81° - 8:14 pm
By Matt Reese
With a poof of disdain amid a cloud of black language, the Backyarditarian stormed into the breakfast meeting of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance late last month.
At the Chicago meeting, food related bloggers were invited to meet with the nearly 20 farmers (including my wife, Kristin) at the event to share breakfast and open conversation. Because
Am I fully expressing my chicken-ness?
Kristin represented by far the smallest farm there, all of the bloggers invited were tolerant of her, though some asked her how she could associate with these other large-scale farmers. The bloggers, in general, were very extreme in their disdain of “Big Ag.”
From their comments and conversations, it appears that the staunchest opponents of “Big Ag” at the event do not care about: food prices, farm profitability, a shortage of food in the absence of Big Ag, technology and efficiency, efforts to maximize animal care, or environmental stewardship efforts. They DO care about hating large farms and putting them out of business. Period.
While the bloggers in attendance clearly had a set agenda, most of them had legitimate questions that led to constructive conversations with the farmers. The Backyarditarian, however, took things to a different level of pure, cold, industrial factory farm hate. While most of the bloggers were firm in their one-sided and skewed beliefs, none even approached the lack of professionalism or unwillingness to have a legitimate conversation demonstrated by the Backyarditarian (a lady who blogs regularly at backyarditarian.com).
Here is excerpt from her blog following the meeting with farmers representing operations of various sizes. Please note that I have edited the foul language that appeared in its full regalia in her actual blog and from her actual mouth in conversations at the event in Chicago.
“I was, in a textbook sense, very bad today. I pushed a nice Virginia lady to near tears, told a cherubic Ohio mom that what she did was f—ing evil and, in an exasperated moment of utter despair, equated the work of a bunch of ‘family farmers’ to the evil doings of Wall Street at it’s worst…Industrial farmers, the people I talked to today, their work is tearing apart the very health of our society — degrading the animals they raise, polluting the environment and, if you did a little research, you’d learn and take heed, damaging your health.
Oh, and you should know — the ‘farmers’ and ranchers’ that are perpetrating the atrocities of factory farming, they actually believe that what they are doing is right and just.
It’s legal, even.
Just like Wall Street!
Me, I’d rather just get financially raped by Wall Street than have to face the horror that the people on the front line of our food supply are, I dunno, shockingly ignorant? mindbogglingly clueless? utterly inhumane?
So while I was, I admit, audacious in my outrage, what I learned today is that outrage may be our only salvation.
Because these people who produce our food are not listening.”
She goes on to express her concerns in her blog in response to the breakfast meeting with the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance:
“After today, I realize that if you don’t know your farmer, you are probably eating something grown, raised or harvested — let alone processed — by someone who, really, you should not trust. And I realize that I need to jumpstart my research and remembering. I need to pay more attention to the food community and not just worry about my own food. I need to worry about the food of people who don’t know to worry or, maybe, don’t have time.
Maybe that is to say I need to worry more actively — and proactively.
Because today, I met the farmers and ranchers who grow your food.
And they frightened me to the very core of my being.”
It all seems to boil down to the fact that she is really upset. She is not exactly sure at what and she is not exactly sure why, but it is all included in Big Ag. She spouts off about atrocities of animal care, a chicken’s ability to express its “chicken-ness” and hormones in food, but cites no credible evidence to back anything up, at least in this particular blog post. Here is another enlightening excerpt from her blog:
“I don’t retain a lot of facts about it. I don’t have to, really. I am just me, choosing what I want to eat and what I feel is responsible. To be honest, I don’t really have time to get involved with the politics of food beyond posting a few articles on Facebook — which is, I believe, a personal endeavor — or having a conversation with people who, pretty much, already heartily agree with what I think.”
In short, she doesn’t like what she sees and does not agree with it, so it must be wrong, right? And, in skimming through the comments on her blog, she twists every positive suggested by “Big Ag” proponents into yet another evil and turns every pro into a con. She is very gifted at doing this, along with her clear talent for proficient and artistic use of the f-bomb.
She wraps up her blog with this (again, I will let you fill in the blanks for the choice words):
“But you know, maybe, just maybe, I ended up realizing that inappropriate outspokenness is what is needed. Maybe we need to tell these people that what they are doing is, in fact, f—ing evil. Because it is.
Because from what I witness this morning — they are too clueless, methinks, to understand nuance. They trot out their homespun families and talk about, oh, how hard it was for grandpa to weed the fields or tend the pigs. They marvel in the technology that manages the carefully calibrated environments these animals live in.
They are frightening. And they are the front line of producing your food.
It is time for you to tell them all to go to hell. When you do, make sure it is loud and proud.”
Wow. Those are some strong words directed at the people behind the safest, most productive food system in the history of the world.
