So this genius staff writer from TIME magazine decided to educate the public on the "horrible" state that American agriculture is in. If you haven't read the article this is how it starts out...
"Somewhere in Iowa, a pig is being raised in a confined pen, packed in so tightly with other swine that their curly tails have been chopped off so they won't bite one another. To prevent him from getting sick in such close quarters, he is dosed with antibiotics. The waste produced by the pig and his thousands of pen mates on the factory farm where they live goes into manure lagoons that blanket neighboring communities with air pollution and a stomach-churning stench. He's fed on American corn that was grown with the help of government subsidies and millions of tons of chemical fertilizer. When the pig is slaughtered, at about 5 months of age, he'll become sausage or bacon that will sell cheap, feeding an American addiction to meat that has contributed to an obesity epidemic currently afflicting more than two-thirds of the population. And when the rains come, the excess fertilizer that coaxed so much corn from the ground will be washed into the Mississippi River and down into the Gulf of Mexico, where it will help kill fish for miles and miles around. That's the state of your bacon — circa 2009."
And trust me the other protein industries and crop production (primarily corn) didn't go unscathed either.
I think not only is this article a major insult to agriculture community, but it is an embarrassment to me as someone who is apart of the journalism and communications industry. And maybe this time that is my bigger issue. I guess I am getting use to all the agriculture attacks.
When did such one-sided reporting become the norm? I was taught there is always two sides to the story. It is my job to present both sides of the argument, both sets of facts and let you make up your mind. Instead many of the thousands of people that have read this article, and have never been on a farm, or don't know a farmer, or where to turn go to learn about the other side, are now going to think they are completely educated about the state of American agriculture food production.
I really like the comments on the TIME story from ConsumerFreedom.com. It will give you at least a little bit of the other side. (It's a real quick read compared to the TIME article).
MAN ALIVE! Crystal, your posts are educating me on what goes on south of the border, I had no idea it was this bad! And I eat mea(lots of it) and I would have to say I am not over weight!
ReplyDeleteVery educating Crystal, thanks!
Thanks Justine. I know it hasn't hit quite as hard back home, but it will. And if people stop eating protein or even eat less we need to think about what that will do to our export markets.
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