A Choice In Food

My favorite place on Facebook to either read or participate is on The Truth About Agriculture page. One of the recent posts on the page was about Tasha and the realization of her personal journey as a human. I as an agriculture producer am very concerned by many previous posts I've done on Animal Rights Groups and their wanting to define animal agriculture production. But a personal blog post by Tasha I found was very interesting on an individual who was living a Vegan lifestyle. It's lengthy but I found it eye opening and a wonderful read on many levels. I am a person who believes in personal choice in many areas of your life. Those choices are afforded me, too, as a citizen of my country by our Constitution. So Tasha's choice to be a Vegan is fine with me. The only thing I don't like about some Vegans is the rants against Agriculture Animal Production. I care about the animals I raise to supply food for my family and extended family. I care about the animals who will leave my farm to another or stay to provide this country with the very best beef genetics of the two breeds we raise. I raise grass fed beef genetics and I don't like grass fed beef, which is my choice. Not liking grass fed beef does not mean I disagree with someone eating this type of beef. I blame it on being 50 years old and not wanting to change what type of beef I do like. I urge you to read the post all and the comments. The comments leave you understanding what she writes at the top of the post:

UPDATE: Thank you all for your comments, I never expected this post to get so much attention. However, I do not have the time nor the desire to continue moderating comments. Some of you have been amazingly supportive and have shared many thought provoking ideas, and I really appreciate that. Unfortunately, others have made threats against me and my family and that I cannot tolerate. So, thank you all very much for reading my post but I am going to be turning off the comments. I hope you can understand.

Why on earth would anyone want to threaten her life or her family's? I just do not get it. What makes her evil for choosing to change her diet from a vegan diet to a omnivore diet because of her health? I suppose one of the most common attack comments was saying she really was a meat industry plant. Ughhhh, the typical conspiracy theory when you have no other substantial science based argument. Really couldn't you come up with something more creative? Yet, Shannon if you want to be a vegan it is great, just let me and everyone else have their choice of diet.

From Shannon: 'You guys, this person is just a plant from the meat and/or dairy industry. It’s obvious because “she”talks about stuff that isn’t relevant to “her” supposed reason for writing this.'

The most interesting thing Tasha wrote was the following:

'First, I now no longer lie to myself about the fact that life requires death. Second, I am now healthy. Just like always, I still care intensely about the environment, the well being of animals, and the politics of food, but my ideas of how to do the most good and effect the most change have drastically transformed.'

I'm glad she has found a new purpose in her activism. At the same time I'm not expecting her to believe or think like I do about Agriculture. I don't necessarily agree with her on her beliefs but they belong to her and are a part of who she is as a human being. But ultimately in this post and the comments she received I have a better understanding of the vegan mind. For that I am grateful. And it isn't about putting a vegan down for their beliefs or activism, but maybe to find some way to have them understand the need for meat in our diet of those who choose to eat meat.

Thank you Tasha for a very insightful post and I am delighted you have regained your health! I look forward to reading about your continued journey.

Hunger in America

We say not me! I'm won't go through that! Hunger only occurs with the homeless, and I won't be there! Really, you really think that way! Please, I've been homeless and couldn't put food on the table and now my income level is at what most people only dream of it being. I won't go hungry again, I can grow my own food on the land I own outright. That's a good thing. But what about you? Do you even know how to grow your own food. This is the picture we see on TV and the streets of what hunger looks like in America. You say they don't look hungry. Eventually it gets to looking like this.
Is it really what you want to see? I'm seeing the first signs! People with backpacks walking along the road in the rain and cold. I'm seeing the first signs with passage of Prop 2 in California. HSUS has gone into Ohio, Missouri, and North Carolina to try to pass similiar measures.

I had someone tell me today it would never happen, no one could stop the production of meat. Another wrote yesterday how stopping meat production could cause an increase in pollution. No leather for your baseball gloves or footballs they become vinyl. Vinyl is synthetic produced in a chemical plant. The result goes even further into our lifestyle then you think.

