Taking back an industry

By ERIN MATHEWS

Salina Journal

When an animal rights group sneaks a hidden camera into a livestock operation, it won't capture images of Stacy McLintock bringing nine calves into her kitchen to rub their legs and warm them during a winter storm.

But that's exactly what she did this past winter.

"They're our big kids," McLintock said Saturday of the calves born to her 100-head herd near Holton. "They're a lot of work but a lot of fun."

McLintock was among the audience of cattle producers listening to Dr. Daniel U. Thomson, Jones professor of production medicine at Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, speak about the industry's growing image problem at the Kansas Cattlemen's Association Convention at the Salina Holiday Inn and Convention Center.

McLintock, who had a booth in the hallway with items from her Bar S Tack western wear store, came to the convention without her husband. Just like all the other producers in the audience, she had to leave someone back home to take care of the herd. Currently, it is calving season, so the McLintocks have been taking turns getting up every two hours all night to check their pregnant heifers.

The care and feeding that ranchers provide day in and day out is much more representative of the industry than isolated cases of animal abuse, Thomson said.

"Nobody in our industry wants to see an animal abused," he said. "That's one of the things that's represented by the media that's nonrepresentative of the whole."

Images that are abusive -- and some that just appear so -- are successfully being used by "educated but ignorant" animal rights groups to paint an unrepresentative portrait of the cattle industry, he said. As fewer and fewer people live and work in rural areas, the public has less understanding of what it takes to "grow a hamburger," he said.

Cattle production can be and is being done humanely, Thomson said.

"I will put our industry up against anybody in the world," Thomson said. "We want what's best for our cattle. We don't have anything we're not proud of in our industry."

Education can be used to disarm critics by opening operations up for consumers to observe because "they need to know how well their food is being raised," he said. Agriculture remains among the top five most trusted professions in the United States, he said, adding "we still work with a handshake."

"We need to challenge activists about their knowledge of the industry," he said. "I don't think you could fill a thimble with what they know."

Children used to start their day with the friendly image of a farmer by watching Mr. Greenjeans on Captain Kangaroo, he said. Now young people are forming their beliefs about agricultural animal practices based on YouTube films produced by the Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, he said.

The videos often portray abuse that would be condemned by any reputable cattle producer and play on the human-animal bond in an attempt to abolish animal agriculture, he said.

An audience member asked if there was anything to be gained through a dialog with animal rights groups, but Thomson was skeptical.

"I don't think there's any way to reason with them," he said. "They will sit there and nod their head, and when you turn around, they'll shoot you in the back."

Cattlemen are likely to be outspent by the more than 20 animal rights groups that raise about $300 million in donations annually and have budgets big enough to hire celebrity endorsements, he said.

"Nobody cares about cattle more than the people who get up every day and feed them," Thomson said. "We're all for the ethical treatment of animals. We're for the animals. We're raising animals. The animals are our life."

Cattlemen must work together on a marketing strategy to fight misconceptions and develop a generally accepted list of best management practices before laws written by people who know nothing about livestock production are forced upon the industry, he said. More ranchers need to step outside their comfort zone and run for elected office to have a say in laws as they are written, he said.

"Our industry and agriculture in total, we serve humanity," he said. "Every morning when we get up and do chores, we feed the world."

An increasing number of veterinary students going into large animal husbandry will be needed to regulate the industry, he said, adding that at K-State, 45 percent of last year's graduating class of veterinary students indicated they were pursuing large and small animal or food animal practices. Thomson said he does not advocate self-regulation or government regulation.

"What if we told the highway patrol we were going to give them the day off and we're just going to self-regulate our speed?" he said. "People understand that doesn't work."

Brandy Carter, executive director and chief executive officer of the Junction City-based Kansas Cattlemen's Association, said agriculture is a vital part of the community, economy and the nation.

