Sunday, February 12, 2012

Chipotle your Grammy commercial still doesn't change my mind.

Ok, time to revisit the subject. 

Things I would like to point out.

1. I have not eaten at Chipotle for years. You can read about that here.
2. I support consumers having options on the method their food was raised - organic, natural, conventional (my family and the boy's family and 99% of the food on the grocery store would be conventional). And no I don't consider our farm a factory farm.
3. I can't stand when groups, individuals companies have to criticize, falsify information, etc. to make their decisions look like the better choice. I get marketing, I am a marketer but to me this is not the way to go about it.

There are so many things wrong with the picture painted in the Chipotle Grammy commercial (this commercial has been out for awhile, just not on T.V.) that I don't know where to start.

0:21 into the video

Pigs, I hope you don't live in Iowa because with the windchill this morning it was 1 degree F (-17 C). If you were outside roaming pastures you probably would have died. 

0:36 into the video

Yes, cattle can be found in barns. Dairy cattle are often in these huge, and I mean huge open aired barns, and they can roam around eat when they want to, and have these amazing bed packs to lay on. Some farms have waterbeds for their dairy cows to lay on. If you would like to ask a dairy farmer more about how their cows live please let me know. I will put you in touch with one, and I am sure they would love to let you tour their farm so you can see first hand how these cattle are living. 

The beef cattle we raise only come into the barn if they are about to calve and might need a little help. Cattle in feedlot spend time in spacious pens, with windbreaks to shield them from the elements. And those feedlot cattle are only in those pens for a few months of their lives (average lifespan around 13-16 months I would say). Yes, we eat feedlot cattle. 

0:48 in the video

I am sure this part is referring to the hormones that SOME farmers feed their livestock. These hormones are already naturally occurring in livestock. There is actually more hormones in a head of cabbage than a steak, by A LOT. This is an in-depth subject so if you would like more information please let me know. And if you choose (you have a choice) to buy beef, chicken, pork, etc. without hormones that is perfectly fine. Just look for hormone free on the label. 

0:58 in the video

I live in eastern Iowa, and I am pretty glad my food comes from across the country. If it didn't I would be pretty limited on what I would find at my grocery store in the winter. p.s. I can't even keep a house plant alive so I am pretty sure a garden wouldn't be so successful. 

I know you shouldn't blog when you are angry, but I am. My friend and family are farmers. I care about the food that I am raising for you to consume, and although we only have 20 cows, we are planning to grow. I support feedlots, dairies, pork farmers. I know families that have thousands of head of cattle, might seem like what consumers and media call a factory farm, but those people are families just like me. Ask a farmer about your food not Chipotle. 

Update #1: 
A quote from Chipotle's annual report - 
“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.”
Read more from this great blog - Beltway Beef

Update #2:
Here is a very interesting post from a pig farmer about the type of barns they used in that past and what they use now. Thanks Chris Chinn

Update #3:
I have always enjoyed having the option of having anonymous comments. This way it makes it easier for those without a blogger account to comment. However, those that are continuing to comment anonymous and attack me, you just lost the privilege for everyone. I have respect for other people's opinion and love discussion we can all learn from each other. 

45 comments:

  1. Very well said. I hope that the viewers are smart enough to make informed choices.

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  2. Excellent post!!!!! I took an amazing class last year when working on my Masters thru Oklahoma State...."Ethics In Agriculture" We had to read a huge assortment of info from several authors.. Pretty inflamatory it is truly frustraing and worrysome how these folks repersent commercial agriculture... They mislead and manipulate information for the sheer purpose of making their own position or product look better.....

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  3. Well said Crystal! I didn't realize the Chipotle involvement until recently when I sat through a screening of the new documentary "American Meat."

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  4. you know, I wouldn't have that big of a problem with Chipotle if it weren't for the sign in every chipotle I've been in that states the meat you are eating is raised without hormones or antibiotics. However, their website clearly states that while their goal is 100%, they're not there yet. (http://hyoungryman.com/wp-content/gallery/20101014-chipotle/dsc03566.jpg)

    I'm all for choice and if that's their platform, great. But, don't imply something so blatantly that isn't true.

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  5. Very well said, girl. I'm just as angry as you! We're sitting here, hardworking people just trying to feed the world and Chipotle is criticizing us for it, and worse: making people who eat hate the ones that produce their food.

