Commentary

There are two issues that have been keeping me on the telephone and answering email all week. They are: Since Ohio set up a Livestock Standards Board, shouldn’t all states follow suit? And, secondly, proactive, pro-farmer advertising and information campaigns are popping up and folks are hearing/reading about them in the ag press. Isn’t that good news?

The first one is admittedly tough. The short answer is this: What worked for Ohio farmers and ranchers in their campaign to beat back the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) and what’s best for the farmers and ranchers of Ohio, may not be the best route for your state to take.

Remember: Ohio had a perfect storm of political, public opinion and resources come together that led to its stunning victory in 2009. The aggie-led coalition did its homework, expended the necessary dollars and shoe leather, and was able to put together a formula which works for Ohio.

The problem with every state jumping onto the standards board bandwagon is consistency between and among states. Laws and regulations in the area of animal care and treatment vary from state to state, but this has never been an impediment to commerce. However, an official division of a state, dealing with the particular and peculiar authorities, challenges and other variables, could begin to threaten that interstate balance the folks across the border or across the country aren’t setting the same or at least similar standards.

Second, there’s a kind of  unspoken assumption that if correctly defined and constructed, a state standards board will always be a pro-ag kind of arbiter of care and treatment issues.  There’s no guarantee over time this will happen as the politics of states shift along with the population and industry of the state. The most you can hope for is that any state standards board is mandated to use the science of animal husbandry and solid common sense when standards are to be set and/or interpreted.

Keep in mind other states have been as creative as Ohio, but have not adopted standards boards. For instance, in Oklahoma, there’s new law that holds only the state legislature has authority over standards of livestock and poultry care and treatment — no referenda, either state or local, can usurp that authority. In Arizona, the state legislature passed a bill last year mandating all chickens raised in egg production must be raised in accordance with United Egg Producer guidelines on care, housing, handling and so forth.

A standards board approach to livestock care and handling is a classic example of “Be careful what you ask for, because you may get it.”  The key to avoiding stupid legislation in any state is to make sure you’ve got the support of not only your traditional champions, but those urban folks who are logical targets for groups like HSUS.  Ensure all members of your state legislature understand — and I mean really understand — what it means to mess with animal agriculture in your state, not just for farmers and ranchers, but what the “unintended consequences” of bad legislation will mean to food prices for every state legislator’s voting consumer. 

As to new public information campaigns designed to educate consumers, reminding them of the professional, caring men and women who produce their food, these efforts are to be loudly applauded.  But there may be a problem.

If folks only hear these campaigns on farm radio, and don’t see/hearing these adverts as often on mainstream radio and TV, or read them in daily newspapers and general interest and magazines, then we may be fall prey to one of our blunders of the past, namely talking to ourselves, not to the general consumer out there who I’m guessing doesn’t subscribe to Feedstuffs, Hoards, or Pork  or routinely listen to Agri-Talk.   It’s akin to say, the National Pork Board only pitching the other white meat in Des Moines.  Not the best use of the checkoff or advertising dollar. 

I’m excited these campaigns are beginning to emerge.  Let’s make sure our messages are consistent, each campaign echoing the messages of the others, sometimes with a twist, but always on page.  These campaigns —  and I haven’t seen all of them –  show great promise, are the foundation of an emerging movement of proactive farmers and ranchers.   We just have to ensure we’re pitching to the right audience, not just preaching to the choir.