I did some additional surfing around on the Backyarditarian’s website and did find some very impressive stuff (I am not being sarcastic, it really is impressive). She goes to great lengths to produce her own food or procure it from a farm that meets her standards. She even went so far as to butcher a hog in her urban dwelling. I think everyone at that breakfast meeting would have loved hearing about her efforts and passion for local food, but they never got the chance to find any common ground with the Backyarditarian because a thick shell of wrath obscured it. That was unfortunate for all parties involved.
She clearly has a passion and a talent for great food, but so do those farmers she hates, whether she knows it or not. And, though we know that her hate is based on inaccuracies and exaggerations, she doesn’t. And, honestly, I don’t think that there is anything anyone can tell her or show her that will change her mind. But, I will say, her most recent blog post and continued dialogue with farmers of all sizes, hints at possible signs of future open-mindedness.
Her views are very extreme, but most consumers (by the way, the food bloggers also hate the use of the word “consumers”) are closer to her side of the spectrum than the side of farmers who are producing their food. And, though their views may be very different than yours or mine, most people really do have a legitimate desire to learn more about agriculture, and rightly so. Those in agriculture need to be open to questions and provide clear and relevant answers. Agriculture needs to do a better job of listening to concerns and appropriately addressing them in our farming operations.
There is an old Bob Dylan song about how, no matter who you are or what you do, you have to serve somebody. Being the on the front line of food production, environmental stewardship, and use of natural resources, farmers have to serve everybody — even foul-mouthed food bloggers from Chicago.
Matt, I definitely respect your need to write this post and your point. And, you are a far better writer than I am for certain.
I was definitely freaked out. I expected and thought that I was going to meet Monsanto. Instead, I met people. Your wife. I have about 20 years of growing fears wrapped up inside me. My friends’ kids are sick. the Pink Slime. The GMOs I keep reading are killing all the bugs and causing cancer, already, they aren’t that old.
You may argue with my points and I admit at every turn that I don’t have a lot of facts. I don’t think this is where this discussion takes place.
But I offer that stuff up to share that I did walk in with determination. I was angry and confused. The emotions I felt as my close-minded little brain when I was confronted with — actual people — were frankly too much for me.
I doubt, in the talks you guys have around the country, that you will meet many as vocal as me. I am quite sure, though Portland might be rough, that people won’t be so willing to share the dark crevices of their fear. But you probably also won’t meet someone so open to engage in the comments back on their blog — and then, in order to learn, make a project out of reaching out.
I appreciate your linking to my latest post. I hope you and your will wife will take me up on my offer and be the feature of one of our “meals.”
As I mentioned in the comments of the blog — comments from a Slow Fooder who was really pissed at me for what she felt was “communication killing behavior” — sometimes getting to a point where to sides can at least converse isn’t pretty, nice, and polite.
But if we get there, don’t we all win?
I don’t for once blame you for writing a post that rails against me. But now that it is out of your system, as I had to get my rage out of my system, I hope you’ll take my outreached hand and start anew.
I’ve got May free. If you & your wife let us drive to Ohio, Grant and I would love to break bread and see if we can, us four, solve the problem of food in America.
Extend my sincere apology to your wife. or, even better, let me do that myself.
Ellen, that is a very interesting suggestion and one we are considering. We will need to discuss this further and get back with you sometime soon.
To be faced with pent-up hatred is frustrating not to mention a waste of a good opportunity to discuss opposing views. Reason does not work in this instance, but there is sufficient support, although often silent, for agriculture. Continue your good work for understanding.
I can’t defend Ellen’s reaction except to say two things:
1) it was a very awkward situation – three of us from the local/small/organic-ish farming side and 25-30 farmers and ranchers with the opposing viewpoint. Farmers and ranchers who had spent the entire previous day learning from Ketchum staff about how to talk with people “like us”. How should we react exactly? There was a certain element of being trapped in a corner. (yes, there were actually five of us, but two never spoke at all)
2) Though the reaction may have been too “hot”, it is clear if you read the full stream at Ellen’s blog and you read her comment above and you read this: http://bit.ly/HPH7Fl, that she is learning and changing from the experience. A LOT! And I’m right there with her in that process. Please go see for yourself that she is changing over time and steering this experience toward a positive end result. She wouldn’t have to do that. She could persist in a bull-headed way to insist on only her viewpoint – geez, she’s now willing to concede some GMO planting to Mike!
I’m not arguing for a premeditated “end justifies the means” thing here. I’m saying, looking back on it, that Ellen is an outspoken personality who did what she did. Now she’s learning and mending and striving toward better communication among us all. A controlled burn.
Please join us and help us learn and be more understanding.
Mike:
I appreciate your taking the time to write! I’d like to discuss this paragraph from you:
“From their comments and conversations, it appears that the staunchest opponents of “Big Ag” at the event do not care about: food prices, farm profitability, a shortage of food in the absence of Big Ag, technology and efficiency, efforts to maximize animal care, or environmental stewardship efforts. They DO care about hating large farms and putting them out of business. Period.”
