AFB & Proposition 2
I get updates in email newsletter from from the Kentucky Farm Bereau on occasion that are usually concerning with information of current commodity trends and occasionally has a bit information in regards to is happening with farming in the state. The most recent started with a blurb talking about the American Farm Bereau was disappointed that California had passed the proposition 2 in the recent election. The note suggested that the voters of the state really did not understand the nature of modern farming and the measure was going to have severe changes on agriculture in the state. It went so far as to suggest that livestock functions in the state would begin to disappear and that it would likely move overseas.
That nature of this note points out why after several years of being avid support of farm bereau, in the last few years I had let my membership lapse. In general the farm bereaus of the world are cut of the same cloth as the department of agriculture which seems to think if you are involved in agriculture you need to ‘get big or get out.’ I am pretty sure that this goes against what a lot of farmers seem to think, but I know that there are thousands of us out here who just enjoy working with the land and the animals and are okay being a smaller size operation. We are also more than happy to do things in as humane and friendly fashion as possible in regards to the livestock. Keep in mind, I generally do not agree with most ideas that come out of California regarding agriculture and farming, but this one is the correct move.
Let me put some information out there about Prop 2, which is technically called Standards for Confining Farm Animals. It only names three things in the standards, specifically that veal, laying-hens, and pregnant sows have to be confined in a way that will allow them enough space to turn around, move about, and such. Specifically being limited by the law is veal being raised in crates where they can not move around, laying-hens can longer be raised in cages that prevent them from turn around and moving about, and pigs can not be put in farrowing crates. There are plenty of exceptions to the rules for such things as transportation and veterinary reasons. Further, in order to allow plenty of time for adjustment in farm structures and management practices on the farm, the law does not even take effect until 2015.
I have never been in involved with raising veal, but I have done both pigs and chickens. I think all animals are much healthier when they are moving around and able to live much closer to nature. My hens had production that was above average typically and where in an open coupe. I did really want to do free range, but could not with my farm at its location in relation the road, but chicken tracker kind of coups would have been my next move if I were still there. My pigs were pasture raised most of the time, though a short period I had some fencing problems and kept them inside. Even then they were in huge areas. The concern with birthing is they will crush the babies, hence the farrowing crate – but with some minor modifications to a stall area it is easy to prevent most of that occurring. The one thing I did with cages in tight confinement, rabbits, well I really hated that experience all the way around when you get down to it.
Bottom line is my hats off to the voters of California for understanding what the bit farmers and the federations like farm bereau can not seem to grasp. Just because we are eating them does not mean we can not make that extra little effort to give the animals the best situation possible. And after all most of the minor things mentioned above will only effect most operations in minor ways. And most of the options taken another step will give a value added marketing advantage to the early adopters of such measures.
