Latest / CattleUSA Daily / 107: The Truth About ‘Factory Farms’ — and What We Should Actually Say

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107: The Truth About ‘Factory Farms’ — and What We Should Actually Say · CattleUSA Daily

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  Welcome to the Cattle USA Daily podcast, your go to source for
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  the latest livestock markets, industry insights and the update
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  shaping agriculture today. I'm your host, Lauren Moylan, a
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  passionate advocate for agriculture, here to keep you
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  informed and connected. Now let's dive into today's
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  episode. Welcome to another episode of
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  the Cattle USA Daily Podcast. Happy Tuesday everyone.
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  I hope that you are having a great start to your week.
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  And no matter what day you're listening to this, I hope you're
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  having a great day and thank you so much for joining us on
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  another episode. Today we are bringing back
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  another misconception in AG and the truth behind it and how we
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  as producers should be communicating that with.
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  This has been something we've been doing often on for the past
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  couple months and we've really been enjoying these episodes.
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  I've been having fun doing them. You guys have been having a
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  blast listening to them. At least I hope you are.
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  It seems like you are. So we are going to keep doing
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  them. And today we are talking factory
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  farms. Now that's a loaded phrase and a
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  phrase that we don't really love here.
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  An AG, right? It is a phrase that whenever it
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  gets said, maybe hit some nerves or you hear that and you're
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  like, oh Lord, here we go again. So I am saying this for all of
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  the people that are listening to this episode and not watching
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  it, Factory farms. I am putting in parentheses with
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  this because as producers, we know that factory farms, that
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  word just gets a bad rap. And it is a phrase that has come
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  from a lot of places and has a lot behind it and why our
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  consumer population uses it, why activist groups use it.
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  We're going to explain all of that today.
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  We're going to talk where it came from, what people think
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  that it actually means, why that is misleading, and then how we
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  as producers can respond with facts and empathy, not
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  defensiveness, which defensiveness is kind of my
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  first default go to in a lot of these situations.
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  And so this is an episode just as much for me as it is for
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  every single one of you out there as well.
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  So where did it come from? Where did the term factory farm
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  originate from? So it isn't something that is
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  based on regulation or science. It is a media made and emotion
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  driven phrase. It first started gaining
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  traction in the 1970s as agriculture evolved with new
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  tech and efficiencies, but then it became more mainstream
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  through documentaries, activist campaigns, and influencers.
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  But here is the problem with the phrase.
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  It is a catch all phrase that oversimplifies a very diverse
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  industry and the term often just relates to consumer discomfort
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  more than actual industry practices.
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  Here's the thing. This term was derived to make an
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  emotion driven connection with people.
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  You hear the term factory farm, Hey, it slides off your tongue
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  really well. Like they did a good job with
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  that. And then it's memorable.
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  And see, it's one of those phrases that you hear that and
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  you're like, oh, factory farm. I don't want my animals living
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  in a factory environment. I don't want my animals mass
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  produced. I don't what what do you mean by
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  that? That's what our consumers think
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  when they hear this. So our job as producers is not
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  to shame people for not knowing. It is to educate by telling the
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  truth. The reality of the situation is
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  for years and years. For almost 25 years, the most of
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  this decade, we have been talking about the concept of
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  factory farms and it has been a term that has continued to be
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  used by the media, pushed by influencers and pushed by
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  activist groups because it is emotion driven.
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  So when people hear the term factory farm, they automatically
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  often assume that animals are mistreated or that they're never
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  seen by people, or that corporations run everything
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  families don't. They also automatically assume
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  that because something is bigger, it automatically means
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  that it's worse. There's also a big
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  misconception. The efficiency in food
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  production comes at a cost of ethics.
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  There's also the aspect that technology in livestock
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  production is unnatural or inhumane.
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  All of these concepts make sense.
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  You hear the word factory farm? Remove yourself from the
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  industry. Bigger corporate, no humans,
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  efficiency, technology. Those are things you think of.
