Oprah

[farmers_son]

Just what we need....does anyone believe it will be a balanced discussion?

US: Oct. 14, Oprah to feature farm-animal welfare discussion
13.oct.08
Pork Magazine
Meatingplace.com
http://www.porkmag.com/directories.asp?pgID=675&ed_id=6660
"The Oprah Winfrey Show" to air on Oct. 14, is scheduled to feature a discussion of California's Proposition 2 voter referendum which will appear on the state's November ballot. Other related issues also will be addressed. Reports are that there will be on-air input from three "protein-industry veterans" as well as Wayne Pacelle, Humane Society of the United States president, also with other animal-welfare activists.
"The overarching idea was (to discuss) where does food come from and how does it get to your table; although Prop 2 was the dominant theme," says Bryan Scott, chief operating officer of Dutch Valley Foods in South Holland, Ill. Scott, was accompanied by a pork producer and an egg producer, to participate in the discussion.
Scott told Meatingplace.com that the treatment of the topic related to the animal production sector was "balanced" and "fair." He also reported that as each animal producer offered his perspective, upon which the show turned to Pacelle for his point of view, "which is understandable." In the end, Scott acknowledged that Pacelle did receive more air time than any individual industry representative.
Scott said, "I wasn't totally thrilled" by the direction the discussion took, but "it's going to be a piece (in which) nothing is shown or said that's will have any shock or awe value...nothing that is really going to stick with consumers. People will probably see it and talk about it the next day, then move on.
'It's hard to say how it's going to look, but seeing the decisions (Oprah) made in taping the studio she was very interested in seeing balance," he concluded.

[grassfarmer]

I don't think this is an issue we should seek to hide from farmers_son. As long as people want to eat meat(and they do)they have to accept that this results in animals being reared in captivity and eventually slaughtered. I personally would rather the discussion was more out in the open than it being the unmentioned secret of meat production. As long as we are making the best possible job we can of rearing animals humanely and with compassion we cannot be faulted for that.
I dropped off a load of steers at the processors this morning safe in the knowledge that I had reared them in a very low stress atmosphere all of their lives. Using a little extra electric fencing I am able to sort off the steers I want right in the pasture and trail them home a half mile without anyone breaking into a run or being in the slightest upset. Sure, when they go through that final door at the processors they will get upset but that only lasts a minute or so and until someone finds as better way to kill cattle that's the best we can do. I have nothing to hide on the welfare front and my customers know and appreciate that. I think it's time the broader industry took up this issue more proactively.

[kato]

I watched it yesterday. The target was gestation crates and laying hens in cages. What brought it about was a proposition coming up in the California election to restrict them.

I was expecting the worst, but it wasn't all that bad. She at least brought out farmers on both sides, and kept the sharp tongued activist in the audience instead of up on the stage. She an organic free range chicken farmer paired up with a traditional egg producer, and a pasture pig producer paired up with a high tech one.

She was very very careful to make sure there was no vegan slant to it too. I guess the cattle debacle of a decade ago did teach some lessons.

All in all it was OK. She offered no opinions of her own, and showed both sides of the picture.

[rkaiser]

Always makes me wonder why people who are animal lovers sort the animals like they do. If an animal is an animal, why do the activists look at cattle different that chickens. The main reason that chicken is our main competitor in the red meat industry, with pork right behind, is the pathetic way that these "animals" are treated in these factory farms with only mass production and profit in mind.

I say good on Oprah if she chose to focus on the chicken this time around. Even in our current conventional cattle rearing system, the beasts live most of their lives in a somewhat free atmosphere.

[smcgrath76]

The editors comments from my drover's journal update are pretty apt.
http://www.drovers.com/directories.asp?pgID=675&ed_id=4892&ts=nl2&emc=el& m=1603277&l=13&v=22de1e3386

I think we need to work on and market many of these aspects to people that are willing to pay for them.