5 Reasons Why Farmers Should Support Wendy's

Image courtesy: iSpot.Tv

More often than not, the only time we hear from fast-food restaurants is when they are making some groundbreaking announcement about their food safety procedures or their supply chain. In general, neither are a welcome message for consumers or producers alike.

However Wendy’s, the pro-ginger burger chain, is different than Subway, Panera and Chipotle – all of which have made headline-generating statements about their food supply. Wendy’s actually supports agriculture and wants to work together with farmers and ranchers to market delicious, safe and healthy food.

5 reasons why farmers and ranchers should support Wendy’s:

Wendy’s wants to Work WITH Beef Producers – not take away important technologies like antibiotics. In a press conference at Cattle Industry Convention, [reported on by BEEF Magazine], Wendy’s spokesperson Liliana Esposito said the chain wants to collaborate with producers to refine, reduce and replace antibiotics but they respect that when an animal is sick, it NEEDS treatment. Esposito added, “The best beef comes from healthy well-cared for animals. A sick animal needs to be treated and you won’t hear differently from us.”

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Chipotle: Where Guac and Hypocrisy Cost You Extra

Maybe it’s the crushing heat we’re experiencing here in Kansas that has me so easily annoyed but upon reading the latest stupidity-driven marketing decision from Chipotle, I felt I needed to bring the blog out of dormancy and share my two dollars (two cents won’t cut it this time).



Evil-looking, no?
Photo courtesy: Chance Hunley

A lot of my close friends and family will joke with me occasionally and say, "Hey let's go to Chipotle for lunch!" They do this because a) they know Chipotle’s marketing and business practices make my blood boil b) they like to see me get riled up c) they know very few people who despise Chipotle as much as I do and d) they are in agreement that the burrito giant is off its rocker when it comes to marketing and how it sources product.

If you need further reminding of why I despise this restaurant, you can add “hypocrisy runs rampant” to the long list of reasons I haven't eaten there since 2007.

If I were an American pig producer, I’d be ticked – I mean, I’m ticked already and I don’t even have a stake in this game. You may remember way back in January of this year, Chipotle said that carnitas would not be offered in all stores because one of their suppliers wasn’t adhering to the company’s holier-than-thou animal welfare standards. They made it out to be a pork “shortage.”

Do you know what those standards actually say? Let me tell you. Chipotle wanted a farmer, who had been raising pigs for 30 years, to cut a hole in the side of his barn so that the pigs inside could go outside in the snow and single digit temperatures. There are several reasons that pigs are raised indoors, which I’ve discussed before. They don’t have fur coats, they aren’t very hardy – they will get sick and die, or get eaten by a coyote. Raising pigs inside is safer and better for their wellbeing. Additionally, Chipotle has a “never-ever” policy on antibiotic use which gives a farmer two options, essentially. If a pig is sick the farmer can give the animal antibiotics and wait for the proper withdrawal time before sending the animal to slaughter, which ensures that no antibiotics enter the food supply (thousands upon thousands of responsible pig farmers do this to ensure safe pork products every day). In doing so and raising their animals humanely by providing health care, they are removing their animals from Chipotle’s supply chain. However, they can choose not to treat the animal and sell a sick pig (if it lives through the disease) to Chipotle for a supposed premium. You don’t need an advanced degree in animal science to realize that it’s whacko to deny health treatment to a sick animal. I wouldn’t do that to my dog or horses and I damn sure wouldn’t do it to an animal that I hope to be selling or would be using to feed my family.

This pig, like so many others, is raised indoors to protect it from the elements and predators.

The thing with antibiotics is that they are a necessary tool that farmers need to help their animals in fighting off nasty bacteria. There are many times throughout a pig’s life that they are more susceptible to disease such as when a few groups of pigs that have never been around each other start buddying up. Think of it as kindergarten for piglets – all those little piggies hanging out on the monkey bars, sharing each other’s boogers and coughing on their hooves. Another example is if the weather turns nasty or chilly and some pigs get the swine equivalent of a sinus infection. These ailments call for treatment and it’s downright cruel to deny treatment to a sick animal.