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  6. farmingbuckeyeFebruary 13, 2012

    Ohio Hog Farmers have taken a proactive approach, check out their video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbdB9WOICyo&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

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  7. "I live in eastern Iowa, and I am pretty glad my food comes from across the country. If it didn't I would be pretty limited on what I would find at my grocery store in the winter. p.s. I can't even keep a house plant alive so I am pretty sure a garden wouldn't be so successful."

    Maybe you should read a book on horticulture and plant science ,then put down your ANSCI texts. Also it is not natural to have fresh picked apples in February. Having your fruits and veggies packed and shipped from Argentina to your doorstep in Iowa increases fuel cost and unwanted pollution to OUR environment. Please do more research outside of Agriscientists' papers before you post again.

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    1. What do you eat in winter?

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  8. You must have misunderstood her point, she said, "across the country", NOT "glad to have apples from argentina in February". You are correct in the fact that shipping from argentina increases fuel cost and pollution, HOWEVER, she is correct in the fact that if she ate locally, she would pretty much be restricted to a diet of Corn, Soybeans, and Pork, therefore, purchasing food that is grown, even within her state, is not much of a reality for her. Eating 'Local' is always a good thing, however, the definition of 'local' must change the distance of 'local'.

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  9. What was a little more disturbing to me was... Willie Nelson singing the song. What happened there? This commercial had all of us standing there with that, "Huh?" look on our faces. Just blows me away. I mean - our goal is to grow our own - simply because we don't wanna be on the bottom end of all the stress being put on the supply from the demand across the board. We have land - why not? But the confusion from these extremists is developing a fungi that is going to backfire on them.

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  10. Thank you so much for this post, and if you don't mind I would like to link back to you on my blog. You've said everything I was thinking much more eloquently than I ever could.

    I love this "I know you shouldn't blog when you are angry, but I am."

    I'm angry too, and I think maybe we have to get angry from time to time for people to take us seriously. We take a LOT of criticism and people being straight out mean about our lifestyle choices every time we try to explain why we do the things that we do to keep our animals safe and healthy.

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  11. The dumb weather interrupted all of our commercials. I wish I could see what the uproar is about, love seeing you stick up for agriculture! Way to go!

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  12. I guess Chipotle is having trouble sourcing 100% local employees too as some stores were shut down in the past for illegals.

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  13. Very well said! So much of what is seen either through commercials, documentaries and youtube videos only represent the worst of "traditional" agriculture.
    What happens through these scenarios are dubbed "scare-tactics", if the roles were reversed and this was something political this would be nit-picked apart by the media but since it's Ag, who cares.
    More people need to learn to research, ask questions and learn again about how food is actually produced instead of watch cartoons and biased documentaries.
    Thanks for pointing this out in you blog!!!!!

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  14. Nicely done. You make some really great points. I'm trying all the time to learn about animal ag. We had hogs for a long time, but got out of them before I returned to the farm full time. As time goes on I forget what little I knew of the industry. Thanks for this post.

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  15. Thanks for sharing! Why can't commercials and companies share the facts, instead of what they want or what they want the customers to believe? I guess for these people, ignorance really is bliss.

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  16. "Herd losses can also be greater when animals are not treated with antibiotics" - Chipotle

    As a producer and marketer of 100% grassfed beef, this statement totally infuriates me (Of course, I shouldn't respond while I'm angry, but if I waited until I wasn't angry, I'd never get anything written). Some of the most horrific animal raising practices I have ever seen have been under the guise of "natural". If your herd losses are increased because you're not treating your animals with antibiotics, your management skills are pathetic and I'm wondering how many animals will have to suffer a slow and painful death before you to go broke and get out of the cattle business. If you're a "natural" beef producer, and an animal gets sick, you've already screwed up (time to check your vaccine program, your fly control and your quarantine facilities). "Treat 'em and truck 'em" - after the withdrawal period. There's not much profit in a dead animal.

    P.S. If I'm reincarnated as a cull cow, please make sure I end up at a McDonald's plant.

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  17. "Pigs, I hope you don't live in Iowa because with the windchill this morning it was 1 degree F (-17 C). If you were outside roaming pastures you probably would have died."

    I recently heard about a remarkable new technological development to prevent pigs from dying of exposure. It's called a "barn", and this amazing new invention can be used in free-range farming operations to prevent livestock from freezing to death or being eaten by predators. Isn't science wonderful?