"Only 2 percent of the population is involved in agriculture," she said. "There are only a few of us left. We have to keep it growing, or this country will be relying on foreign food like we do fuel if we don't keep the industry alive."

n Reporter Erin Mathews can be reached at 822-1415 or by e-mail at emathews@salina.com.

Join the Discussion:

Salina.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here. Read our full online terms of service policy.

Mary Anne says....
Having grown up on a farm where animals were raised, then moving out into the so-called 'real' world, I can say with absolute certainty Nancy's post hits the nail on the head, and Dr. Thompson is also absolutely correct. Anti-animal industry's true hands-on ignorance of an issue and that resultant disassociation from rural roots is what fuels rampant, red-eyed, throw-reality-to-the-wind emotional rampage against animal husbandry. This holds true also for religion, politics, racism....you name it. Until a person becomes fully educated and gains some heartfelt understanding of "the other side," their ignorance will hold sway and no tolerance of animal husbandry will develop.
2/21/2009

---

Nate says....
This is a good way to get people to yell at each other...Look, there is hyperbole on each side of the issue- with PETA and with this guy, who is clearly chin-deep. Yes we have eaten animals for eternity, and it is possible to both respect and eat animals. However, if you even try to argue there is anything humane about a CAFO, where most of our meat comes from now, you are in just as deep as this guy.
2/20/2009

---

Bird on a Wire says....
I find it illogical that anyone would believe that we can feed this worlds population on veggies. There are concerns that we are not going to be able to feed the masses with all of the meat grown as it is. It is common knowledge that U.S. soils have been depleted of vital nutrients for years, they are using questionable artificial methods of fertilizing, add to that the frequency of water pollution from herbacides and pesticides run off, add to that the thought of turning every available acre of land into fields to mass produce the amount of greens it would take to feed everyone, now add to that the biologically engineered produce, that who knows what will do to us in the long run, Wow, now..... add to that a dustbowl, talk about a recipe for world wide disaster.
2/20/2009

---

adam says....
This is all BS! "They're our big kids," --If the McLintock's fatten up their children and send them off to have their throats slit (as loving parents do), I hope they don't have any biological children... Anyway, the vast majority of "beef" does not come from small ranches but giant feedlots or pastures created from rainforest deforestation! Eating meat is no more natural than rape and war, and I hope everyone here is at least opposed to the latter acts of violence. Like rape, people disregard the welfare/rights of animal's by taking their lives without consent. Children are amoral as well and so are the mentall retarded in many cases; is it okay to rape, kill, or enslave them? Just as rape shouldn't be merely personal decision, neither should flesh-eating. The issue is not merely that animals are being killed, but that *we* are actively *choosing* to kill them. Vegan diet contains every nutrient an aninmal-based diet does. The only nutrient that is difficult to get is B12, which can be supplemented if need be.
2/20/2009

---

Elizabeth says....
Animal Welfare or Animal Rights? Here are some of the differences: As animal welfare advocates. . . •We seek to improve the treatment and well-being of animals. •We support the humane treatment of animals that ensures comfort and freedom from unnecessary pain and suffering. •We believe we have the right to "own" animals -- they are our property. •We believe animal owners should provide loving care for the lifetime of their animals. As animal rights activists. . . •They seek to end the use and ownership of animals, including the keeping of pets. •They believe that any use of an animal is exploitation so, not only must we stop using animals for food and clothing, but pet ownership must be outlawed as well. •They want to obtain legal rights for animals as they believe that animals and humans are equal. •They use false and unsubstantiated allegations of animal abuse to raise funds, attract media attention and bring supporters into the movement. (The Inhumane Crusade, Daniel T. Oliver) www.naiaonline.org
2/11/2009