If you think it can't happen, guess again. Agriculture operates on a very small margin, people are only willing to pay a certain amount for chicken, pork and beef. These are the three meats that Americans eat the most. If the price goes up restraunts and manufactures will go out of business and grocery stores will carry less. Those who can't afford it won't buy the meat. If meat prices rise so high there will be a demand for more plant food production and we don't have enough land to feed our country on plant production alone never mind helping to feed the 6.7 billion and growing human population of the world. The number one cause of social and political instability in the world is hunger. Learn about Agriculture and your food systems in this country. Don't let hunger in this country become our legacy of my generation for not stopping left wing animal rights groups.

Kim

HSUS President & CEO Pacelle on Swine Flu

I have never in my life seen such a blatant outright piece written with half-truths and down right lies in my entire life. Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of HSUS, blog post dated April 27, 2009, A Possible Connection: Swine Flu and Factory Farms, is the source for all of his half-truths and down right lies. This man is blaming everyone involved in animal agriculture production for Swine Flu and other diseases and pathogens. He is responsible for two of the most egregious forms of asking for donations and getting huge amount of dollars only to spend a fraction on what was raised. Katrina, HSUS receives 37 million and only spends 4 million on animal victims of Katrina. The most recent is the Micheal Vic, where they raise money only to say, 'Put the dogs down.'

HSUS as reported by Micheal Johnson of the Charlotte Observer quoted: “The Humane Society of the United States is trying to help out from the top down,” said David Miller, executive director of one of those dog-and-cat shelters, the Humane Society of Charlotte. “That's confusing for people sometimes.” And yet this is what was said by Victoria on the Facebook Group Stop the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) :

'HSUS infuriates me to no end! I am a shelter director and I can tell you for a fact that we get people all the time assuming if the give to HSUS we will be helped. We have never seen ONE RED DIME from them. We are in a county with an 11.5% un-employment rate and I can't even get them to send us a donation to help us continue our spay/neuter certificate program. You would think after all their yapping about that, they would be willing to help shelters continue their programs when they are financially incapable of continuing!!! Tells you that they really don't care about those of us actually working with the pets that they supposedly hold so near and dear to their hearts. HSUS does not operate one single shelter in the US and are nothing more that a massive lobbying organization I will never support them after what they did to horses in this country. We have a small hog business and farm on a small scale and this group will be the end to all of us if we do not stop them now.'

Victoria's post was dated March 11,2009. Obviously they would rather put her small farm out of business then help the shelter she is head of. Pacelle would say she is running a Factory Farm without even knowing her. I guarantee her pigs are treated with the utmost respect and care!

Pacelle uses in the first paragraph the H1N1 influenza virus is what humans are contracting. Further down Dr. Micheal Greger, a senior staff member of HSUS, writes about H1N1 as a swine influenza virus. The influenza virus humans are contacting is not H1N1! It is a combination of swine, avian, and human virus. Time and again research has shown the virus mutates. This is a totally new virus. Pacelle says it has been traced to a major area of pig farms in Mexico. Mexico does not have the built in safety system the U.S. has for their food supply. We have the safest food system in the world. A local restaurant owner in the Clear Lake (NASA) area is a immigrant from Lebanon. In the Middle East if you want chicken for dinner you go to the local market tell the merchant you want 'that chicken.' The chicken is alive when you pick it out, the merchant carries it in back of the shop, harvests the chicken for you and brings it out to you. No USDA inspection like we have here. Where would you like to purchase your chicken? Pacelle refuses to acknowledge the safety systems in our Agriculture products.

Dr. Paconna interviewed on ABC Early Morning National News is quoted as saying, 'You can't get the flu from eating pork.' Don't let Pacelle say you can as he implies in his blog post. I've heard the same statement all day long on every news program I've watched. I've been watching as we received rain all day.

By the time you finish this post you are sure you are going to get influenza and it is all of the pig producers fault in this country. Even the picture he shows is misleading. There is no dirty floor the pigs are standing on. In fact they look pretty happy pigs to me. Pigs are very curious, intelligent and expressive animals. Happy pigs have the kind of face you see on these pigs. The slats of wood are the cover over an automated flush system to remove manure. Pacelle has once again shown a false statement of how our pork producers are concerned with the welfare of their animals to bring a very safe product to market for the consumer.