    Either you grossly underestimate the intelligence of the public, or you think you can pull the wool over their eyes by creating a ridiculous straw man argument.

    Either way, laughably ignorant comments like this one are the reason consumers put more faith in animal welfare groups that farmers. When you try to convince people that the only alternatives are intensive confinement systems, or leaving your pigs exposed to the elements, absolutely NOBODY takes your claims seriously.

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    1. You have completely misunderstood her point. She was basically saying that, if like in the commercial, pigs were wandering about without the use of a barn in Iowa, they would have died. She wasn't suggesting that barns shouldn't be used but that if the ignorance of the general public were to believe that pigs and other such livestock are to be raised without the use of a barn, the consequences of doing such would more than likely result in the depletion of pork supply from Iowa.

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  18. "I am sure this part is referring to the hormones that SOME farmers feed their livestock."

    No, I'm quite sure this part is referring to ractopamine, the controversial feed additive. Fed to an estimated 60 to 80 percent of pigs in the United States, it has sickened or killed more of them than any other livestock drug on the market, an investigation of Food and Drug Administration records shows. Cattle and turkeys have also suffered high numbers of illnesses from the drug. The drug, ractopamine hydrochloride, is fed to pigs and other animals right up until slaughter and minute traces have been found in meat.

    Once again, so glad I'm vegan. Whew!

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  19. @JohnDopp in the video Chipotle showed that no barns were the best option. I do realize that there are barn options with free range. That is why I said at the very begin that I support a variety of methods of farming. I will trust farmer and farming group long before any animal welfare group.

    @Janet I respect your choice to choice a vegan diet. That is the great thing about America we have the ability to choose. A couple points 1. these feed additives have withdrawal periods that are enforced. I am sure we can argue back and forth on that subject, but this is something that there are laws about. 2. There are meat options out there that aren't feed ractopamine or other feed additives. The consumer has the choice to buy these meat products, 3. In fact cattle do lay down, and they enjoy laying on bed packs of straw, sand or waterbeds.

    And from this point on no more anonymous comments folks. You need to be able to stand behind what you say.

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    1. In the video, they also showed pigs being converted into pink cubes, and buildings unfolding like origami.

      I'm sorry if you believed that to *literally* represent reality. There are no origami barns. When you put a pig into an industrial compressor, it turns into a squashed pig, not a pink cube.

      It was clearly meant to be symbolic, not documentary. Viewers understand that.

      And that's one more reason why the public trusts animal welfare organizations like HSUS over the ag industry. The public wants animals to be raised humanely, not in cruel intensive confinement systems.

      Delete
  20. Well said Crystal. I need to watch this now - and will when I get home from work/class today!! I wish we could invite every American to see our farms and ranches and how we really DO care for our animals - trust me when I say, I wish I had an easy of a life as they do somedays!!

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  21. Great, well said post Crystal! I still think one of the biggest stumbling blocks we as 'farmers' have is that so many generations have been removed/no longer have a link back to the farm. The kids that once visited an Aunt/Uncle or Grandparents farm are now 2-3 generations out from visiting a farm. People no longer have a basic understanding their own food sources in their own community let alone in their country it seems. However, hopefully through the continued efforts of individuals such as yourself and other producers will we close that generational gap and get people back to understanding 'agriculture' and get them somehow connected back to a 'family farm!'

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  22. A blogger friend of mine posted this link on her FB page and I am so glad I read it. I have never eaten at this place and now I never will.

    My name is Nikki, and I live smack dab in the heart of the Midwest in IL and small town rural life runs through my veins. I promote it, write about it, and sell it. I love country life and ag!!!!! I am so glad I stumbled upon you and am now a follower!!! We have lots and lots in common. Have a nice night <3

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  23. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  24. I think big agriculture, the pork business, the cattle/dairy business get pleeeeeenty of advertising dollars, have pleeeeenty of lobbyists on their side etc. This is the first ad I've ever seen that promotes something else. I mean , my milk says " where happy cows come from". I live in CA...I've been to a dairy farm. There was no roaming. There was a lot of confinement, it didn't look so happy. But that's besides the point. The point is, if you believe in what you're doing, and the integrity of it...you have nothing to defend, or get angry about. Agriculture has vastly changed. Chipotle supports an older model of farming. You support a more modern model.
    That's fine. No need to get angry. Acknowledge what you support, and stand by it...open your doors so everyone can see, fight ag gag bills etc etc.