I do in fact care about price, profitability, food availability, animal care and the environment. That is exactly why I am a local food activist.
Now, I think what needs to happen in this opening dialogue is that both sides need to learn that we have different definitions of these things. Take animal care, for one example. Large agricultural practices see clean facilities with roofs, CFL lights and regulated food troughs with formulated feeds and heavy antibiotic use as “good animal care”. I think it probably is good animal care, “within the large-scale model”. But I would ask you to consider that MY definition of “good animal care” means letting the animals outside. Letting them root and scavenge for feed like they are designed to do. Letting them eat grass if they’re a cow. Labeling chicken eggs as “vegetarian” in grocery stores is just not natural, yet the consumer is being led to believe it is. Chickens are not vegetarian. Why feed them that way?
A million chickens bred for large breasts, with legs so weak from disuse that they cannot stand up long is not “good animal care” even if their cages are kept clean and their feed is thoughtfully regulated.
Would such open-air farming methods mean we have a drop in the availability of meat (regardless of price), yes. And frankly, we need to eat less meat.
We define “good animal care” differently.
Same goes for the environment and all the other issues you list. You have a different working definition of “good” or “acceptable” in each case. We need to share these differences, hold them up to our current human and planet health, and leave it to readers and consumers to decide which definition suits them.
FIrst, this statement was based upon the lack of acceptance from you and others with regard to listing these things as answers for why we can and do justify large farms. Based on what I have seen from you and others in comments on the notorious blog post (and other blog posts) you say that all of these factors are not justification for large farms. Please do point out if I am wrong about this, but you really do not care if large farms are working on environmental improvements, providing a more stable food supply for hungry people, and lower prices for consumers. You do not agree with what large farms are doing whether they are accomplishing those goals or not. Is that incorrect?
I absolutely agree that we have different definitions. First, antibiotic use occurs as necessary for the health of the animal on farms of every size. “Heavy” antibiotic use does not occur in general because, if for no other reason, that it costly and unnecessary. If large farms are as greedy as you say, why would they spend extra money on antibiotic use that they don’t need for the health and productivity of their animals? This does not make any sense for any farm, large or small.
I also agree that there are differing definitions of animal care out there, which is fine, probably even good. If you want to buy eggs from a chicken that eats bugs and flaps its wings in the sunshine, you have plenty of places to get them. I would be happy to sell you some from our farm, in fact. We sell them for $3 a dozen. I could even mark them up extra for you so you can feel REALLY good about buying them. But, why do you think everyone should share your definition of good animals care and why do you feel that those who may have a different definition, or want lower cost eggs, should not have the option of purchasing them from large farms? This does not make any sense to me either.
Also, if you want to eat less meat, that is fine. And that is your choice. Why do you think you should make that choice for others? Again, this does not make sense to me. I think we already have a fantastic food system that allows for these choices.
If you want people to eat healthier, why don’t you work on educating them about problems associated with the over-consumption of meat, or soda, or sugar, or fast food or whatever? Why don’t you focus your efforts on informing people about consuming a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, meats and grains? If you think eating local is important, why don’t you provide people FACTUAL information on how local foods offer a great-tasting, nutritious, and delicious option that allows them to support their local economy? Many people in agriculture put quite a bit of effort into educating about healthy food choices. I am guessing that you do this as well. It certainly seems like educating people about eating better (by any definition) is a more productive use of time for your end goals than being (often inaccurately) critical of “Big Ag.”
the thing that keeps coming to mind when i read different blogs, articles, and such is someone, or some groups have convinced the smaller grass-fed, all natural, organic, and backyard farmer that the rest of us in ag are their enemy and want to elimnate them. that could not be farther from the truth. anyone producing food is needed, wanted, and appreciated. i like farmers markets and the neighbor that sells eggs. it gives me access to fresh food that due to a lack of time, knowledge, or desire i would not have access to. everyone growing/producing food should be standing together in defense of those who want to eliminate any or all sections of agriculture. seems like a conquer and divide tactic that is quite successful, doesn’t it?
For my part, I have heard Ellan and Grant’s questions/comments and the passion they feel, against the backdrop of similar passions I have with Health care for myself and my family.
With health care I feel absolutely trapped by the “system” and I just want to strike out at anyone associated with it, irregardless of the fact they are just trying to do the best they can at caring for people. I HAVE TO listen and take their advice and often their treatments and pills or risk the unknown consequences. Just like if at my annual exam the Dr. glances (his eyes hardly having time to focus) and says “You need to see a specialist and have this or that looked at”. No study. No questions. Just, boom, here is your treatment….. Which leaves me feeling like “Now what do I do? How do I pay for this? Is it serious? What risk am a taking if I don’t go? How am I supposed to know? I just want to scream.” If he would have spent just a little time looking at me and explaining anything I would have felt better. Now I am just confused at what to do.