Chipotle doesn’t care. Use antibiotics and those pigs can’t be marketed through their supply chain. To hell with animal welfare, they have to keep those $10/1000 calorie burritos pumping out the door.

So now that you have an idea of the bizarre thought process behind Chipotle’s animal welfare standards, let me get back to the hypocrite part.

Because there was a “shortage” of pork here in the U.S. (Lie. No shortage of responsibly raised pork or beef in the U.S.) good ole Chip jumped the pond and started sourcing pork from Karro Food, a U.K. based company. And guess what?

Karro Food is allowed to use antibiotics in the event of illness in the swine herd.

When asked why the restaurant tyrant decided to let Karro Food, a foreign company, use antibiotics on sick animals but refused to extend that same standard to American producers, this is what Chipotle replied with:

“Our decision to source pork from this new supplier does not mean that Chipotle’s animal welfare protocols are changing at this time. While we prefer to buy pork raised entirely without antibiotics, we are proud to be serving pork from Karro because the responsible way Karro uses antibiotics is consistent with their extremely high animal welfare standards.”

Chipotle also did a nice job of explaining how antibiotics are used responsibly by farmers, but apparently only on U.K. pork farms. Too bad they couldn’t just allow all farmers this necessary technology instead of continually weaving a web of consumer misinformation. They stated:

“This does not mean that antibiotics are present in the meat. All animals treated with antibiotics (both in Europe and the U.S.) must undergo a withdrawal period before they are slaughtered, which means that meat from a pig treated with antibiotics will not contain antibiotic residue, just like meat from an animal that was never given antibiotics.”

This befuddles me. I have no idea why they would actually move to use reasonable science messages to defend antibiotics use in one country but not in another, when both are comparable in their animal welfare protocols. Hey Chipotle, here’s a #TruthBomb, pull your nose down out of the air long enough to take a look around fly-over country and you’ll find that American farmers use antibiotics responsibly too.

I honestly don’t even know how to explain how I feel about this. Even more so, I cannot fathom what it must be like to be so unabashedly hypocritical. My best guess is that Chipotle needs a large supplier and Karro can accommodate their needs; however, Karro isn’t willing to back down from responsible antibiotic use because they have a good handle on common sense.

So there you go – another slap to the American farmer’s face from an unhealthy burrito kingpin. The good news is that people are starting to wake up to the vicious scheming of Chipotle. If you have spare time, read a few of these recent links.

 Business Insider – Chipotle’s Flashy Ban on GMOs is Totally Backfiring

Eater – Chipotle’s Non-GMO Push is Based on Bad Science

NPR – Why We Can’t Take Chipotle’s GMO Announcement All That Seriously

Eleven Warriors – Ohioan Ohio State Commit Todd Sibley Jr. Says He’s Never Eaten Chipotle, Probably Never Will

Delish -- Chipotle is Taking Serious Heat for its New Carnitas Supplier

In the meantime, I’ll continue to be a loyal patron of Qdoba. It’s more fun to pronounce and the food isn’t soured with the taste of guilt and farmer’s tears.

Until next time,

Buzzard

**Point of clarification: This post is not me saying that organic or natural pork production is wrong, cruel or unnecessary. This post is about Chipotle's BLATANT hypocrisy regarding their double standards for pork production between U.S. and U.K. producers. Agriculture needs all kinds of people and all kinds of production; there is room for everyone. I have mentioned in comments below that instead of convention aland organic getting up in arms against each other, we need to link arms and fight against these animal rights extremists and anti-technology advocates. If you have further comments regarding organic/natural and conventional, feel free to contact me (email is on About Me page). As always, civil discourse is appropriate and I appreciate your comments and feedback.

