I think what started as minimal chit-chat questioning the values of food production and agriculture has now become a booming roar as celebrities, Hollywood, activists, politicians and the media pass judgements on farmers and ranchers. On most days, you can open up any paper in the country and read countless headlines pertaining to the agriculture industry, and we all know that many of these headlines aren't favorable.
Since the beginning of this blog, I have encouraged all of you to reach out to consumer groups and share your story. Together, we have worked hard to re-establish trust between producers and consumers, but we still have a long way to go. While it's important to keep positive when sharing our story and educating others about where their food comes from, it's also critical for us to be aware of what others are saying about us.
Meatless Mondays, A Movement That Has Legs was the headline in a recent article published in the Washington Post, written by Jane Black. This article discusses the Meatless Mondays campaign and how the meat industry is responding. I encourage you to check it out and leave your thoughts in the comments section.
A second article for you to read this morning has an ugly title, The Vulgar Truth About U.S. Meats. This was published in a natural health newsletter and criticizes the meat industry for E. coli problems, drug residues, antibiotics and lack of government oversight. This is a place we could do some damage control. There are already several comments on the post, but it would be great to have producer communications on this website.
The challenge we face is twofold: debunking myths spread by celebrities and the media and sharing our personal positive stories about what we do on our farms and ranches. Are you willing to stand up and do your part?