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  25. I actually love this ad. I have a degree in Agriculture including several courses on Ethics in Agriculture. I'm well aware of how marketing works for both conventional and other types of farming. I live in dairy country and have my own dairy cow. I know that because I only have one family cow that I am able to raise her with more freedom than if I were raising food for the public. I've also seen wonderful examples of large farms that are working hard to change the way commercial food is being produced. I can't see why an ad like this is a bad thing. A restaurant and people who support this type of ideal are simply making a choice for themselves and being public about it.

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  26. Well said! And thank you for sharing in a very informative, educational way.

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  27. Crystal,very nice post!I am just beginning my journey into social media,yet the more posts I read and realize that the demand for this is huge,the more excited I become.Chipotle is portraying a false image of production agriculture,just as many organizations have done.These people need to take a walk in some boots to find out what it's all about!

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  28. What exactly is the problem here? So a company is dealing in half-truths, omissions and animated analogies to set their product apart from the competition.. If this is the limiting standard by which we should use a product then we should stop using everything advertised... ever.

    I guess we have to pick our battles and I can absolutely respect the anger generated when your respective trade is denigrated in a dishonest manner. But I can't blame people for not wanting to eat food treated with pesticides, herbicides, hormones, antibiotics and preservatives. (This coming from someone who eats food from large ag and local organic). And it's not like these are bad. They lower prices and allow for the proliferation of Calories, which for a global demographic numbering in the billions that is way way below any concept of a standardized median poverty level, is a very good thing and from a moral standpoint is far more important than "us" worrying about cancerous growths in the 80th year of our life from bioaccumulation of ag-related additives.

    I especially like the "natural fallacy" and lack of standardization in definition. After all, cancer, rape, tooth decay, jealousy, Aids, dysentery and faith in an unseen, unproven supernatural being is natural. But the author falls for the same fallacy as she states "These hormones are already naturally occurring in livestock." So.. E. Coli is naturally occurring my intestine, would I be healthier if I pumped more of it in me? Growth hormone is naturally secreted by my pituitary gland, I wonder what would happen if I suddenly pumped my body with more. (I'd pry get ripped actually. That and benign and possibly malignant tumors).

    Anyway. There is substantial amount of empirical evidence pointing to health issues related to the aforementioned additives plus environmental issues related to large ag (e.g., carcinogens, mutagens, teratogens, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxins, progressively earlier and premature menarche and the longterm health consequences this entails including higher risk for breast cancer, nutrient runoff - hypoxic zones - and disrption to the food chain, soil erosion, and considering what we now know about neuroscience and consciousness, the ethically questionable treatment of animals. Not to mention that large ag receives large subsidies and doesn't pay for the cost of these externalities.

    Again. I respect what farmers do and again, providing adequate Calories for starving children now is arguably more important than my longterm health, but farmers don't use these "tools of the trade" to feed the world, they use these because it provides a competitive market value for their goods in order to obtain a reasonable profit. I am a HUGE hater of the false equivalence and the meekness of "moderate," but in this case both sides need to stop the self-rightousness and recognize that a sustainable (as possible) future lies in multiple ag models.

    I look forward to an engaging debate.
    Thanks,
    J

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  29. Crystal, great post! You know that I agree that Chipotle's marketing campaign is counterproductive to an open discussion about our food and does more harm than good. I will be sharing with my friends. Nice work!

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  30. jhart- you talk of 'organic.' Do you realize it is ILLEGAL for any producer to advertise that organic is BETTER for you? Because there is absolutely NO scientific proof - zilch, nada, NONE that it is. 'Organic' is just a word that someone came up with to market to people like you.

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  31. "Pigs, I hope you don't live in Iowa because with the windchill this morning it was 1 degree F (-17 C)."

    Really? Maybe we should lock up all the other animals that do just fine through the Iowa winters. My pigs live outside and they do just fine in the cold. They also get to see the sun, dig in real dirt, and run around in their pasture.

    My meat tastes better than any 'conventionally' raised meat - primarily due to the varied diet my pigs get, but I'm convinced the exercise they get is a big part as well. My pigs are happier and my customers can come meet them without being disgusted by their home. On top of that buying meat from me is a better deal than buying from a grocery store AND I get to keep more of the proceeds than a conventional farmer does.

