(On the farm- an 1830's barn, a hog house, and a new barn across the road)
Next week, I am going to speak at the Tri-State Sow Housing Conference. I am to be on a panel of producers speaking on the transition to group housing, you can read about our farm moving pigs inside from outside pastures in many of my previous posts. I am pretty sure my experiences will be unique on the panel, since the other producers are transitioning from stalled systems. It's exciting to meet with other farmers and hear about their challenges and innovations in our new systems.
Today I was informed that some animal activist groups have registered members for the conference. In an effort for transparency, the conference has decided to welcome them, and address any questions they have, while trying to keep things civil between the parties. I know that the panel I am speaking on may be a point of interest for for the activists, so I am fully aware that that I may be faced with some tough ethical questions. I have been in those situations before, and while it is hard, I feel like I can present myself and my industry as caring and responsible.
That being said, I am afraid. I am scared of what one person's bad experience with agriculture can do to my family, my community. Someday, something I write may cause somebody to find my farm and try to ruin what we have worked so hard to build. One video, one accusation, (even if it is unfounded) is enough to bring the farm to a screeching halt. Once somebody puts something bad out about the farm, it spreads like a disease. If I am doing something wrong, I absolutely want to be made aware, and I want to fix it. I don't even care about people knowing that I messed up. However, I don't want to be accused of not caring for the animals. I know there are things that can be improved on the farm, but I am doing the best I can with the information I have. I hold my coworkers to the standards set in place by our vets, packers, Pork Board, audits, and consumers. I fill out the necessary documentation. I can't promise that nothing bad has ever happened on the farm, but I can say with full confidence that everyday we become better at raising pigs. Part of getting better is learning from past mistakes. I am in no way saying we tolerate abuse, but what we know to be abuse now was not considered as such 25 years ago. We listened, learned, and changed our practices; we will continue to change.
People in the United States are entitled to their own beliefs, and can make choices on the goods and services they purchase based on any parameters they choose. I am not offended by people who follow their convictions even if I don't agree with them. I write about my experiences- not trying to be right or wrong, but to explain my perspective. I want to listen to what others have to say about production agriculture and learn from our conversations. The people who push you to grow aren't those that put you down, but those that challenge you to aim higher. I want to be part of the solution, and throwing around blame does not solve anything. To really make agriculture better, we have to identify our problems and channel our energy towards fixing them.
