Well done, Mr. Barnett. There's a lot I like about this piece, but this is the best, right here:

>Already I can hear the industry’s defense. “There are a few bad actors…”  “We have industry initiatives to train livestock producers…”  “We have scientific standards for animal care…”

I've been reading responses like this all day. It may basically be the right thing to say, but it's certainly not enough. When consumers see footage like Mercy For Animals, they want to know what they can do to help, to stop the abuse, and to make sure it never happens again. They don't want to hear about industry standards or what happens "normally." They want to know y'all want to stop the horror in its tracks.

As a long time observer and participant of Agchat (familiar with it?), I would recommend that livestock producers go a step further and ask consumers to join them in a petition to investigate Conklin Dairy Farm and prosecute the abusers and the negligent alike. I think it would send a powerful statement to your customers that there's a line in the sand. And farmers are drawing it.

It would also be a pleasure for people like me (activists in the organic and sustainable food world) to find common ground with "conventional" farmers (my apologies for the term). I believe this is one issue where we completely agree, am I right?

Thank you again for an excellent blog post.


Barth Anderson
Fair Food Fight

I agree 110% with you Mike, I live in Ohio and I use to own Dairy Cows/Heifers to raise and show at my County Fair, The video that I just watched has me outraged I am ashamded to say that I am from Ohio. I don't understand how anyone could have that much hate in them to abuse animals, I sure hope they don't have children of their own. I am a firm believer in an eye for an eye I think the men in that video that were abusing should be put in headlocks and beaten with crowbars, they should be pulled by their ears and bodyslammed and punched in the face.. this video has obviously PISSED me off. I have grown up around cows my whole life and I have always had a love for them, I never understood why anyone would want to hurt such a delicate animal. Words can not express how upset and outraged I am, I hope these workers are treated the same way they treated these animals, skum bags is what they are and there is no nicer term to give to them!!! I hope this gets stopped because it is down right disgusting what they are doing, my sister and I both watched the video and were in total shock the entire time. I hope your letter gets through to the people of Texas because the people of Ohio are really going to have to step up to prevent HSUS and PETA from taking over our farms. Thank you once again for writing this article, it was very well done!

Kristin Flickinger

     I am not going to watch the video.  Between the reports I have read and what I will see on the news tonight is enough for me.  And the fact something this horrible has happened is enough for me.
     Enough for me to ask why the different national, state, and local dairy associations are not completely condmening this dairy farmer?  Enough for me to ask why this video was not shown to law enformencement personnel and these horrible people locked away in jail?  Enough for me to ask why NCBA and the other national, state, and local cattlemen groups are not calling for the dairy farmer and his hired help to be charged to the full extent that the law will allow?
     Barth Anderson is right; the "normal" just became not anywhere close to good enough.  It is time for the industry to draw a line in the sand.  If we don't, someone else will, and we won't like it one bit.

I think there is some "stepping up" on this terrible incident. The alleged abuser has been arrested according to news accounts. Virtaully every livestock organization in Ohio has condemned the abuse shown on the video.  This includes Ohio Farm Bureau.  Less clear is why the video was not immediately turned over to law enforcement.  I suspect it has something to do with the fact that HSUS Chief Wayne Pacelle was in Ohio yesterday. I doubt that the release and that fact are coincedental. Expect those pushing for elimination of animal agriculture to maximize the PR and political benefits of this outrage. I hope everyone realizes that passing strict, costly and punitive controls on Ohio and American agriculural practices will not stop the sadistic from beating animals with a crowbar.  I still can't believe what I saw on that video.  - Gene Hall

I agree that agriculture needs to draw a line in the sand. We cannot defend actions like this, so we need to take the lead in prosecuting them. We have all suffered from the actions of a few bad actors in different areas of our lives. Anyone tried to secure a mortgage lately, or how about board an airplane? The regulations and laws that we ALL have to deal with are the direct result of the actions of a very small, select minority. Instead of passing a new round of regulations on an intire industry, we simply need to make it so hard on this "small, select monority" that they simply can't afford it! As Jay said - if we don't take care of this ourselves - then someone else is going to do it for us. I doubt we will like the results if we let that happen.

For those of you concerned that agriculture would not "step up" to this challenge, you should know that Am. Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman released a statment today that said, in part - “At least one farm worker in question now faces 12 counts of animal cruelty. We encourage law enforcement authorities with jurisdiction in this case to pursue the maximum penalties possible for those responsible for these heinous acts of animal cruelty. Further, we encourage a deeper investigation into all aspects of how the animals on the farm in question have been treated. There is no excuse for the treatment those animals received,” Stallman said.

Ohio Farm Bureau yesterday released a very strongly worded statement and you know what Mike said on the Texas Farm Bureau blog.


