Power in Numbers

I have decided to write this blog entry in response to something I have just viewed. I have an assignment to complete for my communication class at Cal Poly, SLO, and I was doing research on it. My assignment is to interview a communication professional within a field that interests me and write a paper explaining the communication barriers of the industry. Of course, I chose the National Cattlemen's Beef Association Communication Executive, Mr. Daren Williams. I am to research proven ways to solve communication barriers within the beef industry, so I resorted to a Google search. I typed "Cattle Communication" into the search engine, and to my dismay, the first link that came up was titled, "Cows: The Humane Society of the United States". Immediately interested to see what this link was, I clicked on it. I skimmed over the article and found a video posted at the bottom of the page. I am still speechless after watching it ten minutes ago.
I have been born and raised in the agriculture community. I know what it's like to work in the agriculture industry, and I know what it's like to have agriculture around me at all times. I appreciate the hard work and dedication that American farmers and ranchers exert to make up the wonderful agriculture industry in the United States. After all, I am studying to become a larger part of our industry.
Less than 2% of the United States is involved in production agriculture. I am a part of that 2%. I am proud to stand by my work and the cattle that I raise and sell for the safe, wholesome, and nutritious consumption of meat in the US. What I saw in this video did not shock me, but it added heat to the fire that resides within me for my passion of agriculture. The video was filled with horrible pictures the narrator described as images on a "factory farm". There was soft piano music playing in the background, sure to pull at the heart strings of any viewer. The video was basically a 5 minute video attempting to destroy what American farmers and ranchers pride themselves in on a daily basis.
My viewpoint is this: 98% of farms in the United States are small, family-owned farms. They are comprised of hard working people, who care about their lifestyles: farming and ranching.
Groups like the HSUS are not giving the money they collect to save animals to local animal shelters. They are seeking to destroy animal agriculture as we know it in the United States
today. Farmers and ranchers are willing to share their stories, all you have to do is ask.
For more information about what the Humane Society of the United States is up to now, please visit humanewatch.org.