Again, Pacelle has shown what HSUS is all about. He and the rest of HSUS wants to get rid of Animal Production Agriculture as quoted in his March 30, 2009 blog post. Notice I highlighted Policy of HSUS on wanting to eventually do away with Animal Production Agriculture.

We believe in the Three R's—reducing the consumption of meat and other animal-based foods; refining the diet by eating products only from methods of production, transport, and slaughter that minimize pain and distress; and replacing meat and other animal-based foods in the diet with plant-based foods.

I'm just exposing the man for what he is, head of a deceitful lobbying organization!

Kim

Edited on 4/30/09: In an above paragraph I stated H1N1 is not a human virus. Yesterday, even the President uses H1N1 virus as the name of the flu currently infecting humans. So I apologize. Now my question is who is wrong? If swine do have H1N1 virus affect them as a stated in Pacelle's blog and known as swine flu then what is the name of the current virus affecting us. It obviously evolved, mutated, changed, converted, or changed to be able to affect us as proved by the US Center for Disease Control as being of Swine, Avian, and Human origin. My point of HSUS trying to instill fear hasn't changed!

On top of that please understand you can not get the flu from eating pork.

Tea Party - Lake Jackson, Texas

Most of my online scrapbooking friends know I have two homes. We hope by the end of the year it will just be the one in Groesbeck, TX. I had to go home Monday evening to Angleton for a dental appointment on Tuesday. I'm such a wimp when it comes to the dentist it wears my nerves to a frazzle. I always stay an extra night. My bags packed and ready for me to go. I'm about to call Larry and let him know I'm leaving. He calls when I'm within minutes of calling him. Would I go to the Lake Jackson Tea Party with him. I hate to tell Larry no when he asks so nicely. Plus I'm curious about what these are really all about since I don't get news that isn't skewed at least a little to the liberal side. Larry arrives home, and James wants to go. His two best friends are going. He is waiting for a call on when he can go for a job interview. He can't leave until 5:00pm. We decide to wait.

While we wait we all sit in front of TV watching Glen Beck in San Antonio in front of the Alamo at the Tea Party. As Texans we can so relate to the things Glen Beck and his guests relate about Texas History and what the Alamo means to Texans. Larry had told me at least seven days before the Tea Parties he really wish we could have been at the San Antonio Tea Party. We finally get to leave. I would estimate a minimum of 500 people. We saw so many friends and enjoyed saying hello. A past owner-operator who leased his truck with our terminal came up to say hi. And as I look back and I think what Nancy Pelosi said, made me realize this individual who worked under a lease agreement was just disgusted. He'd been unable to find work, as he had sold his truck and lost his job since he left working for us. He was 30 days to being homeless because of foreclosure. I think what Nancy Pelosi said about the Tea Parties being about the wealthy rich paying individuals to attend and I think about the individuals I've seen walking along Texas Highways with backpacks in the last 72 hours. These aren't individuals that look like alcoholics or drug addicts. These are people who have had their world turn upside down by the Recession. It is just horrible the far left wants to put a spin on what occurred on April 15th.



James did the above video of the Lake Jackson Tea Party. I'm proud of him for becoming active in his freedoms! Keep it up James!

Larry had gone to bed and I began to think about all of the posts I'd written about attacks on Agriculture and the hidden agenda of HSUS and PETA.

Here's what I think the Tea Parties were about. As I said we saw many friends there. Some are like me a economic conservative and just left of the middle on social issues. Friends who were die-hard Democrats, friends who were Republicans and those who consider themselves Independents. Why can't the far left can't respect our wishes to make our voices heard. Everything in me from my economics training tells me the way our government has chosen to handle this recession is going to send us into a place none of us wants to go. I can't fathom what will happen if they don't stop spending. It isn't just Bush and Obama. Most of the blame needs to be blamed on Congress. Barney Frank needs a good stiff kick in the back side. Why is he blaming the Republicans when he and the Democrats had control of the House? He was in charge of over site on the Finance Committee. Why didn't he pursue it? Why does he blame everyone else when the buck stops with him? Who knows.

