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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 396
 
Location: Iowa | I come from a place where every man in my family spends their life producing food for others. The production from our commodities such as cattle, hogs and crops is what makes my family successful. I can also point out that growing up and even still today, the health of those animals and plants have come before anything else. Then I read that activist are suing this family for attempting to put up a farrowing barn. It boggles my mind that people are attempting to stop our agriculture production from expanding when our population is expanding. Go ahead and view the link below, it has the story in a very good video. For people who are into agriculture deeper than horses (or those that truley love bacon) may find it interesting! Looks like this country needs to educate a little more!
http://www.gofundme.com/saveourbacon
Edited by Rausch_Jessica 2015-06-22 3:36 PM
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
 
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | It's an epidemic of people watching documentaries on Netflix or reading articles on google that are full of falsehoods...and then think they know better than farmers how to farm. If I read one more person claiming that Roundup Ready crops make their own pesticides that kill bees (whut?), I can't be held responsible for my actions. If one is going to oppose something, shouldn't they understand what exactly it is they're opposed to?
Edited by Three 4 Luck 2015-06-22 12:48 PM
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | WE have a local gal in ND that is speaking all over to a variety of groups and being an agriculture agvocate....(promoting the health and wellbeing of agriculture) she sure has some great insight to help promote agriculture and the safety of our food etc. I have a problem with all of the ORGANIC comments I see.....
I really think people are so far removed from the farm that they really have no stronghold on reality and that farmers/ranchers DO care immensely about their bread and butter! Which in turn makes them gullible to any hogwash they see on the internet. Farmers need to start promoting themselves and speaking up for themselves before humanity is eating twigs and caterpillers because they are more "natural" haha!
I work in the dairy industry.....
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 425
Location: California | We raise pigs as well. & it's really crazy what people read and watch & seem to think they know everything & what is best. They hear farrowing barn & automatically think pigs will go in farrowing crates. Some farmers use them some don't. We don't, but there sure is a time when we wish we could afford to! Pigs may be smart animals, but sometimes they are down right stupid. lol. People don't like to see the ugly part of farming. The deaths we deal with, and they think we just don't care. We have to struggle with piglets dying, because moms smash them or just down right go crazy and want them for dinner (yes we've had this problem). Sometimes I wish I could slap some people upside the head & let them know how it really can be hah. Okay rant over.  |
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Sideways Riding Expert
Posts: 11371
Location: ND--it snows, it floods, it snows, it floods | I grew up on a small family farm and currently work in agriculture. I hear on a daily basis about the loss of the "family farm" and how corporate farming is runing agriculture. People do not understand the concept of family farms anymore and that most "family farms" would be considered corporate farms by their practices. I'm part of a group in ND for women in agriculture and we try to keep ag in the forefront and EDUCATION is important. Between the tree hugging no pesticide groups and the animal activiists Ag has a tough row to hoe image wise. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
| I grew up on a farm/ranch. We did have a farrowing house with crates. We brought our sows in a few days before they farrowed and put them out about a week after they farrowed. They were in their approximately 10 days. We fed the sows outside morning and night and it took about 2 days and the were housebroken. We could medicate babies cut needle teeth etc much easier than chasing them around in one of the pens which were a couple of acres each. The main reason that we used crates is so that the babies did not get crushed when the sow laid down. Our farrowing house was heated and cooled. This was in the 1960's and we didn't have ac at our house. We had at least 6 sows and 60 baby pigs in their at any given time.
Someone sent me a picture on Facebook from PETA of a hog in a farrowing crate saying "Would you want your pork raised this way?". First of all I think most people need to find out what the word farrow means. Then maybe an educational trip to a hog farm might be in order so they do not make uneducated remarks that other idiots actually believe.
