Be aware of HSUS

[Ian & Val Plagge]

We don't know how many of you are keeping up on the all the different animal rights groups, but we believe the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is the biggest threat to animal agriculture. If it was up to them, there would be no animal agriculture in the United States, and if agriculture doesn't unite they just might achieve their goal.

HSUS has started legislation in many states this year - Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska, South Dakota, and our own state of Iowa. In Iowa their legislation concerned "puppy mills." This is how they get started. They try to affiliate themselves with your local animal shelters, which they don't support and/or are related to, and then they work on legislation affecting agriculture, such as Proposition 2 in California.

We believe agriculture needs to work together to defeat HSUS, but we also believe agriculture is afraid to. HSUS pretty much has unlimited money sources and if and when ag goes after HSUS, you better believe HSUS will go after ag even more, from management practices, to how checkoff programs work.

What do you think needs to get done to stop HSUS? What do you think agriculture can and should do?

[george]

I feel like agriculture has to stop its inner bickering. We can not stand as a unified force until everyone is willing to let their personal agenda's step back in order for the greater good of the whole.
If animal agriculture is regulated out of business it afects us all. In our area most of the grain is raised to feed animals, if we lose that market how much will grain prices drop. One problem with agriculture is that most of the time if there is a big opponent of an animal facility growing it is often the grain farmer next door.
Agriculturalist must unite as one! We can not fight organic vs. non-organic, no-till vs. tillage. We are all entitled to our opinion I am not saying that but on a public front we must try to be as one and allow some arguments to stay inside agriculture circles. Once again I will bring up how all agriculture companies must see it as their fight as well. By that I mean seed companies, fertilizer companies, animal pharmaceuticals and all companies that provide inputs to agriculture as well as all ag groups. I say this because I feel consumers our ag input companies real end users not farmers.
In our area here folks you may be involved with the NFO will have nothing to do with farm bureau. How can we provide an extremely large voice if there is so much innner turmoil? It will be extremely difficult but I believe that it can be done as long as people begin looking at the big picture.

By the way Happy Farmer Day! After all we are the first environmentalists because without it we can't sustain a living.

[Jackie]

I for one agree with you, but don't have any answers of how we can stop them or what can be done to make them leave us alone. But I really would have like to have some of them people come to my place and help me during a blizzard when we are calving like crazy and save all the calves for me. Or be there when a cow is going nuts and trying to kill one of us. I would shove them at the cow and run. Perhaps they could talk her out of hurting them. Or pet her or something. What would they do when our area was so full of snow and mud and we couldn't get to our hay to feed the cows. I should have called them. Maybe they would have flown hay in for hundreds of ranchers that were in the same trouble. Perhaps there should be check off program to help us fight this type of thing. I wouldn't have a problem giving a dollar a head for that. There have been a couple lawsuits that involve some local area ranchers and one that I got involved with, and when the lawyer bill comes due, a meeting is called and the bill is divided among the group and we all give them our share. Just a thought.

[Travis Harrison]

I agree that we need to stop bickering there are different ways of doing different things and we should not fight amongst ourselves as to what they best way to do things is. I think this fight is going to be among us faster than we think. I saw an article that California is trying to ban using antibiotics in animals that are to be used in the food supply including beef and poultry. Not sure how this is tied to the HSUS but is the same type of problem that livestock producers have to deal with. If this legislation becomes a law then who knows how many other states will try to follow and pass the same legislation. To me antibiotics in cattle are the same as when you go get a flu shot every year to prevent being sick. This is the same case as when you treat cattle to prevent from being sick and being a loss for producers. If antibiotics are not used then I think there will be a lot more sickness in the overall health of livestock. This has also created a market niche for many producers to remain profitable but just because they do it that way does not mean every cattle producer has to treat their livestock in the same exact way. Here is the link to the article about banning antibiotics in California.
http://www.kneb.com/news/agricultural/d7569c73-888f-420c-9b34-de77e...

[FastlineMike]

One of the problems, as you guys stated, is that they are using the local animal shelters to forward their cause. I realize they get started by going after "puppy mills", however, if the puppy mills were run as well as a hog confinement operation, there is not much the HSUS could do. The main problem with puppy mills is not the volume of dogs they produce, it is the poor manner in which they are cared for. One of the issues I have with the Humane society is their name: "Humane" implies "human". Animals are not human and never will be. I agree there needs to be more collaboration from our front. We run a small horse rescue operation (www.equivive.com (shameless plug)) and we see the same thing within the horse industry and trying to fight anti-slaughter activism. There are countless horse industry organizations, but they all have differing opinions on slaughter. That is part of the reason why there is no more slaughter. The livestock industry needs to sit up and take notice - horses are the first domino to fall. You can bet the next item on the animal rights agenda is legistation that will eventually lead to the ulimate goal which is to end slaughter of all animals. George is right, all ag business should be concerned because it would ultimately affect us all. The animal rights folks don't believe people should own animals at all. In fact, 90% of the dogs that run through PETA operated animal shelters are put to sleep. They firmly believe that animals are better off dead than in the hands of humans. The local humane societies should distance themselves from the national organization. All of agriculture should unite. As individuals we can not compete with the dollars pumped in from animal rights organizations. As one agricultural community it could be accomplished.

