For more than a decade now, there’s been a movement across Canada with a goal of empowering farmers to take a chance, Speak Up, and share their passion for farming with the public – most of whom have no direct connection with food or farming. And we’re happy to report that movement appears to be growing. We’re seeing farmers start blogs, tweet from their tractors, write letters to the editor on topics of importance to them and take a chance on doing more media interviews when we know that they’d much rather be working in their barns or in their fields. Michele Payn-Knoper of Indiana is a farmer and an agricultural advocate who works tireless to champion the farmers’ cause. We especially like this blog post, posted at www.causematters.com earlier this year and reprinted here with permission from her. Michele’s cited a number of the “excuses” she’s heard for farners not speaking up about agriculture – if you have any more, feel free to comment on the blog post below! – OFAC
The new year typically starts with motivational tips, hype about resolutions and pressure to make promises of how we’re going to do things differently. Not me. I’m bringing an entirely different perspective on advocacy – a highly sarcastic view on why we SHOULD NOT tell agriculture’s story. Several ag folks from across the U.S. and Canada added to the list on Twitter and Facebook – you’re welcome to post your own comment in the spirit of some fun.
Shhh, there’s no need to tell your story!
15. Agriculture has little economic contribution – and the American economy is thriving. After all, 80%+ of the economy isn’t reliant on the agrifood system – and surely your community doesn’t benefit from property taxes and jobs paid by farms.
14. “It’s embarrassing to have people thank you for producing their food. I don’t want people to think I am a corporate shill (every farmer who speaks out is one, right?) says sheep and daughter raiser Venessa in her own Spartan sarcasm.
13. “Who needs consumers anyway? I can still farm without people to buy my grain and animals that eat my grain. I like grain storage. Those big shiny bins are SO pretty and cheap…” was a heavily sarcastic comment from Sarah Bedgar Wilson, a young farmer in North Dakota (the cold made her do it, I’m sure).
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Posted by FFC on March 4th, 2011 :: Filed under
Consumers,
Education and public awareness,
Farm life,
HSUS,
Misconceptions,
Speaking out,
Uncategorized,
Urban MythsTags ::
activists,
Farmers,
HSUS,
Media,
misconceptions,
sustainability
By Patricia Grotenhuis, lifelong farmer and agricultural advocate
I have heard a lot of questions about why farm animals are housed indoors, and mention that it would be more natural for them to be housed outside. There are a lot of reasons why animals are housed indoors, and all have welfare implications.
Barns provide a controlled climate for animals and birds. There are significant weather variations in Canada from one season to the next, and not all animals will thrive at all temperatures. Beef cows can be quite content outdoors in the middle of winter, provided they have a windbreak and shelter to use during storms, and a food source available.
Pigs, on the other hand, would not do well outside at these temperatures. Even in the hardiest species, piglets born outdoors during the winter would be at high risk for injuries due to cold such as frostbite. The high summer temperatures some regions of Canada experience are also uncomfortable for many animals.
Barns protect farm animals during extreme cold or warm weather conditions.
Posted by FFC on January 25th, 2011 :: Filed under
Animal care,
Beef cattle,
Canada,
Chickens,
Farm life,
Pigs,
Uncategorized,
Weather
by Leslie Ballentine, Farming and food commentator
The death of Ottawa-area dairy farmer Arie van Lindenberg in 2009 touched many members of the farming community. He was by all reports (I didn’t know him personally) a cheerful, driven and friendly man whose positive spirit rubbed off on others. His death, to prostate cancer, left a big hole in the family who are carrying on without him. Soon after his death, Arie’s widow, Marja, received a call from the Ontario Farm Animal Council to appear in its 2011 calendar. She said she’d be pleased to participate, but only if her sons Matthijs and Barend were included. All three family members appear together in the calendar that pays tribute to the farming community.
The van Lindenberg family appear in the month of June.
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Posted by FFC on January 12th, 2011 :: Filed under
Dairy cattle,
Faces of Farming,
Family vs factory farming,
Uncategorized
By Patricia Grotenhuis, lifelong farmer and agricultural enthusiast.
December 22, 2010 – During the summer, I attended the Canadian National Exhibition with the Ontario Farm Animal Council’s (OFAC) spokesrobot Oprah. Most of the questions we were asked were fairly general, but there was one comment which has stuck in my mind since then.
It is one I’m sure everyone in agriculture has heard at some point, and if they have not heard it yet, they will soon. While we were on our way to the parking lot at the end of the day, a gentleman stopped us and asked what Oprah was for. I briefly explained that she is an educational assistant sent to events such as fairs and festivals by the Ontario Farm Animal Council, and followed up by telling him who OFAC is and what it does.
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Posted by FFC on December 22nd, 2010 :: Filed under
Animal care,
animal handling,
Animal health,
Barn fires,
Codes of Practice,
Consumers,
Dairy cattle,
Education and public awareness,
Farm life,
Housing,
Innovation and technology,
Regulations,
Research,
Sustainability of the family farm,
Uncategorized
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 FFC on July 30th, 2010 :: Filed under
Animal care,
Consumers,
Education and public awareness,
eggs,
Pork,
Uncategorized
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 FFC on April 21st, 2010 :: Filed under
Beef cattle,
Canada,
Global Warming,
Sustainability of the family farm,
UncategorizedTags ::
cattle,
earth day,
environment,
meat eating
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
Check out Claire Danes as Dr. Temple Grandin on the new HBO movie – Grandin. Dr. Temple Grandin has come to Ontario many times to “standing room only” events to talk with farmers and meat processing plant staff to improve farm animal welfare. This woman is truly remarkable and has helped more animals than any activist group could ever imagine, with very little fanfare. Sounds like Dane and this movie will help take the awareness of her incredible work beyond the farm and autism communities.
OFAC
Posted by FFC on February 8th, 2010 :: Filed under
UncategorizedTags ::
animal handling,
grandin
Posted by AFAC – Promoting the humane handling of horses throughout all their life stages.
Statement of Purpose: The communication of correct information related to the Canadian horse industry to horse owners and the general public.
Visit horsewelfare.ca for information.
Posted by AFAC on January 8th, 2010 :: Filed under
Uncategorized
Posted by AFAC – We’ve had a few successive “soft” winters, but this year we’re starting off with what’s looking like one of the old fashioned kind. November has been overcast, blustery, quite cool, and we have nearly two feet (60 cm. plus) of snow on the level in our neck of the woods. Good sleighing – poor trucking!
Recollecting life on the homestead in northeast Saskatchewan in the early 1940’s, I remember bands of horses ranging free in winter, travelling through the yard, and on to the stubble fields or next hay meadow. In the spring, “winter lumberjacks” would become “summer stubble jumpers“, catching up and laying claim to an outfit for seeding, haying, bindering, stook threshing, perhaps hauling wood, before turning the horses loose, and themselves heading back to the winter bush camps. We had our feed stacks fenced in next to the barn, protected and handy for Mom and her wee boys to feed our own stock, horses haltered and housed, handled and hitched every day. Quite a contrast, but those running out and those stabled in all seemed to prosper! I’m recounting this because it seems we are now in an age of “free expression” on standards of equine care. “Those who think they know may be a source of some annoyance to those of you who do!”
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Posted by AFAC on January 8th, 2010 :: Filed under
Farm life,
Horses,
Uncategorized