Chipotle: A World of Pure Imagination

About four years ago, I realized the extremely important role advocacy plays in agriculture and saw the limitless value of telling my story. I’m proud to share the stories about the small role I play in food production while working alongside my father, husband and in-laws. I do this because there are plenty of people out there that daily strive to push consumers towards niche products such as organic beef, cage-free eggs or vegan bacon (which is not really bacon, btw). While I’m all about choice, I don’t like it when we suggest that making one food choice is safer, more sustainable or better than another food choice—especially when it’s not true.

Inquiring minds want to know when they're going to be fed.....

While things like the latest Chipotle video may be successful at attracting press, blog hits and consumer interest, the one thing they fall extremely short of achieving is creating constructive conversation about food production and the wholesome goodies on our dinner plates.

Whether it’s this latest video or others like it, it reiterates to me the importance of sharing stories about how food is really raised today. I strongly urge all producers to continue to use your voice and tell the real story of farming – right now there are consumers around the nation, and the world, putting their Google skills to the test trying to find out information about how beef, chicken and pork are produced and how livestock are treated. This is a critical component of agriculture – while we may not all agree on the what is the ‘right’ way to do things, we can all agree that no one benefits from denigrating farmers and ranchers other than the marketers and businesses themselves.

Baby beef!

Do you have pictures of you or your family caring for your livestock? Put them online with a short story about the pride you have in providing high quality care and producing safe, healthy food.  That’s the real story of farming and you should be proud of it.

When they hear the dinner bell (it's actually a siren) they come runnin'! As they pass by, we make sure everyone is present and accounted for - if not, we ride around the pasture to look for escapees or sick cattle.

Farmers and ranchers have been sharing the story of agriculture for several years and should continue to do so! Here are some great examples of producers opening up the barn doors to all who wish to view inside.

·         Anne Burkholder – a feedlot owner from Nebraska

·         Debbie Lyons-Blythe – a cow/calf rancher in the Flint Hills of Kansas

·         Ryan Goodman – a farmer from Tennessee who talks about beef, food and ranch life

·         Bridget Coon – a ranch wife in Washington who raises beef with her family

Even if you aren’t a wizard of words, you can post a picture and short sentence about your daily practices – a la Wordless Wednesday (or in my case, Semi-wordless Wednesday). Again, it is up to you to make sure that American consumers know exactly how their food is produced and that they can be confident in farmers and ranchers to do the right thing.

Podge is my role model for many things -- horsemanship, cattle care and his dedication to doing the right thing, even when it's not easy, are just a few of his outstanding qualities.

Are you a supplier to Chipotle, do you raise naturally raised beef or meet the Chipotle specs or know someone who is? PLEASE comment below – I’d love to talk with you and hear your thoughts on this!

Until next time,

~ Buzzard ~

The thoughts and opinions of this blog post strictly represent that of Brandi Buzzard Frobose and are NOT representative of any other entity or organization.

Chipotle, Hypocrites No More, To Use Antibiotic Treated Beef (Maybe)

No lie, folks. Turns out, when beef cattle numbers are at a 60-year low the niche markets that Chipotle buys from suffer too.

News hit Tuesday that Chipotle can't find enough natural beef to meet the demand for their customer base and headlines screamed that the Denver-based chain would have to use beef that has been treated with antibiotics (surprised?).

Quote from the New Jersery Star-Ledger:

For years, the eatery with nearly 120 locations in New Jersey has touted its meat as “naturally raised” and not fattened with antibiotics. But because beef production is expected to hit a 21-year low next year, about 15 percent to 20 percent of its inventory will have been treated with antibiotics to prevent illness – but not proactively to add bulk.

Allowing sick animals treated with antibiotics to remain in Chipotle’s supply chain will increase the amount of beef available to the company.

On its website, the company says “Once in awhile we do experience a shortage in certain areas of the country and we’ll let you know at the restaurants if that happens.” 

