News
Busy relaying animal activist story
Kelly Smith doesn’t get much time at home these days. The Missouri Farm Bureau director of marketing and commodities is out almost every night talking to people about animal activism.
“I’ve been going around the state giving a presentation called ‘Understanding the Animal Activist: Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing,’” Smith told Brownfield in an interview.
AUDIO: Kelly Smith (4 min. MP3)
Smith is in high demand among community groups and organizations hungry for information about how to respond to activists bent on shutting down animal agriculture. They want to know about the efforts of the Humane Society of the United States to have voters decide whether restrictions should be placed on dog breeding operations in Missouri.
“This is bigger issue than just a dog breeder issue,” says Smith, referring to the proposed ballot issue. “This is an issue that affects everyone that raises livestock [or] raises corn and really, honestly anyone that likes meat protein in their diet.”
Smith says it wasn’t that long ago when livestock producers dismissed stories about assigning human rights and qualities to animals.
“We kind of shrugged and laughed at it and said that’s just so far out that it will never ever come around, but I’m here to tell you, it is around,” says Smith.
With so much of the population far removed from farm life, it’s up to all of those involved in farming to tell agriculture’s story before it’s too late, says Smith.
“Things are happening and we’re not paying attention to them.”
I would like to follow Kelly on facebook, twitter, or linkedin, but I cannot find her. Is she on any of the social networks?
Thanks!
This is such critical and also time-consumin work. Kelly Smith deserves everyone’s gratitude for doing this task, and the Missouri Farm Bureau should be applauded for having the foresight to see how necessary this program is. It’s something we should all be doing in every state. Until the true agenda of the HSUS and other Animal Extremist organizations is exposed to the general public, they will continue believing their message and funding their coffers.