I hear Ellan and Grant, to some degree, in the same position only with food. Agriculture is saying “Here is your food. Eat it. Trust us it is fine.” But all around them they see and hear things that cause them to doubt if it is “fine” or that agriculture can be “trusted”. So what are they supposed to do? Hence, passion and frustration can result in some pretty strong statements being made. I can appreciate that feeling.
Lashing out at my Dr. probably isn’t right or fair. Lashing out at the farmer (agriculture) probably isn’t right or fair. It can be understood by me in this framework.
Does any of this come close to the mark? I don’t want to speak for other people, just explain how I am thinking about the issue.
Thanks.
In retrospect, the meeting structure didn’t work out well. The balance between hosts and guests was out of whack and I can see where the guests felt “outnumbered”. If USFRA provided date, time, and contact info to farmers they could personally invite the bloggers to the conversation. The event doesn’t need to be a large group meeting. Just leave it as personal table conversations. Let the conversations form naturally between the farmer host and the blogger guest and see where they go. If they don’t work out, they end early. No foul there. At no time should a “guest” feel outnumbered or ganged up on. That is an invitation for passionate speeches. So I am saying there are some structural changes that could be made fairly easily that will promote a natural two way conversation. Do others have ideas?
Thanks again.
Charles, thanks for writing that. I hope what Grant and I are doing now will help with some of that structural change. But, in many ways, you did really nail it here.
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Charles, very well-said! Thanks so much for thinking things through this way. Taking your doctor analogy further, you want your doctor to talk with you and understand your side, your feelings, your concerns in order to better treat you, correct?
Consumers want that too. Small, nearby farms present that opportunity. Large farms do not. I don’t know what the answer there is. Certainly ag gag rules are not helping. Nor do large-scale food-borne illness outbreaks.
Separate topic: Matt makes the point that heavy antibiotic use would never occur because it is not a good economic choice. I understand money being a cost consideration, but isn’t it perhaps also true that spending a little more on antibiotics in order to get an animal to market quicker could be beneficial? And also, as a farm scales up and up, animals are moved closer and closer together. They live in confinement, in close quarters. This de facto leads to more illness, just like a bunch of kids crammed in a classroom means the teacher goes home sick more often than if she, say, worked a different job. So a byproduct of confinement (which is a high yield decision) is that there is more illness. Thus, more antibiotic use.
Please help me understand if I’m missing something here, but I am just trying to speak for a lot of people out here who see it like I describe above and wonder whether close confinement of animals, which leads to heavy antibiotic use is a good idea after all. Yes, it produces a lot of affordable food, but step back and ask whether it is a good idea for everyone’s health and the health of the planet?
Just curious of your thoughts on this…? Intending to be asking this with great respect!
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I was sitting in the room, at the USFRA breakfast, at the table with Grant in fact. At our table, there were two farmers and Grant. The host of the breakfast sat down at the table for a while and just listened, but the conversation was between Grant, myself and the other farmer. I thought things were going fine, actually I thought they went good. We talked about a lot of things, food and non food related. It was not until all the tables began to interact that I realized all the tables had not had the experience our table had. I was sad for that, because I enjoyed meeting Grant very much.
I am keeping up with his and Ellen’s 100 Meals project. I hope to get them down to Texas before they run out of meals. One of the things that Grant asked me to do was share a thought I had on one of our emails, so here it is Grant:
“Something in your email made me want to say that I would never try to “change your mind” or “convince” you of anything. I think your dedication to your way of life in your food choices is amazing. What I would hope is that you might be able to just understand and respect why I am so comfortable with my food choices. I have given it a lot of thought, why is it that I don’t think a single time when I reach for anything at all at the grocery store or eat at any restaurant? The thing I keep coming back to is so stinkin’ simple, that I am sure there has to be more, but here it is: I was raised in a cotton gin office, all I ever knew were farmers, farmers wives, farmers kids, all my friends are farmers, my husband is a farmer. Most of the things I go do are with other farmers, from all over the United States. When I meet new farmers, they are not strangers, because they are exactly like the farmers I have known and loved all my life. Cotton Farmer Wilde from Texas, is a clone of Cranberry Farmer Smith from Maine is a clone of Cattle Farmer Jones from Kansas. I told you, it may just be too simple, and I have to do a lot more thinking on this. But right now, that’s the answer as to why I trust my food, because I trust the men (and it is mostly men, let’s be honest here) that I know and the one’s I have met from everywhere else are just like the ones I know here. I feel like I know the guy who raised my bell pepper my whole life, like I said, maybe just too stinkin’ simple. But I am thinking!! This may fit right into your first meal topic about trust.”
A lot of conversation has resulted from that breakfast, and that is a really, REALLY good thing.
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