    It's more work per pig of course, and I only keep between 12 and 25 pigs on hand at a time - my farm is diversified so it's I'm not reliant on one thing for the income.

    Claiming that confinement operations aren't cruel is a pretty hard thin to justify in the first place - claiming that pigs raised outdoors are worse off if absolutely silly.

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  32. I don't want to beat a dead horse, but this topic is something I feel very strongly about. @Chad - you state that you feed 12-25 pigs at a time. I commend you for that. We also raise a small amount of cattle (mainly to show, but some beef), so i know the amount of work that goes into taking care of your animals. However, the general public tends to forget that there are 6 billion people on this earth, and they all have to eat.

    Let's just say, for instance, that all hog producers chose to raise them the way you do - a small amount, naturally raised, outdoors. Do you suppose that is going to sustain our popoulation? What will happen to the prices of the meat? In case you haven't noticed, there are fewer and fewer livestock farmers out there, as well as fewer and fewer people living on a farm. I personally enjoy eating my own cattle - I know what it has been fed, and I know what antibiotics it has been given and when. I control whether or not it receives any hormones (which they don't). However, it doesn't mean that occasionally I don't stop at my local grocery store to pick something up.

    And to respond to the comments previously about not eating food treated with pesticides, etc...

    My husband and I rent our farm - we do not own the land we farm. Most farmers in our area are in the same boat. At the current time, cash rent ranges anywhere from $250-$500 per acre, depending on the quality and the location of the land. If we were to go organic, the land we farm would have to have nothing put on it for three years. Explain to me please, which landowner (most are investors) is going to agree to a huge hit in their cash rent for three years, just so we could go organic? And, what are we, as farmers by occupation, supposed to do for an income for those three years? Do you have three years worth of income saved away? Tell me also, what would happen to your grocery stores if all farmers decided to go organic all at once - what are you going to do for food in the meantime?

    Maybe all of us "bad" farmers should just stop producing for everyone else and become self-sustaining...good luck...

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    1. I'm an extreme example because I'm still growing my business - I could easily increase that number by several factors without compromising the pigs health or the land itself. There is plenty of middle ground to create a sustainable animal production system that doesn't rely on treating the animals poorly or pumping them full of antibiotics.

      The argument 'you can't feed the world doing that' isn't held up by the facts. We throw a lot of food away and our diets are a lot heavier in meat than they need to be anyway. CAFO's and farm subsidies create an environment where food is artificially cheap, and we simultaneously encourage the lowest quality food we can get by with. It makes no sense.

      You can't feed the world by destroying topsoil and incubating superbugs that are resistant to every known antibiotic - not in the long run. You feed the world by encouraging healthy animals and soil, and by encouraging smaller diversified farms that keep more of the income they generate - that's better for farmers and consumers.

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    2. And as far as organic vs conventional goes, the math says there is no reason to be spraying all that stuff - organic yields just as well as conventional, and handles stressful years better. Sure - converting is probably difficult, but in the long run it's where we're headed anyway.

      http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/fst30years

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  33. Chad -

    I've read the rodale institute study, and while it is very interesting, it is not entirely correct. I'm not sure where they are coming up with their figures, but if a farmer had yields of only 102 bu./acre farming the "conventional" way, they would be considered an epic failure. Consistent yields of 200+ bu/acre are common. And unfortunately you need those yields to make any money with the rising costs of inputs.

    Like I said, find me a landlord around here who will be willing to go with you for three years during the conversion to organic and I will be amazed. Average cash rent in our area is $400/acre. Average price to purchase land is $9,000 per acre. It doesn't pencil out.

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    1. Someone like me would pay for that corn during the transition period - it's hard enough to find GMO free crops as it is, and even 'transitioning to organic' grain gets a better price than the standard stuff.

      Also, you have new opportunities for renting land - someone like me might rent land to you if you were organic, but I'm sure not going to have my animals and kids around that stuff otherwise.

      You have to change your whole approach. Things like topsoil and superbugs will change it for you in the long run either way.

      Nationwide corn yields averaged 147 last year. Iowa is prime corn land and we averaged 177 -sure some fields do better, but the overall average is what's important for this calculation since organic would do better in those fields as well.

