Happenings on the Ranch

I’m not a “preachy” kind of person.  I do what I do because I think it’s the right thing for my family, our customers and the world in general.  We’ve chosen to grow our produce and livestock in the most natural way possible because we feel it’s better for our bodies, our animals and our environment.  If people want to know more, I’m happy to provide the info but I don’t stand on a soap box very often.  However, after seeing a press release this week pertaining to animal rights specific to food production I had to comment.

The press release is from the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS).  Now, to be fair, I have often supported the HSUS on many occasions on specific issues.  However, I am often against the extreme measures and stances they take as well as their classification as a non-profit (because of some of their functions and activities).  That being said, I can’t help but comment on the their recent announcement that they intend to introduce a resolution at a McDonald’s shareholder meeting in May requesting that the fast-food chain use only cage-free eggs.  Now obviously I should be for this, right?  After all, that’s how we raise our chickens; well, more free-range than just cage-free but you get the idea.  And it’s been proven it can be done on a large scale.  The European Union has already decided to phase out cages by 2012.  California passed a ballot measure requiring that all farm animals be provided enough space to stand up, turn around, and spread their limbs; this includes specific regulations regarding chickens, breeding hogs and veal.  Other fast-food chains — including Burger King, Denny’s, Hardees and McDonald’s franchises in the U. K. — already use cage-free eggs.  So do plenty of restaurants, grocery chains and hotels.  So, it really shouldn’t be much of a stretch for McDonald’s to do the same here in the States.

But, this leads us to a much broader question.  If each and every egg producer is eventually forced to go “cage-free” then what changes occur in our food supply?  Moreover, how about organic farming?  As American consumers, we have become very accustomed to being able to go to the grocery and pick up whatever we need whenever we need it for a relatively low price without a second thought to where it came from or whether it’s in season in our area.  But, as we adopt new animal welfare ideals and sustainable growing practices what happens to that system?

As an example, the number of birds currently housed in confinement egg operations (280 million) would require much more room than those producers have.  This causes their costs to rise, which causes wholesale prices to rise and subsequently consumers pay more per dozen.  How much is the average American willing to pay for eggs that were formally $1.75 a dozen?  $3.00?  $5.00?

It’s fine for people to have ideals about animal welfare or commodity crops if they have the space to do it.  But we are treading on thin ice here if we start wide-sweeping changes to our national food system simply based on ideals, rather than need or economics, without properly preparing for it.  Our country supplies food to the global community through the mass production of crops.  Arguably, these crops provide low-cost goods to our food supply.  But at what cost?  Deterioration of the soil from planting the same crop over and over again, requiring chemical fertilizers to be added; hybrid seeds utilizing pesticides and herbicides or being genetically modified, which could have consequences on our health we may not understand for years.  I could go on and on but if you’re reading this blog you probably already have an idea of what I’m talking about.

Our family is lucky that we can have both our ideals and our food and can provide food for others that share those ideals (or just like really good meat!).  But there is a growing concern that organic farming and humane livestock practices cannot coincide with feeding the masses.  But I, and many experts, disagree.  In his article “Can Organic Farming Feed Us All?”, Worldwatch Institute Senior Researcher Brian Halweil notes two recent studies reveal that a global shift to organic farming would yield more food, not less, for the world’s hungry.  Worldwatch also held a very poignant discussion on this issue on their website.  They can say it better than I ever could, but the point is that it’s possible.  The only thing I caution is that it needs to take a gradual shift, something that the HSUS, PETA and other groups sometimes forget in their fervent effort to enact change.

What do you think?  I welcome comments on this topic and hope for some discussion.  Do you think we can make a change in the way our country grows and raises it’s food without taking into account the global effects?