As I dived more deeply into why I went I found it really had to do with my love of Agriculture. As I saw three individuals in the last 72 hours on Texas State Highways. A couple walking south on State Hwy 35. A man not ten years older then me on State Hwy 6 this afternoon. It hurt to the bone. It made me think of the tent cities I've seen in California on the news. It made me think about hunger in this country. Here we are the most blessed nation in the world with not only the land, climate, and soils to grow enough food to feed our nation and a huge portion of the rest of the world we have hunger and homeless due to the recession. We have had both without the recession, but now it is getting worse by the day.

I so believe in the humane treatment of animals. My mother and my brother-in-law are animal control officers. My mom is a member of Second Chance Pets, a rescue organization for dogs and cats. I look at our own cattle. They all have names. Some given names, others their brand numbers but none the less we all know who each individual is. I can tell you from a distance which animal is which. There are just over 80 on the ranch. Calves born receive a herd number, they have to have one so they can be registered with the respected registry. Some are double registered so the numbers have to match the requirements of both registries. They go buy their herd numbers until they receive given names. Some never get a given name, but their name is their number. In our eyes it is a name. I think the one cow who we purchased as a 21 month old heifer has the registered name of Corporran Acres 590. We call her 590. When she had a problem with foot rot, she was up in the pasture with the show cattle so I could care for her. I've grown very fond of her. She loves being a Mom and is a good Mom.

So why does HSUS and PETA keep their agendas hidden? Why won't those who support them listen to the argument I have about the ability to feed our population at an inexpensive cost? Why won't they listen that we don't have the land to grow enough plant food products to replace meat if we did away with it? Why won't they acknowledge we are loosing quality farm land to urban development that could be used for growing plant food products to feed our nation and the rest of the world? Why will they not see that forcing their so called humane ideas on animal housing or what agriculture calls confinement systems is dangerous not only to the animals health but the health of humans? Why most people in this country can be tolerant to those who choose a diet based on partial or total vegetarian diets but in return not respect those who desire to enjoy meat? I'm not saying all of those who enjoy a vegetarian diet are like this.

Next time, you want to blast me for being a "factory farm" remember I'm willing to let your post stand, but you don't let mine stand. Who is the tolerant one.

I just leave you with one thought....do you consider humans more important or our friends the animals?

My answer is my fellow citizens of this great country of ours first, then my fellow citizens of the planet we call home, Earth.

Please, think of the hunger in this world....remember a huge portion of the land not suitable to growing crops, vegetables and fruits is used for the production of meat. Please speak to a farmer, attend a livestock or crop symposium, and learn about the intricacies of producing food in the quantity we do in this country. When you do you just might change your mind about how you look at Agriculture.

I enjoy the quality of life in my home state of Texas, part of the greatest country in the World simply due to others like me who raise the grain crops, vegetables, fruits, and meat. Thank you to the Farmers and Ranchers of this country!

The Tea Parties were about our freedoms we enjoy under the Constitution of the United States of America. It's not about right or left, it's about a voice of a people who feel isn't being listened to. I'M PROUD TO SAY I'M ONE OF THOSE! I'm not a right wing terrorist!

Kim

Rush is supporting the Liberal HSUS!

I'm so stunned by Rush Limbaugh it is unbelievable. I can't understand for the life of me why he would ever be allowed to be snowed by a far left wing group HSUS. This group wants to destroy our Agriculture systems and the ability feed our population and contribute to feed the 6.7 billion residents of a planet we know as Earth.



Now you have listened to one of the two PSA's Rush gave on his April 14, 2009 radio show. All you have to do is read the post during the last month on my Blog to know HSUS primary goal is the destruction of farmers and ranchers in this country. You might say, "Your crazy, not the farmers!" I'm not crazy. I'm telling the truth. Without the ranchers, hog farmers, and chicken farmers the farmers who grow our grains will be placed out of business not to mention all of the support industries that contribute to the growing of food. Please think, it is because the farmers and ranchers you have the safest food system in the world and the cheapest.

I thought I would point you to the blog post from Wayne Pacelle. It is his actual intentions of the HSUS in the last paragraph. He wants to do away with all forms of meat production in our country. Stand up to their tactics!

As food for thought please read the following blog post from Lene Johansen, titled OMFG! Rush has lost it! Thank you, Lene for telling the truth about HSUS!

Send Rush an email and tell him how much you love the meat the American Farmer and Rancher raises!

Kim