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  Those are things that I think of.
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  So it makes sense that our consumer population is going
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  there. Here's why this matters for you.
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  These beliefs shape policy, purchasing behavior, and public
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  trust within the agricultural industry.
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  And you know what? The beef industry has not always
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  been the best at showing the full picture, so our consumers
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  filled in the blanks. If we want to change the story,
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  we've got to be the ones showing up in it.
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  So here's some facts for you. I always like to have these
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  episodes filled with some facts that you can remember when you
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  were having these conversations with consumers.
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  And remember that we can replace fear with facts if it is done
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  from the right place, that is done from a place of a matching
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  emotion of sitting there and saying I see where you are
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  coming from, but let me tell you what is happening on my
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  operation or all of the things. And we'll get into that in a
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  second. But first and foremost, let's
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  talk the facts. 91% of US farms and ranches are family owned and
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  operated according to USDA. That is massive.
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  That is a massive amount of agriculture.
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  So that was a great fact to put away.
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  When you are talking to people, especially if they lean into the
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  corporate side of things, hey, 91% of US farms and ranches are
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  family operated and owned. There you go, there's your fact
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  for that. The next thing it really
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  emphasized, the cattle spend most of their lives on pasture
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  cared for by people who know them as individuals.
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  When people think factory farms, a lot of times immediately their
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  minds go to a feed lot situation.
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  And we're going to talk feedlots here in a second and how we can
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  approach the feed lot narrative with education, because there is
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  so much science behind it. And we all know as producers
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  that Catalan feedlots, I heard this phrase a few weeks ago and
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  it was great. We need to refer to feedlots
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  with our consumers like a hotel stay.
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  Cattle are in feedlots. Yes, they are extremely
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  efficient. They are extremely focused on
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  animal welfare and keeping animals engaged and happy and
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  healthy and all of those things. But it's also a very, very short
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  period of that animal's life. Most of their life is spent on
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  pasture and they are cared for by people who know them
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  individually and even on feedlots, they are cared for by
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  people who know them individually.
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  Those pen writers who ride pens and feedlots know each of those
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  animals individually to a way that I could argue is better
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  than the way that I know my Catalan pasture.
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  Sometimes. The next thing with modern
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  facilities, we need to emphasize that they are designed to reduce
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  stress and promote animal welfare.
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  Whether it is a facility design at your operation or whether it
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  is a facility design when you are talking feedlots, remember
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  that they are designed to reduce stress and promote animal
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  welfare. And we are continuously bringing
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  out more research on how to improve animal welfare in every
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  scenario and situation. And then also really lean into
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  technology. Don't be afraid to talk about
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  technology. Technology is great and we love
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  using it because it gives us things like nutrition plans, vet
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  care, diagnosis is daily checks and record keeping.
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  It makes all of these things easier and I could go on for
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  hours of all of the ways that we use technology in our industry.
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  So don't shy away from that. Explain it and explain how you
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  use it in your operation. Then explain that the size of an
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  operation does not dictate its care.
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  Values do I would never say this to a consumer, but as from a
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  producer to producer conversation, it is one of those
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  situations and scenarios that we know just as well that an
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  operation that has 500 cattle could care for its cattle better
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  than an operation that has 20. We've all seen it.
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  Every single one of us, I guarantee you, has seen that and
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  it is important to remember that.
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  Lean into the value side there. I would never share that with a
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  consume, that little tidbit that I just said.
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  I would never say that in a consumer conversation because I
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  don't want to shine a bad rap on any part of agriculture.
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  I don't want to talk bad on any part and that has a negative
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  connotation to it. But it is important to remember
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  that size did not, does not dictate its care.
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  Values do. And then with those values, I
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  encourage you that when you say values do share about your
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  family's values, share about your operational values and make
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  it personal. The thing is guys, we are not
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  factories, we are families. And every single decision that
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  we make balances animal care, land stewardship, and long term
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  sustainability within agriculture.
