Farm Animals as Food Anthology

    It is one of the fundamental premises of our philosophy that humans have the freedom of choice to eat whatever they want.  This includes meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products.  CSA does not feel that others should be permitted to make this choice for us.

    Livestock auctions are blocked, packing houses are picketed, and employees, as well as their families, are abused, slandered or threatened.  Farmers are harassed, their animals are killed, turned loose, and they are portrayed as being greedy.  Nothing could be further from the truth. Farmers are our best friends. To be against farmers just because you don’t like the way chickens are kept in cages, cows in stanchions or pigs in a barn is unrealistic in a society or world that has gone from 1 billion to 8 billion people in the last 100 years.  If all animals were raised like they were 100 years ago, then only a few people would be eating well. There would be no eggs, milk, bacon, hamburgers, steaks, pork chops, ham, turkey or fish for the rest of us.  Consider that at the time of the American Revolution, 98% of our population, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had their roots in agriculture, and our population today of farmers is 2%.  What that means is that 200 years ago, it took 98 people to feed 100 people and today it takes 2 people to feed 100 people.  This leaves 98 others to be in the military, to make soap, cars and generally raise our standard of living.

    Starvation and famine only exists when there are too many people to live off the land.  If farmers stopped or were unable to ship food to the cities, the most ardent animal rights people wouldn’t care if hens were in a cage, cows were in stanchion, or pigs were raised in confined barns.  After a while they would revolt, scavenge and eat their leather boots.  Without the use of animals for food we would be devoid of several industries including beef, poultry, and dairy.  Eighty percent of the world’s population would starve to death or could not exist if it were not for modern agriculture.

    Farming is a way of life. It teaches hard work, ethics, and citizenship.  Farmers work long hours and are dedicated. The human-animal bond is part of our culture.  Animals help us through our daily lives.

Thoughts about Food: Dr. Robert R. Blease

October 8, 2008

    My real concern is not about mortgages, bailouts, or lack of liquidity.  These are temporary situations that if left unchecked, could bring about a recession, possibly a world depression.  What worries me is the lack of concern our nation has concerning food.

    One of the reasons for starting CSA in 1990 was to tell the “other” side of the story about our trust in grocery stores, fast food chains, and our government.  When starvation is common, people will say we should do something; now is the time.  For some reason, farmers are criticized, excessively taxed, and not given the respect they deserve.  I remember many years ago when farmers from all over the country were circling the White House in order to bring attention to their plight and a reporter asked a person on the street what she thought about the farmers.  Her response stunned me then and many think the same today.  She said, “I don’t care about farmers, I get my food at the grocery store!”  Control the food, control the people.

    Famine is not caused by a lack of food worldwide but is generally due to not enough food for an area for that given population.  More people means more food is needed, and with the explosive population growth of people around the world, we can no longer “live off the land.”  Any interruption in weather, politics, distribution, or war can set off a chain reaction that can have devastating effects in the production, distribution, and ownership of food, and the consequences will be unimaginable.  Any interruption of food on a national scale will be catastrophic.  People from the cities will ravage the countryside until it is exhausted of grain, poultry, beef, horses, dogs, cats and even the rats will be eaten.

    I encourage everyone to think about farmers, their very existence and to ignore the radical and misinformation coming from certain animal rights groups.  Farmers are our best friends, and America’s food supply is the best in the world.  Let’s not destroy it.