Well, that last paragraph is true - Chipotle has been sourcing conventional beef for months.

HOWEVER, apparently there was some miscommunication in burrito land because yesterday Chris Arnold, Chipotle spokesman, told NPR that the chain is considering sourcing beef raised with responsible antibiotic use but has not yet fully committed. Guess they'll just have to stick to sourcing conventional beef behind-the-scenes.

Glass half-full perspective - They have the opportunity to no longer be hypocritical.

Glass half-empty - They are still masters of the craft of misinforming consumers to make a buck.

Whether you're a Chipotle fan or not, we can all be confident that ALL American beef -- natural, organic or conventional -- is safe for consumption and is antibiotic-residue free. If you want more facts, check out this resource.

I'm still not eating there - I don't understand what the big deal is, it's just a burrito joint.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

p.s. clearly, the photo above is not from Chipotle but it goes to show that a fresh, tasty burrito/taco can come from anywhere. Pork sausage tacos and garden fresh veggies at the Frobuzz ranchero. Easy peasy.

Chipotle Strikes a Nerve with Grammy Commercial

10:30 pm Sunday: I'm so livid right now, I can't even form a coherent sentence. So I may have to come back and finish this post in the morning.
*********

Monday morning/afternoonish: Ok, I'm back. A good night's sleep and a few deep breaths has me calmed me down enough that now I can at least form sentences and not scream at stupid Chipotle commercials.
If you haven't seen the commercial that aired last night during the Grammy's (I didn't watch the Grammy's but once I saw my Facebook and Twitter blowing up, I went to YouTube and watched the disaster), please do so now, so that you're aware of what I'm talking about.

I can't even begin to explain everything that is wrong with this commercial, but I'll try:

1. Livestock are not raised indoors because farmers are lazy. Quite the opposite actually. As I type this, there is snow on the ground and it's 27 degrees in Kansas and spitting sleet oh and don't forget it's Kansas so it's always windy. If I was a dairy cow or a pig, I'd wanna be indoors and out of the snow and wind.

2. Supporting local farmers is a great endeavor however, there is not always a year-round farmers market that has every grocery item from A-Z in every small town. Without Hyvee, Dillons and yes, the dastardly Wal-Mart, my little family would starve. Transporting food from where it was grown to where it is sold is not evil or wrong. It's called infrastructure and we should be very thankful we have it. Countries in Africa don't have very good infrastructure and therefore have a lot of food shortages and hunger problems.

3. Did you know there is 77 times more hormones (estrogen) in ONE EGG than in a 100 gram portion of implanted beef? I didn't make that up, it's the facts. Antibiotics are used during stressful times in an animal life when the immune system is compromised and when they need to be treated for sickness. Antibiotics on farms are not used irresponsibly or willi-nilli.

4. Farmers and ranchers aren't running factories. To say otherwise is absurd. Producers check their livestock on a daily basis and are always striving to provide the utmost care possible so that the quality of life for their livestock is as best as can be.

Also, did you know that even though Chipotle claims to use local, certified organic products they quite often can't find enough supply to meet their demand and end up using conventionally produced products? They admit it:

“We do, however, face challenges associated with pursuing Food With Integrity. For example, current economic conditions have led to natural chicken and steak supply shortages. It can take longer to identify and secure relationships with suppliers meeting our criteria, and there are higher costs and other risks associated with purchasing naturally raised or sustainably grown ingredients. The growing time for naturally raised meat and sustainably grown vegetables can be longer. Herd losses can also be greater when animals are not treated with antibiotics and hormones and field losses can be higher for organically grown produce. Given the costs associated with natural and sustainable farming practices, and recently due to decreased demand as a result of the weak economic environment, many large suppliers have not found it economical to pursue business in this area.” -- taken from Chipotle's annual report.

