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.

I am happy to announce we have two new baby goats on the farm.  Our youngest doe, Bambi, gave birth to her first kids on Thursday; one boy, one girl.  They are both doing well, although the little girl has needed a little help.  Our older doe, Onyx, is due any day now.  I just love having babies on the farm!  I’ll try to post pictures of the new little ones this week.

The mud I was commenting on last week has now frozen due to the drop in temperature this week.  I would much rather have frozen mud than the boggy mess that was out there before and now the sun is out so some of it should dry up soon (fingers crossed).   And, surprisingly, our chickens decided to start laying again last week so we have several dozen eggs available if anyone is interested.  Which is good for us, since I refuse to eat store bought eggs and was going through a bit of a withdrawal on anything made with eggs!!

Of course, the sun coming out reminds me that spring is just around the corner!  I am so excited and all geared up to start planting.  I have to pace myself, though, so I don’t get seedlings started too early and not have the right weather when they are ready to go outside!  If you haven’t signed up for our 2010 CSA program yet, you still have time.  Get your share of the harvest each week for 24 weeks from May through October.  It really is a good deal and your early payment really helps with our farm budget in the off-season.

Speaking of off-season, I’ve begun freelance writing again for some additional income.  I write articles for clients who need advertising or informational articles for their blogs or websites.  I also edit, update and search engine optimize web content.  I decided to put together a quick website and blog specific to my writing; the site is www.karinvelez.info.  During some of my research time for a recent project, I came across a pretty good article site called TreeHugger.  The authors and articles all focus toward Sustainable Living which we, of course, are a proponent of.  There is a pretty wide variety of subjects on this site, but most of them pertain to green living, sustainable lifestyle and alternative energy and can be a pretty good quick read.

Until next time!  ~ Karin