For the past year I have watched drones become popular. Many members of the agriculture community are embracing this new technology as tools in crop production. To be honest, I have been amazed at the technology crop farmers use. Using GPS while watching movies, that is pretty cool. But drones, I haven’t been on board when it comes to drones. From the day I found out about them, I have just been patiently waiting for someone to take this technology & use it against their neighbor. Well folks, that day has come. Even worse, Americans are willing to pay other Americans to “spy” on other Americans.
Will Potter, a journalist based out of Washington D.C. has started a campaign to use drones to spy on the American farmers. His initial goal was $30,000 to purchase the latest technology to fly over family farms & photography them. Guess what? He surpassed his $30,000 goal in five days. NOW he is going for $95,000. I am sure he will get what he thinks he needs, especially when folks with deep pockets like Organic Consumers Association are backing him. My question would be, what is stopping him from flying into our barns too? Truth is, nothing.
I am sure by now that you have heard the term “factory farm”. Heck, you probably have used it in the past couple weeks. But what does it even mean? There is NO set definition for the term. Every person you talk to have a different opinion as to what it means. You ask one person about our farm and we are “a great family dairy farm”. You ask another and we are “a factory dairy farm”. So what are we? To a consumer, the farm pictured above is apparently a “factory farm”? To a farmer, this appears to be an old worn down farm. Not sure if it is even in use if you look closely at the tops of the barn. Either way, this picture from above shows what would be a view of most family farms in America. This picture from above would also include organic family farms.
I am proud to say that our family dairy farm is part of that 2%. I am also happy to say that I have many friends & family that are also part of that 2%. I have met so many great AGvocates for agriculture in the past year who are also part of the 2%. I think it is safe to say, we are all a little sick of the term “factory farm”.
So my friend Sarah of Nurse Loves Farmer & I have started a campaign. A campaign to share the truth behind the aerial photos, the truth behind the farms, the truth in which shows almost all farms in fact are family farms. You want the truth, just ask the farmers. We have nothing to hide. So I ask you this, is our farm a “family farm” or a “factory farm”. You can decide for yourself.
Join us! Share your blog posts, photos, etc. Make sure to use the hash tag, #MyFamilyFarm.
Check out these blogs & add yours to the list!
Krista Stauffer
Latest posts by Krista Stauffer (see all)
- Ensuring Quality and Safety: The Rigorous Inspection and Testing of Washington State Dairy Farms - May 6, 2024
- Understanding the National Dairy FARM Program: Ensuring Excellence in Dairy Farming - April 29, 2024
- The Importance of Nutrient Management Plans for Washington State Dairy Farms - April 17, 2024
- Homeschooling on the Farm: Cultivating Learning in a Rich Environment - April 11, 2024
I don’t know all the new technology for hash and ping, so I’ll just comment here, if you don’t mind. 🙂
I had an interesting weekend traveling and visiting family. A relative commented on a 400 cow dairy that we had visited in Oregon (family owned, but fully operated by employees), where they were appalled to see a dead calf in the alley (stillborn, hadn’t been cleaned up by hired help yet). They were shocked and afraid it would scare the kids, but the kids did not yet have a sense that anything was too wrong.
Think about it: Americans are so sterile and sensitive that they are unaware of how a farm works. Regardless of size or ownership, the general public cannot even conceive of where milk comes from (like, a real live cow and her udder!) or the fact that not every baby calf lives (life happens). Should the employee or owner have cleaned up the dead calf immediately? Yes. Was this a case for PETA involvement? No, just part of farming that sucks.
My opinion as a farmer and as a consumer is that the separation should not be between family and factory but between the words factory and farm. In my mind, I envision a farm being on one location, surrounded by hay fields or pastures or crops, in a manageable size for one family or a few families to work. A “factory” is what I saw when I drove by the housing for 3 million poultry layers for Walmart in Maryland or seeing pictures of carousels that milk cows and spit them out into a 20,000 cow herd on concrete. To me, those ARE factories, regardless of who owns them. Perhaps some of these large farms are run better than many small farms, their procedures may be cleaner and safer than what a small farm could provide. But, you also run a more substantial risk that if an outbreak occurred, the ramifications would be multiplied dramatically. The increase in size also leads to more mechanization, which reduces jobs for human beings.
Does anyone stop to think of why we have factory farming? Ironically, it is because they do not want to do the work (or stink, or have their time consumed by it). There is no way to win! Americans (98%, give or take) refuse to do the work of supplying their own food. Around half of those go one step further and rely on the government to supply their food needs.
The only real way to raise awareness is for people to head back to the farm: to visit or as a lifestyle. There is a satisfaction of being your own farmer (working and feeding your family, and maybe even other families) that cannot be replicated. The discord between consumers and farmers is severe, and the blame should be more on the consumer end than the farmer end. You want safe food? Then go grow it or ensure your farmer is doing a good job by visiting them, supporting them, and paying a fair market value for their goods.