Just to clear something up: I have no problem with organic or naturally produced food products. I am very proud to live in a country where I can buy whatever type of food I want: organic, natural, conventional, grass-fed, grain-fed, etc. However, I can't afford those products and quite frankly I know there isn't a difference between them and their conventionally produced contemporaries. However, I don't condemn those farmers who make a living in a way that is different to everyone else. If consumers want to pay higher prices for organic and natural, well then props to those producers who can provide it. All I'm saying is that one isn't better than the other and we shouldn't gang up on each other. We can all agree that Chipotle is definitely not portraying an accurate picture of food production and are also not using the products of which they're so proud to endorse. Honesty goes a long ways with Buzzard.

I haven't eaten Chipotle in five years. Seriously. Mostly because of their marketing schemes but also partly because I didn't really like the food anyway. I don't mean to punish producers who supply Chipotle with food but I just can't support a company that trounces on conventional agriculture so inappropriately and inaccurately. My pride and values won't let me.

There are other great commentaries on this commercial making their rounds on the internet - I encourage you to check them out!

Food Integrity Starts with Marketing Integrity - Daren Williams, NCBA
Chipotle, Your Grammy Commercial Still Doesn't Change My Mind - Crystal Young
http://storify.com/nicksargent/negative-reaction-to-chipotle-grammy-ad
Was Chipotle's Ad Eloquent or Ignorant? - Peggy Lowe, Harvest Public Media

Oh and let's not forget about Willie Nelson. Shame, shame on you for ruining Coldplay's song "Back to the Start" and for continuing to not be a friend of conventional agriculture.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Delving Further into Antibiotic Use

Happy Monday!


As a brief follow up to this post, I found a podcast about antibiotic use in food animals from the AVMA media website. In this podcast, Dr. Scott Hurd, an associate professor of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine at Iowa State University, discusses quantitative risk assessments of antibiotic resistance in humans. He does a really great job of explaining the issues and concerns in laymen's terms.

To listen to the podcast, click here. If you can help me learn how to embed podcasts in my future posts, please email me (bbuzzard13@gmail.com).

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Antibiotics Safe for Livestock Use

Just like we've been sayin' all along...
The Government Accountability Office released a report that stated there isn't sufficient evidence  to warrant a study into a link between antibiotic use in food animals and antibiotic resistance in humans. Did you get that? Here, I'll say it again.

GAO said "these data [collected by USDA] lack crucial details necessary to examine trends and understand the relationship between use and resistance."

Haven't pork producers been saying this for quite some time? In a www.meatingplace.com release, NPPC has noted that pork producers have long been in compliance with responsible antibiotic use with veterinary supervision in order to keep their animals health and pork safe.

Need some more info? Read the whole piece here.

image from here

And if you're new to the antibiotic use scene, here are some crucial facts to help you better understand antibiotic use.

Antibiotics are given strategically – administered when pigs are sick, susceptible or exposed to illness.

Using antibiotics strategically ensures that the safest meat in the world ends up on America's dinner tables.

Only antibiotics approved by the FDA are used to treat pigs.

Human safety is a key component when considering animal antibiotic approval.

•    Withdrawal times, or the number of days an animal must be removed from antibiotics before entering the food supply, ensure that antibiotics are not present in the animal’s system at the time of slaughter.

Do you have comments about this issue? Are you excited about this news (as I am) or does your opinion differ? Let's converse! Leave me a comment below!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Leaky Mouth Syndrome - Educate Yourself First

(graphic courtesy of http://www.wesoldbooks.com)

Props to Natalie Morales of The Today Show who told Suzanne Somers that she didn't have 'doctors as experts' to back up Somers' claim of antibiotics in meat causing 'leaky gut syndrome, lupus and MS'. Morales also pointed out that there is very little scientific proof backing up Somers' claims. Morales is 100% correct and Somers' should educate herself before she tries to educate the American public.

