. We can't build pipelines and refineries to make gasoline because they will leak.

We can't use modern farming techniques because they destroy the soil. We can't use chemicals to protect our crops because it is bad for people. We can't grow enough food to feed our planet because of ethanol. We can't use commercial fertilizers because they are made from fossil fuels. We can't use animal waste to fertilize because it contaminates water sheds.

We can't raise cattle because they release methane into the air. We can't raise any animals too close together because they produce too much waste. We can't use antibiotics to treat our animals because it will produce super bugs. We can't feed cattle corn because people need to eat it. We can't graze cattle on grass because they destroy riparian areas. We can't graze on public lands because of some endangered species. We can't raise poultry in an environementally controlled facility because it is cruel. We can't harvest animals for human consumption because it is inhumane and unethical.

When did "We Can't" become our national motto? I have had people question why Stacy and I spend so much time and energy trying to tell the story of agriculture because we can't stop the likes of HSUS and PETA from destroying animal agriculture in this country. I, however, believe that we can. If we all work together in agriculture, we can stop this movement in it's tracks. All of us need to realize that we are in this together.

Many of us in agriculture have several generations of the land in our blood. This did not happen because our ancestors said "we can't". We are the product of people that said "we can". And that is the one thing that the anti-agriculture groups have failed to take into account.