Top Reports for 2013

Did you reach your goals for 2013?


Never stop trying to get the things you want because you never know what you might accomplish along the way. This brings me to our top five reports of 2013.

• A Letter From The Cows To Chipotle
• A Real Farm Voice
• Secret Dairy Farm Footage (So Boring)
• This Must Be A Factory Farm
• iPhone 5C Is For Cows

Let us all strive for the best and look to the new year not as the inevitable, but rather as a new book who's ending can only be written by us.

Agent 101, reporting from the Udder Side.

This Is Not a Factory Farm

Somebody sent this video to The Farmer (on a post about potty training of all things!)


Mississippi Milk from Barefoot Workshops on Vimeo.

Is this factory farming? Is it a factory farm? He works, like us cows, at a business facility manufacturing a product, milk, for sale to consumers. Could you not describe Ford Motor Company the same way?

He and his family are obviously an awesome example of the American entrepreneurial spirit. Man sees a need and creates a business to fill that need. How could anyone have anything but well wishes and support for this man and his family?

Is it a model for the entire dairy industry? Should "factory farms" be outlawed as a commenter suggested in a previous report and farms only of 8-12 cows be allowed? No, obviously that is a terrible idea. This dairy is well serving a niche market, but how could farm operations of this size meet demand for milk and all other dairy products? As I have said before, there is room for all sizes in the market.

As a cow, I still ask what is factory farming? At what size then does a farm incur "factory" status? The farm I'm on is ten times bigger than the one in the video. Ten times! Do I then reside on a factory farm? Is fifty okay, but fifty-one cows too many? Is five hundred cows okay, but five hundred and one too many?

Is factory farming defined by meanness to animals? The commenter was aghast at violence against animals and rightfully so. Is it only big farms that are mean to the animals on them? Could you not have five animals and still be cruel to them? One bad apple can spoil the lot, so why then are all farms punished for the sins of the few? Ask a mother, like me and my calves, which offspring she has the most love for. She would respond that she loves them all no matter how many calves, or babies, she has. How so are farmers like this toward their animals. They all have value.

Are there bad farms? Yes, unfortunately there are and there are also bad people, but I hope the entire human race is not condemned for the actions of the few. Factory farm is a generic term tossed around that is all about emotion just as in the Chipotle video I wrote about it. People should not allow emotions to be the basis of all of their opinions when the actual facts of the matter tell a completely different story. Read about CAFO: "The Auschwitz of Livestock?" by Holly Spangler to find out how the facts outweighed an emotional appeal to sway one group of moms.

Agent 101, reporting from the Udder Side.

This Must Be A Factory Farm

Honestly, I never knew I lived on a factory farm. In 1920 there were an estimated nine dairy cows on a farm.  I mean literally a person who had lost a finger could still count the number of dairy cows per farm with two hands. I guess this is just the way the Scarecrow in the Chipotle video would have started. I mean, of course, if he actually had dairy cows.

There were many comments on my letter to Chipotle decrying so-called "factory farms." Obviously someone who hates farmers in general came up with that phrase, but lets think about it for a moment.

Why Do Farms Grow?

There are many reasons for a farm to grow. "Dad (or Mom, Uncle, etc), I'd like to farm with you" is the beginning of some farm's expansion. If a new family member joins the farm how will the farm pay them? These farms expand with more animals in order to be able to add that new member. Imagine this happening over multiple generations. I think this helps explain why over 97% of farms are family farms.

Decreasing margins have also caused many farms to grow. The biggest expenses for farms are feed, fuel, and fertilizer. The prices of these items have increased exponentially in the last twenty years. The price of milk paid to The Farmer, for example, has remained fairly constant over the same time period, especially when compared to the growth of the others. Adding more animals to the operations is a solution to keep the farm going.

Greed

Greed was often cited in the comments of my Letter To Chipotle. I pointed out in the previous post about how the Scarecrow was a capitalist, a businessman. He can work hard, sell his product, and expand. At what point of building his business, opening more stores, and selling to more people does he become greedy? Is success evil? If you are good at something, if you are a productive member of society, when should you stop being productive at the risk of being called greedy? As a cow watching this video about a scarecrow being saddened about big business and starting his own, I can't help but wonder if he thinks that a national chain like Chipotle is greedy and bad, too.

Factories Are Bad

Here's another thing I have yet to figure out and that is why are factories bad? I'm not sure The Farmer could manage one of those jobs solely based on the fact that he doesn't like to tuck in his shirt. Two actual factories in The Farmer's area closed down in the last year and they were a great loss for the communities.
Factories provide honest jobs for honest people.

What about farms? The economic impact of one cow is more than $15,000, which is even more so in some areas. Farms provide jobs on site as well create a demand for local jobs. Farm suppliers, feed sources, building material, trucking, and many others benefit from farms of all sizes.

Regardless of all of this, I am a cow that is not on the farm of your grandparents or great grandparents. I live on a farm in the 21st century. The current average herd size of a dairy farm is 115 cows and the overwhelming majority have less than a hundred cows. That's still ten times larger than a farm from one hundred years ago. Am I a factory cow? I still don't know what that means. I do know that I am well cared for and I believe the same can be said at other farms no matter the size.

I'll let you ruminate on that because I've got to go. I'm next in line to be milked!

Agent 101, reporting from the Udder Side.

A Letter From The Cows To Chipotle

Dear Chipotle,

I was deeply disappointed after watching your Scarecrow video that misrepresented modern agriculture practices. Pandering a 1984-esque post dystopian nightmare of farming to the ill informed is not how food should be marketed. Of all the gross misconceptions shown in the video the ones of dairy cows offended me, a cow, the most. I have never been in a metal box and unable to move. Honey, if you even think you could get me in one I'd like to see you try! 

As far as cows riding on conveyor belts that is not a nightmare that is a dream.  I can imagine The Farmer having conveyors we could take from the barn to the pasture or even a green field for us to graze on. I also don't think you thought out the conclusion to your scifi story. The scarecrow, being the good capitalist that he is, starts a small business. As it grows, perhaps as Chipotle itself has grown, he will use new methods that maintain sustainability in order to meet his demand. Others might view these as industrial practices and vilify him as only replacing those he sought to stop in the first place. Welcome to my world! 

Some might view me, even as only one of a hundred cows, as being on a "factory farm" as described in the video. The truth is that we cows need the same amount of care no matter the scale of the farming operation. If I am well cared for then I will be productive. This is the first truth every farmer must learn. Cows, and animals in general, that are treated the way those in the video proposes could not exist on a real farm. That must be why you made a cartoon!

What is disturbing is how you are marketing your food by putting down modern agriculture and making it look evil. Farmers have innovated with new ideas like many other businesses. You don't expect a banker to continue using a paper ledger to compute figures, do you? Then neither should you expect farmers to remain stagnant. Research by companies, universities, and extension have not only allowed farmers to be more productive, they have also allowed farmers to provide better care of their animals (very important to me!), and be more environmentally friendly so they can continue to pass their farm to the next generation. That's sustainability!

The market is actually big enough for farms of all sizes and production practices. There is no reason to denigrate one over the other. Our milk is marketed as wholesome and nutritious and it just tastes delicious, even if i do say so myself. That's how you do it! If you have a better product then tell it and sell it, but please don't misrepresent everyone else in order to make a profit.

Sincerely,

Agent 101 from the Udder Side.

P.S. I think more dairy in your menu is a great way to improve sales. Cheese is always a winner!

P.P.S. I had to continue my thoughts on Chipotle and factory farms here.