---

Simon says....
Iceman: Animals are amoral beings; they have no code of ethics. Hence the idea that they should be required to adhere to ethical standards is absurd. Also, were we somehow able to stop predation, we would cause massive damage to the ecosystems in which animals participate. Also, even were we to accept that predation is morally wrong, it does not therefore follow that our own exploitation of animals is morally acceptable. Idiot. Eat Up: The conclusions drawn in "The Secret Life of Plants" have never been scientifically verified. In fact, the book has been thoroughly debunked. Laurella Desborough: Just because we have done something in the past (for example, practiced slavery) does not mean it is forever acceptable. Also: With a little care, a vegan diet can easily be made nutritionally sound. Numerous studies support this. Meat does not provide any nutrients that cannot be found in non-meat alternatives. As to the eating of meat being an individual's own business, that of course goes without saying. It should also go without saying that raising moral objections to the practice is a matter of free speech, however annoying listening to progressive thinking on the matter might be, or how uncomfortable it may make others feel.
2/9/2009

---

IceMan says....
What about the poor little bunny rabbits that are viciously attacked and eaten by the mean old coyotes? Where are the bong toking animal rights people when those bunnies suffer and die? Idiots.
2/9/2009

---

Eat Up says....
The animal rights people are hypocrites because EEG tests show that plants go into shock when they're harvested. Yet these people deliberately throw billions of plants into shock every year when they harvest fruits, grains, nuts, and berries. Whether a plant or an animal, both go into shock, so shut up already. Read "The Secret Life of Plants" for the scientific studies.
2/9/2009

---

Laurella Desborough says....
The folks who focus negatively on the fact that agricultural animals are killed for food are the ones who don't believe we should be eating meat. So, naturally they are against killing animals for food. However, using animals for food goes back to the very start of human civilization. Certainly, meat provides certain vitamins and minerals and proteins that are NOT available in vegetables. That is one reason that vegan mothers have problems with the health of their children. Additionally, if people choose to eat meat, that is their business.
2/9/2009

---

Tracy says....
The people who truly care about animals are the ones fighting against the slaughter of the 10 billion land animals in the U.S. each year.
2/9/2009

---

NoseBetter says....
Cattle = cash to ranchers, nothing more. Claiming to care about an animal who is ultimately hung upside down to have his or her throat slit is hypocritical at best. Ranchers protect their investments, nothing more. Kindness has nothing to do with it.
2/9/2009

---

Ken says....
Butthey all end up in the obscene slaughterhouses, wherein there is no escape from the terror, pain and brutal, inhumane murder. Somethings not right here!
2/8/2009

---

Bea Elliott says....
So, the animal ag industry "loves" their animals like their children? - Gosh, hope you don't plan on making money from the forced death of your children. Killing animals "needlessly" for a "food" that is not healty does no service to humanity. We thrive on a plant based diet. Better for health, better for the environment and certainly better for the animals. Animal Ag is doomed - You do not own the moral/ethical high ground - nor will you ever. Feed the world 6 times over by adopting a plant based vegan diet. Now that's something to be proud of.
2/8/2009

---

Homebound says....
As another cattle producer that is "doing" the every two hour heifer check all I can say is You Go Girl!! These animal rights people need to spend a few days on a ranch and follow the men and women who feed, care and watch over their cattle. If they open their eyes they will have a whole different view of cattle producers.
2/8/2009

---

Nancy Glick says....
Dr. Thompson is 100% correct in all his points and I think the biggest problem for the entire animal industry was summed up correctly when he pointed out that too much of the population is too far from it's rural roots to understand animal husbandry of ANY kind. That's why they are so easily swayed into belieiving abuse is the norm rather than the exception. HSUS, PeTA, and other activist groups have one goal in mind; no human/animal contact of any kind. What they always fail to point out is the impossibility of enough tillable land for the vegan eutopia they envision. They also fail to point out the cost to humans with the loss of service animals and elderly who sometimes only have a dog or cat for companionship.
2/8/2009

---

Post a comment
Your best chance of getting your comment posted:

• No profanity
• Be civil
• Everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

Comment:

Poster:

Enter text seen above:

Read our full use policy.