I won't repost the video here but if you click the link you can view it for yourself. Antibiotics in animal agriculture are constantly misunderstood and unrightfully get a bad rap. These are the FACTS about antibiotics in animal agriculture:

 - Veterinarians are involved in decisions regarding when to administer antibiotics.
 - Antibiotics have a withdrawal period that, depending on the antibiotic, can range from 20-60 days. The antibiotic is not administered within the 20-40 days prior to slaughter; this means that the antibiotic has been out of the animals system and in no way affects the consumer.  Meat and food products are tested for residues and if found the meat is removed from the food supply chain.
 - The FDA approves antibiotics only if they meet the following criteria:
    - The antibiotic is safe for the animal and environment
    - Edible products produced from the treated animal is safe for consumers
    - FDA 'Guidance 152' specifically addresses human health concerns due to antibiotic resistance from use in food animals.

Farmers and ranchers care about the food produced from their animals because it's the food they feed their families. They wouldn't do anything to their animals that could potentially harm the food supply. Now that you know the facts, you can share them with your friends, families, readers and colleagues.

Suzanne Somers needs to consult real doctors and read up on her literature and scientific sources before writing her next 'best'-seller.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

post script -- decided to include video. It's appalling but everyone needs to see it in order to realize the level of intelligence that is influencing the nation's food decisions.

Pork Done Right

So there I was, strolling through the parking lot of Weber Hall when I saw it.  A bumper sticker. Not just any bumper sticker, no no - this bumper sticker was special. Why? Well because obviously it became the subject of this post - gotcha  :)

I don't know who drives the Chevy S-10 that this sticker was so happily clinging to but I do know that it sums up the pork industry pretty darn well.

Doing what's right -- not "doing whatever we want."  A prime example is antibiotic use in the swine industry. Antibiotics are administered to prevent sickness - in some countries in the EU, antibiotic use in the pork industry has been outlawed unless it is needed. In short, no preventative measures can be taken.  Now, there is more antibiotic usage due to the large numbers of pigs getting sick because preventative measures weren't taken.

Something for ya to talk about at the water cooler today!

Until next time,

~Buzzard~

Earth Day Negativity -- Tsk Tsk

Today is Earth Day -- the 40th Anniversary actually.  Today is just another day for farmers and ranchers who practice environmentally friendly practices on a daily basis -- but some people just don't understand how hard American farmers work to provide a safe, healthy and CHEAP food supply to our nation and the world.

My friend Alden Haugh, texted me to alert me that some negativity towards our great food producers was happening on a mutual friend's facebook wall.  I bopped over there quick and was disappointed to see this statement.

I decided that this wasn't going to go unnoticed so along with two other ag ladies, I posted the truths behind the misconceptions Mr. Sutton obviously has.

Then I went back and added this post about the contributing factors to the Dust Bowl (that he obviously is too young to have actually experienced).

Yes, I may have been wordy but I wanted to get the point across that America's farmers and ranchers produce a safe, healthy food supply that is very cheap all while preserving the environment. Hopefully Mr. Sutton will contact me with questions so I can clear up the confusion.

 Did you agvocate for agriculture today?  Share you agvocacy stories or post them on twitter - follow me  @brandibuzzard  

Until next time,
~Buzzard~

Update: CBS to air antibiotics piece TONIGHT!

CBS pushed back airing their antibiotics piece until February 9th and 10th (tonight and tomorrow evening).  It will air on the CBS nightly news - which comes on at 7 pm (doublecheck that). 

Pork and beef producers have already gone on the offensive, urging producer's not to support the current legislation for a ban of antibiotics in animal agriculture.  See 'Legislation to support use of antibiotics is supported' 2/8/10 on how you can tell your representative NOT to support that bill.

Dr. Michael Apley and representatives from NCBA met with Louise Slaughter, the writer of the legislation, yesterday to discuss the implications of passing the bill.   Hopefully, she took careful consideration into what they were telling her: there is no evidence that antibiotic use in animals creates resistance in humans; a ban would cause a rise in prices due to a decline in supply from all the animals that would die; our food supply would not be as safe if antibiotics were banned.  Just take a look at Denmark, that should be proof enough of what bad can happen when safe practices are stripped away.