[Rob Hurd]

I am going to respond to your reply: If you are referring to "puppy mills" as substandared breeding facilities, fine, however to a licensed , inspected professional kennel operator, that word is offensive. There are over 700 licensed professional dog breeders in the state of Iowa. Are there a few bad ones? You bet there are, just like there are bad schools, daycares and nursing homes, as well has livestock farmers and so on. The HSUS and the Animal Rights Pirates have zeroed in on dog breeding operations, because lets face it, its a lot harder to get passionate about a pig or steer. The state of Iowa has been remiss in allowing unlicensed facilities to continue to operate. That needs to change. Now for the rest of the livestock producers here, pay attention! When HSUS gets done with the dog breeders they WILL turn attention full time to you. "Puppy mill" legislation is just a stepping stone. I have been fighting anti-animal legislation in this state and on a national level for the last 8 years. One of the problems that we have is that the livestock and production farming community does not stand behind the dog industry in this battle. I implore you to rethink that attitude. We all need to be working together to fight all types of anti-breeding, anti-livestock legislation. If this does not get your attention, don't forget they are also trying to eliminate hunting and firearm ownership as well. You all are involved with production checkoffs, hogs, cattle, poultry, corn beans and so on. How much of that hard earned money is going to fight legislation? Iowa Federation of Animal Owners

[Nick]

That's the whole idea of that spineless bunch, get a foot in the door with Hollywood sympathy and then accumulate enough money to convince some Liberal judge to do something about it.....no matter how ridiculous the cause...it is not relevant....little by little your freedom will disappear.....and THAT'S what they want, to be in control.

[Kevin]

I think and feel that the problem is not with animal rights groups. The problem is with the industrial production of meat. I have seen enough industrial meat operations to know that I will never feed myself, my friends or family with industrial grade meat. Too many huge operations give continuous antibiotics into the feed because animals are confined to spaces and live in conditions so unhealthy they need antibiotics daily. I eat meat. I love meat. I have a big problem with industrial scale meat and think that operators should take animal welfare into consideration more than how much meat one can harvest in as small a time frame as they can.

The problem is not the animal rights folk, it is a problem of scale. We fed cows (a vegetarian animal) cows for crying out loud. Maybe if the meat industry cleans up there act, the animal rights folks will lay off with introducing legislation that should be common sense.

[Micycle]

What is wrong with a little conflict? Conflict can often lead to innovative solutions to problems that we have. But so long as farmers are spraying poison on the soil and on our food, destroy the landscape with mono-cropping, treat animals like inanimate objects rather than living creatures, and plant untested gmo's you better believe I will be the first one to speak up. As all of these things are making our communities sick, and give all farmers a bad name.

The problem is not the humaine society, the problem is that animals are treated so horribly in our culture both in cities, and on industrial farms, that their is a need for such organizations to exist.

[george]

You are entitle to your opinion but where is your evidence in the bold claims you make. Everything my farm uses is approved and said to be safe by the U.S. Government. It goes through the same trials and tribulations as the medication you take when you are sick what is the difference? What is an Industrial Farm?

Micycle said:

What is wrong with a little conflict? Conflict can often lead to innovative solutions to problems that we have. But so long as farmers are spraying poison on the soil and on our food, destroy the landscape with mono-cropping, treat animals like inanimate objects rather than living creatures, and plant untested gmo's you better believe I will be the first one to speak up. As all of these things are making our communities sick, and give all farmers a bad name.

The problem is not the humaine society, the problem is that animals are treated so horribly in our culture both in cities, and on industrial farms, that their is a need for such organizations to exist.

[Nick]

Conflict is one thing, harassment is another!

Micycle said:

What is wrong with a little conflict? Conflict can often lead to innovative solutions to problems that we have. But so long as farmers are spraying poison on the soil and on our food, destroy the landscape with mono-cropping, treat animals like inanimate objects rather than living creatures, and plant untested gmo's you better believe I will be the first one to speak up. As all of these things are making our communities sick, and give all farmers a bad name.

The problem is not the humaine society, the problem is that animals are treated so horribly in our culture both in cities, and on industrial farms, that their is a need for such organizations to exist.

[Nick]

To be back to the original question Ian, I don't think farmers will lower themselves low enough to really fight this.....farmers need to move away from government programs to be more independent....if you think the tea parties was something, wait till people get hungry because idiots are putting rules in place to prevent food being raised....

[Logan Padget]

Maybe someone should ask them how they feel about eating? We get rid of livestock, grain farmers will feel it too with dropping prices. Then they go out of business. Then no one eats anything. When cattle are set free, they do not have the ability to sustain themselves without human interaction. Humans have cared for them with better quality feed than any they would find in the wild, and with the antibiotics we gave them over the years they have no natural defense against illness. Bovine will go extinct. Hogs will revert back to feral swine, and that will hurt crops of the farmers who are facing dropping prices.
I think that people need to have live debates on public television with mandatory broadcast on all major channels (ABC, NBC, FOX, CNN etc) backed up with facts and cited live on TV as they are brought up.