Happenings on the Ranch

I had planned on continuing the greenhouse saga today but something else has my blood boiling so I’ve decided to talk about it instead.

First, let me start by saying I will not even be posting the link to this video.  It’s very disturbing and I don’t think any purpose will be served by sending you to it.  If you really want to see it, just do a search for Conklin Dairy Farms.  You’ll find it.  Consider yourself warned.

Second, I don’t agree with the organization that did this “undercover investigation.”  Mercy For Animals pushes an agenda of total veganism because they say using animals for food causes them nothing but misery.  I obviously not only don’t subscribe to this idea but vehemently argue against it.  I have issues with the way Mercy For Animals conducts business, but I’ll save that rant for another day.

Thirdly, the “farm” I’m about to discuss is not a farm.  It’s not even a dairy operation.  It’s a livestock wholesaler specializing in dairy cattle.  Even though factory farming is disgusting to me on a whole, these people don’t fall into that category.  So to say this type of abuse is prevalant throughout the dairy industry is wholly incorrect and misleading.

Now, the video I’m referring to shows workers at this company violently punching calves in the face, body slamming them to the ground, pulling and throwing them by their ears, using pitchforks to stab cows in the face, legs and stomach, beating restrained cows in the face with crowbars, twisting cows’ tails until the bones snapped and bragging about stabbing, dragging, shooting and beating cows and calves to death.  The workers featured are malicious and sadistic.  There is no excuse for what they did, but there also isn’t any excuse for the amount of footage the “investigators” from Mercy For Animals taped before they decided to turn it in.  One day’s worth would have been enough, but they let this torture go on in order to bolster their cause.  That’s almost as criminal to me as what the workers themselves were doing.

Regarding Conklin, they should be immediately shut down.  There is no way the owners of this company (one of whom was shown beating a cow in the video) couldn’t have known this cruelty was happening and should be arrested right along side their employees.

But the bigger point is this: this is what happens when “farming” becomes industry.  These workers, regardless of whether this is a dairy operation or not, have grown to see these animals as just another cog in the machine of producing our food.  The cows and calves are no longer seen as deserving of any proper treatment or compassion for what they are doing for our food supply.  We’ve seen it time and again in other operations, whether beef, dairy, chicken, eggs, or pork.  It’s disgusting and is exactly why we do things the way we do on our own farm and in our lives.

The sensational journalism aside, I hope this video and the reports of what was happening there helps consumers to re-evaluate where and how they get their food.  There is no reason for someone to go vegan purely for these reasons.  It’s a personal choice and my choice is to raise animals with dignity and respect, be thankful to them for the food they provide and ensure they live as healthy and natural a life as possible in my care.  I also search out companies that do the same and buy only from them.  Believe me there are plenty of farms and large operations out there that treat their animals the right way, from start to finish.  You just have to seek them out and actively buy from them and them only.

This goes right back to the acronym I teach people when I do presentations about buying local and eating sustainably.  KURVE.

K – Know Your Source
U – Understand the Differences (between sustainable, organic, naturally raised, etc.)
R – Read About Their Practices
V – Visit the Farm (when possible)
E – Enjoy the Products

Bottom line is try to know where your food is coming from and make educated decisions.  And be thankful to these animals for what they are giving us.

Being a proponent of locally, sustainably grown foods I refuse to by tomatoes from Mexico or apples from China.  If there is something I want that is hardly grown in the U.S., like plantains, I will purchase it on occasion.  That purchase does go to support the local economy in that country and I view it as a luxury purchase.  Having labels on these products makes my decision in the grocery store much easier when I can’t buy things at farmer’s market or grow it myself.  Even so, I will rarely buy produce in the winter.  I can’t justify the shipping cost and impact on the environment through the use of fossil fuels just so I can have a head of lettuce in February, even if it is grown in the U.S.

So I, personally, was very happy when legislation came out requiring Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) on all nuts, fruits, vegetables, meats and seafood.  But there are quite a few items that this legislation doesn’t cover, like dairy products.  Unless I am able to buy from a local producer or the company specifically puts where the item comes from on their label, how am I to know that the milk or butter I’m buying isn’t using milk coming from New Zealand or, worse yet, China?

Now, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is pushing for legislation to require country of origin labelling on all dairy products including yogurt, cheese and ice cream.  I know I can’t be the only one saying, “hooray” for this one.  Many of today’s consumers are much more conscious about where their food comes from and how it is produced.  Producers that are just as conscious about these issues proudly display where their milk is produced and how it is handled.  But large manufacturers very infrequently put any labeling at all about where their milk is coming from and how it is produced, including whether the cows are treated with bovine growth hormones.

Where do you stand?  Does where your food is coming from affect your purchases more now than before the COOL legislation was passed?  Would this new legislation make a difference in the dairy products you buy?  Sound off, please.  I want to know where you stand.

So, it’s been six months or so since my last entry.  That’s exactly how long our CSA season lasts.  Tells you how busy we were.  We had an absolute blast for our first season and a very positive response all around.  Our waiting list has been growing since June and we’re starting sign ups now.  Planning is already under way for next season and there are so many new and exciting things we’re working on I just can’t wrap my head around it just yet.  I’ll save that for later.  Right now, I think I need to do a brief recap on  what’s been happening around here lately!

All of our calves have born for the year and, unfortunately, we lost one of the momma cows in the process.  So, we’ve been bottle feeding “T-bone” and he’s doing very well.  We also lost a bull – he’s an escape artist!  He’s still wandering somewhere in the Peculiar area and people catch sight of him now and again but he’s so keen to what we’re doing that he’s impossible to catch.  Eventually I hope to get him back but in the meantime we have to figure what we’re going to do about getting our cows pregnant.  Grrrr.

We ended up losing about 85% of our laying and meat chicken flocks to predators this year along with many ducks, geese and turkeys.  Right now we’re working on trying reconfigure things to keep closer track of the birds and keep them protected from foxes, coyotes and other prowlers while still allowing them to free range.  Not an easy task, let me tell you.  I’m determined to make it work, though.

We’re also working on ideas for hoop houses and row covers for the crops next year to cut down a little on the wrath of mother nature.  She’s our friend and our enemy at the same time and since we’re expanding our programs for next year we really want to have a little bit more control over the harvest.  We’ve come up with some great ideas that won’t impact the land at all and I can’t wait to see them come to fruition.

Now that the harvest season is over I’m hoping to post several times a week.  If I can manage to keep that pace into the planting and harvesting seasons, then all the better.  Like everything else on the farm, though, we’ll have to see how it goes!

-Karin