I'm still wondering why this taping went on for nearly a month - along with the animals' suffering, without notifying law enforcement or apparently the farm's owner. I don't think it's coincedence that HSUS representatives were in Ohio yesterday to react to the video's release.

Full extent of the law means exactly that.  Now, could a law be written punitively restricting the legitimate and humane practice of animal agriculture that would prevent a criminal from striking a helpless cow in the head with a crowbar?  I'm thinking - no. Punish the criminal act, not the industry - Gene Hall

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Gene,

I didn't watch the video, however it sounds a little fishy to me, could it be staged, could the workers be paid by this animal cruelty organzation? I firmly believe that there is not a dairy on this earth that would treat there animals inhumanely, at least the managers or owners aware of this. I certainly belive there should be legal actions taken.--- All of us animals producers go to bed and wake up concerned for their well being, anyone that has a question, please feel free to contact me for a day checking cows--you'll see why!

Robert - Arrests have been made.  I'm very interested in seeing future developments.  One of the big problems is that the taping went on for a month while the abuse continued.  Law enforcement acted as soon as they were told, so it's clear it could have been stopped much sooner.  It seems clear to me there's more than one set of bad guys in all this.  Of course, the release of the the tape was timed for appearances of high level HSUS reps in Ohio at the same time.  This is all political, and it will be an issue as Ohio votes on the HSUS inspired ballot iniative.  That said, the abuse was pretty clear, and we can all be glad it was finally stopped.

While I commend the general tone of this article, I have to object to your characterization of people who expose animal abuse as "cold blooded... as people who mistreat animals" and that they "will stop at nothing to achieve their goals." This is a vicious untruth.  While the groups you name are filled with doctrinaire vegans, they use the power of the written word and the recorded image to promote their cause through the democratic process, just like you do.  To portray them as equivalent to the sadists in this video and to imply that they are somehow criminal and dangerous is blatant slander.  It's wrong when they do it and it's wrong when you do it.

If we didn't have people taking risks to expose these crimes they would still be going on.  The Farm Bureau either needs to thank them for their good work or start doing it themselves.

Erik - I don't believe anything vicious or untrue has been posted here.  There's only been some "wondering via keyboard" about the timing of the video release.  Okay - I thank them for finding it - there you go - and shame them for waiting a month to release it in time for a round of publicity. That these groups are working toward the eventual end of animal agriculture is really not even debatable any more.

There is really no doubt that it's politically motivated - a situation that put the actual suffering of the animals in a situation of secondary importance to the activists. There's really no other way to explain the delay in it's release as we have to assume this inexcusable abuse was taking place every day.  Erik, someone has to point out that the solution the animal rightists have for Ohio - the regulatory hamstringing of the entire livestock industry - would do nothing to prevent what we saw on the video.  That activity is already against the law.  We can talk about making the penalties tougher - but passing laws that make it all but impossible to raise animals for food in Ohio or anywhere else, is not the answer. It's hard to legislate against a cruel person beating a helpless animal with a crowbar.  I'm for punishing that wherever we find it! In fact, I'm for punishing it before we call a round of news conferences. Re-read Mike's column, we are condemning this incident. But the political gamesmanship is almost as cruel in it's own way. Gene Hall

I was very impressed with the general tone of Mike's article, but the last couple of posts are disturbing:

"It seems to me there's more than one set of bad guys in all this"

"the political gamesmanship is almost as cruel in it's own way"

And how would raising the penalty for animal cruelty to a felony make it "all but impossible to raise animals for food" ?

Richard - You know that I said we could talk about making the penalties tougher.  I'll let you know what I'm for when I read the bill that proposes changes in the law.  Now - if you don't think the video's release was maximized for political and PR benefit...no one is that naive.

I think you know the video will be used in Ohio in an attempt to pass a ballot initiative similar to California's Prop 2. This even though what was seen on the video is already illegal.

There was considerable time lapsed between the first frame of video and public release.  Cetain high ranking HSUS officials had to get to Ohio and their media schedule had to be arranged. Takes time to do that. Meanwhile, no one took that crowbar away from the abusers for about a month.

You know I did not say that making true abuse a felony would hinder raising animals for food. Like I said - I'd have to read the bill. I said passing a Cal Prop 2 style law across the country would have exactly those consequences.  

Let me be clear - I am glad this abuser was stopped. I endorse what my writing partner Mike Barnett said - this kind of thing must be stopped. But to claim the motives of those who released the video was as pure as driven snow...Some may buy that but you can't sell it here.