Until next time,
~Buzzard~

Legislation to cut use of antibiotics is supported strongly in D.C

Unfortunately, that title is true.  PAMTA (Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act) is being backed strongly by over 100 representatives.  The legislations has several stated purposes:

• The proposed legislation seeks to eliminate the "non-therapeutic" use of antibiotic drugs considered important for human health.
• The intent of the legislation is to decrease the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in humans.
• The bill purports to preserve the effectiveness of medically important antibiotics used in the treatment of human and animal diseases by withdrawing antibiotics for 'non-therapeutic' purposes in food-producing animals unless they can be proven to pose no harm to human health.
• The bill defines critical antimicrobial animal drugs as those intended for use in food-producing animals and are composed wholly or partly of any kind of penicillin, tetracycline, macrolide, lincosamide, streptogramin, aminoglycoside, or sulfonamide, or any other drug or derivative of a drug that is used in humans or intended for use in humans to treat or prevent disease or infection caused by microorganisms.
• The bill defines 'non-therapeutic use', with respect to a critical antimicrobial animal drug, as use of a drug as a feed or water additive for an animal in the absence of any clinical sign of disease in the animal for growth promotion, feed efficiency, weight gain, routine disease prevention, or other routine purpose.

As agriculturalists, we know that antibiotics have been used for over 40 years to keep our nation's food supply safe and that of the antibiotics that are currently utilized in industry, 95% are for therapeutic control of disease.  Legislation similar to this has been instituted in Denmark and these are some consequences from that implementation:

Denmark, with a pork industry roughly equivalent to the size of the pork herd in Iowa, instituted a ban on the use of antibiotics as growth promoters (AGPs) in 2000 which has not reduced antibiotic resistance patterns in humans. The ban has, however, resulted in increased death and disease among animals, greater amounts of antibiotics used to treat and prevent disease, and little evidence to suggest that antibiotic resistance in humans has declined.

You can read the rest of the bill and it's implications by clicking here.
 These are facts that your representatives need to know before they sign and pass this legislation!  Visit this link on the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) and send a letter to your representative - voice your opinion and prevent the passing of this detrimental legislation.  Here's your chance to help stand up for our industry. 
 
Until next time,
~Buzzard~

  

 

 

Become an Agcovate

This blurb was in my weekly KLA newsletter and I thought I would share it with all you cyber-readers

Become an "Agvocate"

MYTH: Antibiotics used in the lifestock industry cause resistance in humans and leave resistance in the food supply.

FACT: All antibiotics used in beef production go through a rigorous testing process by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that helps protect human health and gives veterinarians and beef producers the tools needed to keep animals healthy.  In addition, by law, no beef with antibiotic residues exceeding FDA standards is allowed in the food supply.

You can share this with your peers, coworkers, friends and family - impress them with your extensive science knowledge!

Until next time,

~Buzzard~

CBS to air segment about antibiotics in livestock

Tomorrow and Thursday night, CBS will air a segment about the use of antibiotics in the livestock industry, primarily the pork and poultry industries. NPP spokesman Dave Warner said that the poultry and pork producers who were interviewed found the questions to be very accusing in nature.

Besides meeting with farmers, CBS also met with Representative Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) who has introduced legislation that would regulate antibiotics used in livestock production. Additionally, CBS crews traveled to Denmark where antibiotic use has been regulated for quite some time now.  Industry groups are crossing their fingers that the edited and aired parts of the segment are not completely derogatory.

We all know that antibiotics are used in livestock production only when necessary and that they keep animals healthy.  We also know that healthy animals produce a healthy, safe product that keeps our food supply going strong.  Be sure that your peers, friends and family know that too.

Tune into the CBS Nightly News tomorrow and Thursday night to see what's in-store for the livestock industry.