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | streakysox - 2015-06-22 1:07 PM I grew up on a farm/ranch. We did have a farrowing house with crates. We brought our sows in a few days before they farrowed and put them out about a week after they farrowed. They were in their approximately 10 days. We fed the sows outside morning and night and it took about 2 days and the were housebroken. We could medicate babies cut needle teeth etc much easier than chasing them around in one of the pens which were a couple of acres each. The main reason that we used crates is so that the babies did not get crushed when the sow laid down. Our farrowing house was heated and cooled. This was in the 1960's and we didn't have ac at our house. We had at least 6 sows and 60 baby pigs in their at any given time. Someone sent me a picture on Facebook from PETA of a hog in a farrowing crate saying "Would you want your pork raised this way?". First of all I think most people need to find out what the word farrow means. Then maybe an educational trip to a hog farm might be in order so they do not make uneducated remarks that other idiots actually believe.
I think there is a lot of confusion on gestation crates, farrowing crates, and how long these things are used. Most seem to think the sows live there year-round. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 628
Location: Missouri | I don't even want to get into it. My bf's family owns or rents about 8,000 acres of soy and corn, he grew up on a hog farm, I grew up on a beef farm. The amount of times I have had to educate people on where their food comes from is sooo disappointing. People have gotten lazy and resort to having things told to them and they believe everything they hear instead of researching and doing the work themselves to find the truth. It's truly sad that people don't understand the number #1 industry in the USA. They choose to bash farmers with their mouths full and then complain when food prices go up. I pray this country gets their heads out of their *****  |
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 Strong Willed Woman
Posts: 6577
Location: Prosser, WA | Sadly I don't feel like this is just an agricultural problem. Everyone thinks they are an expert on everyone else's jobs and life in general. People used to judge others on their personal lives like if they were a single mother, divorced, gay, etc., now those are fine so the judgments have shifted elsewhere. |
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 Loves to compete
Posts: 5760
Location: Oakdale, CA | kakbarrelracer - 2015-06-22 1:35 PM Sadly I don't feel like this is just an agricultural problem. Everyone thinks they are an expert on everyone else's jobs and life in general. People used to judge others on their personal lives like if they were a single mother, divorced, gay, etc., now those are fine so the judgments have shifted elsewhere.
well said! especially the government on how to run (ruin) business! |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | mlh0972 - 2015-06-22 2:17 PM I don't even want to get into it. My bf's family owns or rents about 8,000 acres of soy and corn, he grew up on a hog farm, I grew up on a beef farm. The amount of times I have had to educate people on where their food comes from is sooo disappointing. People have gotten lazy and resort to having things told to them and they believe everything they hear instead of researching and doing the work themselves to find the truth. It's truly sad that people don't understand the number #1 industry in the USA. They choose to bash farmers with their mouths full and then complain when food prices go up. I pray this country gets their heads out of their *****
I can almost understand why people are so misinformed after trying to research "pesticide misuse" this afternoon. OMG, it was nearly impossible to find real information. |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | mlh0972 - 2015-06-22 2:17 PM
I don't even want to get into it. My bf's family owns or rents about 8,000 acres of soy and corn, he grew up on a hog farm, I grew up on a beef farm. The amount of times I have had to educate people on where their food comes from is sooo disappointing. People have gotten lazy and resort to having things told to them and they believe everything they hear instead of researching and doing the work themselves to find the truth. It's truly sad that people don't understand the number #1 industry in the USA. They choose to bash farmers with their mouths full and then complain when food prices go up. I pray this country gets their heads out of their *****
Now don't y'all know our food comes from the grocery store, not a farm?!? June 15th Quarter Horse News had an article along these lines. Forrest Lucas and Protect the Harvest, I believe. . .
My family farmed 7000 acres at one time, then went to 600 acres of catfish ponds. Got out of that right before the bottom fell out; unfortunately, my 17 year old son has started back with a couple of ponds. Scares me to death but he's wanted to do it since he was about 5. The crap that our government let's into this country and calls it "catfish" is ridiculous. Yet because "somebody" said it's safe, folks believe it. Don't know about y'all, but I don't want to eat fish raised under pig stys that have as their main food source pig sh-t. . . Support your American farmers/ranchers so you KNOW what you're eating. Ok, stepping off soap box. |
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Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
| Best thing to do is look on the package and see where the product comes from. If it says product of US, buy it. If not leave it . if more people would do that, food wholesalers would stop importing.