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  And it is so important. Important that as producers
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  within agriculture, we continue to stand up for each of those
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  pillars and that we are the voices for all of them
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  throughout the time. So here's how to respond.
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  Responding to consumers is difficult, especially if you're
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  having a conversation that feels like it's going nowhere.
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  But here's the thing, it is our responsibility to be prepared to
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  respond when we get asked questions.
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  So first and foremost, what does not work?
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  Getting defensive. Shaming people for not knowing
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  and trying to out stat emotion. All three of those are going to
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  fly right over their heads. Goodbye conversation.
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  You are done as soon as you do any of those.
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  If you get defensive immediately that person's walls are going to
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  go up. If you start shaming people
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  immediately, their walls are going to go up.
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  If you try to out stat them out, stat their emotion, immediately
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  their walls are going to go up because you are not matching
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  their emotion with emotion where they are.
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  Here's what does work. You need to acknowledge that
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  people are asking questions because they care.
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  We want a consumer population that cares.
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  With that, we need to be the ones that are out there speaking
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  and answering those questions because they care and they want
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  answers. And we need to check who they're
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  getting them from because not all the time are they getting
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  them from reputable sources that are actually pro agriculture and
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  sharing the story of what is happening on our operations each
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  and every day. I want you to offer real life
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  examples of what your day looks like.
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  Checking cattle, walking PEDs, feeding, watching for health
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  signs. What what does your day look
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  like? And bring in your family to it.
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  Especially with this factory farm topic scenario that we are
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  talking about. Bring your family into the
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  conversation. Talk about a multi generational
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  operation or how your family is involved or how your husband's
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  involved or your brother's sister's kids, whether and even
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  if you're not on a family operation, bring in the familial
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  aspect of it and how you care as an operator and everything that
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  goes along with that. Make it personal and then lead
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  with lived experiences. For example, you say something
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  like on our place, on our operation.
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  In my experience, share a lived experience and make it personal.
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  The next thing, avoid the term factory altogether.
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  Keep it out of the conversation. If someone approaches you about
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  factory farms, don't say the word factory when you're
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  explaining that. I would instead say something
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  like commercial beef operation, family run operation, multi
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  generational ranch or feed yard. And then here's where we're
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  going to talk about feed yards and then explain what a feed
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  yard is and that it is the most efficient and humane way to feed
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  cattle for the short period of time that they are there.
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  In a feed yard conversation, things to avoid are emphasizing
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  that it is the end of the animal's life and emphasizing
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  that also not most of our consumers don't know what a feed
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  yard is. So that's why I said use the
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  word feed yard, but then explain what a feed yard is.
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  And I would say it almost in the exact way that I just did, that
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  it is the most efficient and humane way to feed cattle for
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  the short period of time that they are there.
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  You don't need to go into a whole lot more detail.
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  I think sometimes if you open a can of worms, you need to be
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  prepared to answer the questions for it.
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  And unfortunately, as producers, we know that the feed yard
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  industry is a massive part of our industry and it is such a
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  vital, vital, vital part of our industry.
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  But it's also the part that gets the most flak.
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  It is the part that is not as glamorous as calving cows on
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  Prairie Meadows in the Flint Hills.
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  It's not as pretty. Like if you compare a picture of
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  that to a picture of a steer in a feed lot, it's just from a
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  visual aspect, it's not as pretty.
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  And so unfortunately, the feed yard industry gets the most
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  black. So if you're going to open up
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  that can of worms, be ready to answer the questions that come
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  with it. If you're not comfortable
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  talking about feedlots, if you're not comfortable sharing
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  the realness behind it and the story and backing that up with
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  facts, I encourage you to not open that can of worms unless
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  someone specifically asks about it.
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  I would just stay away from it for the most part if you can.
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  In a factory farm situation and scenario, really just lean into
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  hey 91% of operations are family owned and really lean into that.
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  And then lean heavily into your lived experience and not talking
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  about something that you aren't fully comfortable talking about.
