We found this article interesting. Although it’s out of the United States, the findings would be mirrored in Canada  - OFAC

http://www.dairyherd.com/news_editorial.asp?pgID=675&ed_id=11876&news_id=28210&ts=nl2

July 15, 2010 – Research presented recently at the American Dairy Science Association annual meeting looked at consumer-purchasing decisions when it comes to animal welfare.

What would happen if all consumers were informed about the different types of egg and pork production systems available, and were allowed to purchase egg and pork products from these different systems? asked Bailey Norwood, associate professor at Oklahoma State University. The only difference between the food products would be the level of animal welfare. And, suppose that the price premium attached to products with higher standards of animal care exactly equals the estimated cost premiums. What would happen?

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Posted by OFAC on July 30th, 2010 :: Filed under Animal care, Consumers, Education and public awareness, Pork, Uncategorized, eggs

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We’re excited to see the amount of farmers that are using social media outlets to tell their stories about farming. Here’s a great article from the July 12 edition of the Calgary Herald that features once such farmer. We’re now following her on Twitter and hope you will too! – OFAC

Cowgirl blogger; A farmer’s wife tackles social media
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Cathryn Hagel can milk a cow and drive a tractor. She helps brand her family’s cattle and she’s chased a coyote or two.

And just for fun, she and her family bought a team of draught horses last year. Y’know: the great big ones that pull wagons filled with people.

But she’s no country bumpkin. Not at all. She’s part of a small but growing number of farm women reaching out to each other and beyond, with the help of social media such as Facebook, Twitter and blogging.

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Posted by OFAC on July 12th, 2010 :: Filed under Animal care, Beef cattle, Canada, Education and public awareness, Farm life, Horses, Sustainability of the family farm

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By Drovers news source  |  Thursday, May 27, 2010

The Animal Agriculture Alliance is disturbed by the images of alleged animal cruelty documented in a video released this week by an animal rights activist group. The Alliance has long condemned the abuse and mistreatment of animals raised for food and works to promote animal care guidelines on all farms across the United States.

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Posted by OFAC on May 28th, 2010 :: Filed under Activism, Animal care, Animal cruelty, Dairy cattle, Family vs factory farming
Tags :: animal abuse, Animal cruelty, dairy cows, factory farming, farm animal, mercy for animals

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The following is a guest post written for us by Lilian from Food and Farming Canada.

Most of us have very little knowledge of where our food comes from or how it is produced. As a result, misinformation is widely circulated in many different forms – so to get to the real scoop on what’s going on, there’s no one better to ask than a farmer himself.

I had the chance recently to visit with Brent, who raises turkeys on his farm in south-western Ontario, and seized the opportunity to pepper him with questions about one of my favourite holiday meats, turkey.

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Posted by OFAC on May 26th, 2010 :: Filed under Animal care, Family vs factory farming, Farm life, Food safety, Poultry, Sustainability of the family farm
Tags :: animal welfare, antibiotics, corporate farming, food safety, Ontario, turkey

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Farmers must take the lead on animal welfare – their livelihoods depend on it. We like this article, published recently in the Guelph Mercury newspaper, that discusses this fact and a recent national funding announcement designed to take animal welfare even further in Canada – OFAC

Farmers understand benefits of animal welfare
Guelph Mercury
Owen Roberts
May 10, 2010

Healthy animals are profitable animals. And for farmers, profitability is the bottom line. Farmers who treat their animals poorly can face veterinarian bills, and other costly problems – such as a turned-off, unsupportive public. But right now, for the most part, consumers are on farmers’ side. And farmers aim to keep it that way.

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Posted by OFAC on May 20th, 2010 :: Filed under Animal care, Animal health, Canada, Farm life, Innovation and technology, Media, Research

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Posted by OFAC (This article first appeared in OFAC’s February, 2010 newsletter)

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is well known for its outrageous and attention-grabbing antics, “behind the scenes” pressure tactics and for capitalizing on the efforts of others. At the same time PETA (and other animal rights groups) use more subtle methods to exert their influence and line their pockets.

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Posted by OFAC on May 19th, 2010 :: Filed under Activism, Consumers, Family vs factory farming, Media, PETA, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Food From Greener Pastures
Beef Producers: Stewards of the land, for now and for the future

Kim Sytsma and her husband Charlie of Eighth Line Farm in Ontario, like many Canadian beef producers, work every day to ensure both the land they manage and the business they built are not only sustained, but improved for future generations of Canadians. “It’s my job to leave the land better than I found it,” says Kim.

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Posted by OFAC on April 21st, 2010 :: Filed under Beef cattle, Canada, Global Warming, Sustainability of the family farm, Uncategorized
Tags :: cattle, earth day, environment, meat eating

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Richest Animal Rights Group Now Ranked Lower Than PETA

WASHINGTON, April 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Today the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) pointed to a newly downgraded rating from Charity Navigator as evidence that the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is not adequately fulfilling its stated charitable purpose.

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Posted by BCFACC on April 7th, 2010 :: Filed under Activism, Consumers, Education and public awareness, Uncategorized

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Here’s an interesting story on the trend towards growing your own food. I think it’s good they got the message out that it’s 24-7 work and the responsibilities associated with raising farm animals. Not as easy as goldfish! – OFAC

Wency Leung
Globe and Mail Update
Tuesday, Apr. 06, 2010 7:18PM EDT

There are dog people and cat people. And then, there are dairy-loving goat people.

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Posted by OFAC on April 7th, 2010 :: Filed under Animal care, Other livestock, backyard flocks

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There’s been so many misconceptions in recent years, perpetuated by animal and environmental activist groups, about the effects of livestock on global warming. Those of us who work in agriculture think of farmers as being the original environmental activists. They live on the farms that they manage – often for generations at a time – so it behoves them to leave the land in as good or better shape when they retire from farming as when they received it years earlier. We commend the Washington Times for covering this issue with this recent piece which takes the issue of global warming – and livestock’s effect on that topic – head on. – OFAC

Washington Times
Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Meat, dairy diet not tied to global warming

Jennifer Harper

Forget all that indecorous talk of animal flatulence, cow burps, vegetarianism and global warming. Welcome to Cowgate.

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Posted by OFAC on March 30th, 2010 :: Filed under Activism, Beef cattle, Canada, Dairy cattle, Global Warming, Methane

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