Stand up for agriculture

On Wednesday, I had the privilege of taking part in the Illinois Beef Association and Illinois Pork Producers Association Legislative Day in Springfield. It was an opportunity to talk to Illinois legislators about ag issues, animal production in particular, and the general state of Illinois. We did not just visit the legislators from our own district. It is always interesting to interact with the urban legislators. At noon, during lunch, we listened to Gov. Quinn’s address, and as we visited legislators, we asked what their thoughts were about what was said. It was interesting to hear and see the hand-wringing, but nobody seemed to want to offer any solutions. Of course not, it is an election year, and getting re-elected is more important than addressing the sorry state of affairs this state is in!

What impressed me the most was the respect for agriculture all the legislators showed us, along with the understanding of the issues important to us. The effect of face-to-face communication is immeasurable.

This gets me to the point I want to stress today, that all farmers must take the time to tell our story, for us to be able to continue to raise crops and animals. Every cattleman in Springfield that day was calving but knew the importance of talking to politicians.

We have to make sure the consumer who eats our product understands our practices. There is no better message a consumer can hear than one from an actual producer. Farmers and ranchers must directly challenge the picture of modern agriculture painted by critics, extremist animal rights organizations and environmental activists. These individuals, organizations and even the media have distorted facts to further their own agendas. It is important farmers speak honestly, directly and often to the consumers of our products.

Thirty years ago farmers were portrayed as hopeless and simple victims of moneyed interests; today, the press describes us as “corporate farmers” who use “factory” methods to produce unhealthy, unsafe food at the expense of the environment, all for profit. The public has been groomed to think big is bad. Other industries get applauded for advancement. Farmers do the same and get judged negatively for it. Today’s producers are businessmen in farmers’ clothes.