Buy American |
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 Hugs to You
Posts: 7551
Location: In The Land of Cotton | kakbarrelracer - 2015-06-22 4:35 PM Sadly I don't feel like this is just an agricultural problem. Everyone thinks they are an expert on everyone else's jobs and life in general. People used to judge others on their personal lives like if they were a single mother, divorced, gay, etc., now those are fine so the judgments have shifted elsewhere.
So true and the internet in this situation only makes it worse. My husband at one time had 2,500 head of hogs. He worked hard and took care of them. He is glad he doesn't have them now with all of the crazies butting in your business. Pecan trees are a lot easier to take care of. LOL
People today want fresh, they want it quick and they want it now. They don't stop to think there are no grapes growing in America in February. They come from another country people at that time of the year.
Chemicals have their place in farming. We use them. A huge part of the yearly budget. Nothing grows without them. People need to get the real facts before they start on their campaigns to shut farms down. The main one being if their are no farms - they will starve. |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | streakysox - 2015-06-23 8:21 AM Best thing to do is look on the package and see where the product comes from. If it says product of US, buy it. If not leave it . if more people would do that, food wholesalers would stop importing. Buy American
Didn't you hear the US House of Representatives voted to repeal COOL (country of origin labeling) to hold off lawsuits filed with the WTO? They don't want us to know where our food comes from because someone decided that it's protectionist and xenophobic to prefer to eat food you know was raised under safer conditions.
Meanwhile, pesticide misuse is a severe problem in South America and Asia. The fish grown in Asia is grown in nasty water with illegal antibiotics, and very very little of this crap is actually inspected upon arrival. |
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Hugs to You
Posts: 7551
Location: In The Land of Cotton | Three 4 Luck - 2015-06-23 9:41 AM streakysox - 2015-06-23 8:21 AM Best thing to do is look on the package and see where the product comes from. If it says product of US, buy it. If not leave it . if more people would do that, food wholesalers would stop importing. Buy American Didn't you hear the US House of Representatives voted to repeal COOL (country of origin labeling) to hold off lawsuits filed with the WTO? They don't want us to know where our food comes from because someone decided that it's protectionist and xenophobic to prefer to eat food you know was raised under safer conditions.
Meanwhile, pesticide misuse is a severe problem in South America and Asia. The fish grown in Asia is grown in nasty water with illegal antibiotics, and very very little of this crap is actually inspected upon arrival.
Not only that, the food is grown in stuff we wouldn't feed to someone we really hate, but then it is packed in ice made with water that is so contamianted that the locals have to boil it to drink it and then happily ship the raw fish to America. Enjoy your talipa people. |
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Sideways Riding Expert
Posts: 11371
Location: ND--it snows, it floods, it snows, it floods | streakysox - 2015-06-23 8:21 AM Best thing to do is look on the package and see where the product comes from. If it says product of US, buy it. If not leave it . if more people would do that, food wholesalers would stop importing. Buy American
That's also very misleading because of pork production in Canada. Especially in the hog industry where they will bring weanlings down and finish out in the US. So, is that US pork or US/Canadian pork or Canadian pork? |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | After working for a power company and having idk how many farmers call in and LOSE THEIR SH!T when the power went out and they were worried about their calves, pigs, whatever, NOBODY can tell me they don't care about their animals. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1045
| We raise hogs and farm around 1000 acres. We do have farrowing crates in our farrowing house and we also have a nursery....both are heated and cooled. I am the pig midwife at the farm and when I have a piglet born and it is not breathing.....I give it CPR! I will do everything in my power to save one. I spend hours and hours in the farrowing house and I can honestly say my heart breaks when I lose one and when we haul them to the sale......I cry like a baby. My husband works hard in the field and with the hogs and I am right by his side every day! I cant count the times I have had to defend our farm life to people who have no clue what they are talking about especially when it comes to the pigs.....  |
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My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | And they'll package their crap fish in boxes that look like the U.S. farm-raised fish. It tastes like $hit cause that's what they eat. |
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