      The fields they did trials on were in the same area, and the organic outperformed by wide margins. Here is another similar study (from Iowa) duplicating the results of the first. http://www.non-gmoreport.com/articles/feb10/organic_corn_soybean_yields_exceed_conventional.php

      Keep in mind also, even in the transition years, the organic was more profitable despite smaller crops - better for farmer and consumer.


      Source for corn yield data - http://farmprogress.com/story-usda-predicts-iowa-corn-yield-to-top-last-year-0-52207

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    2. And the average land price isn't 9000/acre in most of Iowa - those are bubble prices and they're crazy.

      Even in the counties you are talking about you can get land nearby for much less - http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/wcfcourier.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/3f/33ff9fc8-2723-11e1-9ed7-0019bb2963f4/4ee9fa3abc477.image.jpg

      State wide it's still too high, no question about it - but that's another thing supporting my position. 40 acres isn't enough to do much corn, but you can get a 40 acre plot for the cost of a regular home mortgage (I did) and get a good income from the smaller diversified farm instead of from farming hundreds or thousands of corn acres.

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  34. My husband and I would love to find some land to buy, however in our county, land is going for anywhere between 9,000/acre to 12,000/acre. This is the norm where I live. It is more often than not farmers who are purchasing this ground at high prices - similar to what happened in the 80's before the crash.

    http://murraywiseassociates.com/news/central-iowa-farmland-sells-strong-prices

    http://murraywiseassociates.com/news/reality-check-iowa-farmland-may-not-be-steep-you-think

    http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2011/09/13/iowa-farmland-values-are-up-a-phenomenal-32-6-percent-in-past-year/

    It is also very important not to assume that all Iowa ground can be bought for the average price - it depends on the area you live and the quality of ground in your area. We happen to live in an area with extremely high quality ground, so your county-wide average is going to be much higher.

    We do not farm thousands of acres - we farm 480 (which for years we were told we would not survive and that we were a failure if we didn't have at least 1200 acres). We have cattle and will soon have chickens. We have not expanded our grain farming operation simply because we could see where it was going and did not like it.

    I do not think we are arguing over much here - I agree that I think less pesticides, etc. is way better for us and way better for the environment. However, I take exception to those that think it is an easy transition, everyone should be able to do it, and the farmers that aren't organic are purposefully trying to poison the world.

    I would guess that at some point soon this bubble we are experiencing will burst, and things will get back to normal - hopefully at that time land prices will be affordable and we will be able to pick up some ground of our own. We would love to have a small orchard and huge garden so that we can sell our produce at local farmer's markets, as well as harvest it for our family.

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  35. That's extremely reasonable. I've been told by a lot of farmers that they wish they could farm differently . . . but who is willing to shut down the confinement that provides the paycheck and have all that risk? I can't fault someone for wanting to feed their family. Transitioning is the key - I know it's been done but clearly it's different for every farm.

    Sounds like you are in Northwest Iowa - we're in Lucas county in the southern part of the state - much less expensive here. We've got enough for our small hog operation, some sheep, bees, an orchard, but we'd certainly love to have more. Good luck with the land prices - we all hope this bubble bursts soon.

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  36. I am a conventional farmer and an advertising major. I'm actually doing a case analysis of this commercial for a media ethics class. I'm discussing the ethics behind mischaracterization vs marketing. As a farmer, I find the commercial offensive. However as an advertising major, Chipotle's commercial was pure genius. It was creative enough to be so viral. To play devil's advocate, we need to realize as farmers that Chipotle was just doing their marketing strategy (while we can all agree it wasn't the best for our image). I interviewed someone who works for an ad agency in Minnesota and is a pork farmer. To quote them: "ConAg is such a reactive industry and we need to step back and realize Chipotle was just doing their job. A company has to discredit someone to get ahead. If they don't, their competitor will. Chipotle didn't say anything they weren't allowed to say." When I asked what ConAg could do to regain its reputation, their answer was "we need to be more proactive, but at the same time, calm down because when we come out guns blazing in our responses, it gives people more fire power to use against us." I totally agree Chipotle was out of line in the commercial, but at the same time, we need to realize a company's image will trump corporate responsibility (whether we like it or not). Great blog though!

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  37. I think it's great for companies to be organic, grass fed, or take good care of the environment. If they have to bash conventional farmers of even claim that our product is less superior in order to sell their product that is a lot different. The two biggest things that bug me is that people think conventional farms aren't sustainable farms and that gestation crates are cruelty.

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