Gene-

Okay, so you've scaled down to say that waiting a little while before releasing these videos is "almost as cruel" as the abuse of the animals itself. Apparently, timing the release of your message to bolster your cause is roughly equivalent to torturing the innocent.  I'm sure the Farm Bureau or its allies would never contemplate such a thing. Surely the political activities of the animal agriculture industry are, as you put it, "pure as driven snow."

The anti-meat people use the tools of the political trade to attain their goal, as do the pro-meat people. That doesn't make either side nefarious. The only difference is, right or not, the anti-meat people are doing it voluntarily for purely ethical reasons, while the pro-meat people have a lot of money on the line and get a lot of money from the taxpayer.

The anti-meat people will never eliminate animal agriculture, no matter what they think.  The worst/best they can do is reduce the amount of animal cruelty, raise the price of meat and convince people to eat less of it.  The effect on family farmers who raise meat animals?  Well, some of them would have to do something else, maybe raising soybeans and vegetables. Sounds a hell of a lot less cruel than the torture of a single animal, and, in fact, would create a huge net gain in human and environmental health.  I guess I could see why they might "stop at nothing" to achieve their goal.

Okay, Eric - Whatever.  Livestock producers are trying to make a living, producing a product America wants and that Americans can afford - food for people. They are doing so as humanely as they possibly can.  There is nothing on any of the ballot initiatives that would stop what happened on that tape in Ohio.  It's already against the law. As I said before, we can talk about more severe punishment. To reiterate, Mike and I were as sick about that as anyone who saw it.  Having grown up with gentle dairy cows that I milked by hand, perhaps I had a unique insight into the senslessness of it. I never even thought about laying a hand on one of them. I agree that you will never convince Americans not to eat meat, but you can make it too expensive to continue in the business.  That is clearly the new strategy of the animal rights movement. Livestock producers are not perfect, but they are by and large good people doing the best they can under sometimes difficult circumstances. We raise em to eat em.  Don't expect any apologies for that. You may have the last word.

Just for grins, let's say that all of the anti-meat activists in this country got their wish.  They finally get all the laws, rules, regulations and public sentiment just they way they want it and make domestic meat - (and other agricultural products along with it) too expensive to produce and consume. I think we all agree that people will continue to eat. The question is where will the food come from? If you think that animal agriculture is more humane in the countries that would step in and fill the gap in meat production - then you haven't traveled very much. While certainly not perfect, we do it as well or better than any country in the world. That is really what we are talking about here. There will always be a few bad actors in every industry. Punish them. Do not punish the entire industry so as to drive them out of business - unless your ultimate goal IS to drive them out of business!

Mike Barnett said:

"Is it okay to film animals being mistreated for a month or more so you can make a video showing cruelty to animals? No."

Mike, I haven't spoken to anyone at Mercy for Animals, but, presumably, the group funded this investigation in order to put Conklin Dairy Farms out of business, not simply to make a YouTube spot. From reading news articles, I know their undercover investigator shot over 20 hours of video. Despite this volume of evidence, only one arrest of three possible individuals has been made. In particular, farm owner Gary Conklin, who is identified by MFA in the video kicking a prone cow, remains free.

I'm disappointed in both sides of this debate. I don't like seeing animal rights activists smearing all livestock farmers with this one case, unique in the level of its sadism, and I don't like watching ag professionals smearing the citizen journalist for gathering evidence to bring abusers to justice.

Because, frankly, it's looking like you need even more than a month's worth of video footage to shut down a crooked dairy.

Come on yourself, Mr. Barnett. Don't put words in my mouth. I never said ag professionals were abusing anyone.

And that video certainly is citizen journalism because the footage speaks for itself, without spin. An example of gotcha journalism is the dehorning piece that ABC ran in the late winter. (My take here: http://www.fairfoodfight.com/blog/el-drag%C3%B3n/dehorning-cruel-or-necessary). The difference between the two pieces is that the raw footage from Conklin did not purport to tell the whole industry story. It unblinkingly showed the story on that farm. That's journalism.

Is Mercy for Animals using the video as propaganda? I agree that they are, and I don't like it, as I said. And I truly believe you're not defending the Conklins. But if you really want to walk the walk and take the lead on stopping abuse in your industry, as you said in your post, then don't attack the messenger for airing the truth.  

On this one, your fight is with Conklin. Y'all are wasting energy and political capital talking shots at MFA.

A true Texan. Very classy, Mr. Barnett. I'll take the opportunity to offer an admirable quote from someone I respect:

"Let the livestock industry take the lead in making an example of [animal abusers]. We—as an industry and as individuals—must be out front in making it known that these actions will not be tolerated.  Animal abuse is wrong. And it must be stopped."

Egg farm investigation by Humane Society of the United States misleads consumers

Egg farm investigation by Humane Society of the United States misleads consumers