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  So I want to end with some tips for you guys.
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  When having conversations with consumers, I want you to use
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  curiosity over correction every single time.
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  Instead of saying this is how you should think or this is the
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  correct answer to that, ask questions.
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  Say where did you hear that? Or I would love to talk about
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  that. But first and foremost, like
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  tell me a little bit about yourself and your background and
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  like ask questions about that person and their life and where
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  they're hearing these things and just lead with curiosity and
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  you'll be amazed at where a conversation can go.
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  And then next thing, invite someone to ask questions.
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  Not all the time when you're having a conversation is it
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  apparent that you are open to questions about what you were
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  talking about, especially if you were in a larger group situation
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  and scenario. I always lead with and please,
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  at any point in time, if you have a question about something
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  that I am saying, please raise your hand or interrupt me.
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  I'm more than happy to answer those questions as they come up
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  so you don't have to wait until the end.
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  And just really reminding people that, hey, I want you to ask
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  questions. I want this to be an engaging
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  conversation, not me speaking at you, because if I'm speaking at
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  you, you're not actually going to be engaged.
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  But if we are having an engaging conversation, I'm answering your
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  questions, you're going to be. I also want you to offer a tour,
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  a video or a look behind the lens of what your operation
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  looks like. So that's a great way to end
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  conversations of I, if it's something that you and your
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  operation are open to, like I would love to have you or your
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  organization or your school or anything like that out to our
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  operations so you can see the real behind the scenes of what a
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  family run operation looks like and what a cattle like an
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  animal's life cycle looks like in the cattle industry or
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  something like that. I always love ending
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  conversations with that because nine times out of 10, they're
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  not going to take you up on that.
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  But that is you opening the door and showing that like, hey, we
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  have nothing to hide and you are welcome at our operation.
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  At any point in time, we would love to have you.
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  The last and final thing is I want you to keep it short and
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  human. It's not perfect, but we care a
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  lot. There you go.
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  Like it does not have to be perfect, does not have to be
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  perfect, but show how much we care.
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  Show how much the cattle industry cares about what we are
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  doing and lean into your lived experience.
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  The thing is, is the fact of the matter.
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  I just pretty much said that twice.
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  Way to end an episode. Great, Lauren.
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  The fact of the matter is the term factory farm is a myth
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  built on misunderstanding. As beef producers, we don't need
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  to tear others down to tell our truth.
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  We can sit here and we can stand on strength of family
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  stewardship, animal care and feeding the world and have
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  conversations that don't shy away from the hard stuff.
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  We lean into them and we are willing to have those hard
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  conversations and talk to our consumers and at the end of the
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  day, just share about our lives and share about agriculture and
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  what that looks like for each and every one of us.
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  So I encourage you all to study what I just talked about.
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  Study the facts of like just storing away a few things that
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  91% a great fact to store away in your brain.
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  A great thing to bring up in conversations and a great way to
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  just get yourself ready to approach consumers and
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  conversations with those around you.
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  So I encourage you to start a conversation at your dinner
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  table and get comfortable from there.
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  Start at your dinner table, go to a grocery store, talk to
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  consumers where they are and get yourself out of your comfort
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  zone because that is where the real growth happens.
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  So thank you guys so much for listening to another episode of
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  the Cattle USA Daily Podcast. I hope you guys enjoyed today's
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  talk factory farms and everything else that that comes
• 18:08
  with. So thank you.
• 18:09
  As always, please like subscribe rate review.
• 18:12
  We really appreciate it here at the team.
• 18:14
  If you take 5 seconds to go down and leave us a five star rating,
• 18:18
  we so appreciate it on Apple podcast, Spotify, wherever
• 18:22
  you're listening to. It really means the world to us.
• 18:24
  So thank you as always, and I hope you guys have a blessed
• 18:27
  rest of your day. Have a good one.
• 18:29
  And we'll see you tomorrow on another episode.