Copied a piece I wrote on this discussion back in 09 (Ranchers.net) that GF started on growth implants…and I still feel the same way.
“To me, our Creator gave us a great, well rounded food source, but many of us like to screw it up. I believe we were not given these gifts to raise in 100,000 head feedlots, or small square cages that don't allow movement in fear of losing production.
There will come a day, when the cumulative total of these products will be found to cause illness....lets face it, there certainly seems to be many more cancer victims now than in my grandparents days. There is an ethical perception that many consumers "think" we food producers follow and they would be very surprised in knowing what gets put on and into their meat and vegetables. Roundup was once used sparingly, but now is used on the bread we eat, peas, potatoes....on and on. Even cattle do not like to eat straw from a desiccated field....what do they know that we don't?
As for improved margins, the first people in usually improve margins for 1-2 years and then when everyone is in, the benchmark is where it was at the beginning. I am amazed when an advertisement comes out for vaccinations or drugs arrive in the mail box. A mooing cow when you open the card, or some other catchy cut out that obviously costs more to produce than I can make on one calf........why are we the ones that have to feed the world cheaply.....why do the drug companies not participate in this "cheap" model?
Many producers use a product because they were told to, some make an informed decision, some are convinced it made them more money. All I know, there is a growing amount of people wanting to buy our non-implanted, non-treated animals.....and that is what I want to feed my family.
“To me, our Creator gave us a great, well rounded food source, but many of us like to screw it up. I believe we were not given these gifts to raise in 100,000 head feedlots, or small square cages that don't allow movement in fear of losing production.
There will come a day, when the cumulative total of these products will be found to cause illness....lets face it, there certainly seems to be many more cancer victims now than in my grandparents days. There is an ethical perception that many consumers "think" we food producers follow and they would be very surprised in knowing what gets put on and into their meat and vegetables. Roundup was once used sparingly, but now is used on the bread we eat, peas, potatoes....on and on. Even cattle do not like to eat straw from a desiccated field....what do they know that we don't?
As for improved margins, the first people in usually improve margins for 1-2 years and then when everyone is in, the benchmark is where it was at the beginning. I am amazed when an advertisement comes out for vaccinations or drugs arrive in the mail box. A mooing cow when you open the card, or some other catchy cut out that obviously costs more to produce than I can make on one calf........why are we the ones that have to feed the world cheaply.....why do the drug companies not participate in this "cheap" model?
Many producers use a product because they were told to, some make an informed decision, some are convinced it made them more money. All I know, there is a growing amount of people wanting to buy our non-implanted, non-treated animals.....and that is what I want to feed my family.
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