Silence of the land

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By Mike Barnett

I wonder about the silence of the land.

You have a good business plan. You know your costs to the penny. You work long hours. You figure your inputs for maximum profits. You love your job. You would not trade your way of life for no other.

Yet you let someone else shape opinions about what you do.

You invest wisely in the latest seed technology. You’re mum when food produced by genetically engineered plants is attacked.

You buy the best bull you can afford to improve your herd to produce bigger and better calves. You remain silent when animal activists slander your animal husbandry practices.

You improve your land and conserve your soil and judiciously use crop protectants to ensure clean water and safe food. Then you let someone else talk about what a bad job you are doing.

There’s something very wrong with this picture.

Would industrial agriculture, factory farms and animal welfare be consumer concerns if you had spoken up in the past about what you do?

Consumers are hungry for knowledge about food. They want to know how it is produced. They want to know that it is safe. They want to know who grows it. And they want to hear it from you.

It can be as easy as starting a Facebook page and sharing your experiences. It can be as involved as inviting a classroom to visit your farm or ranch. It can be as simple as looking a neighbor in the eye and telling them what you do.

Speak up. Be an advocate for agriculture. Continuing the silence of the land will be a game changer for farmers and ranchers–a change I guarantee won’t be good.

Visit the Texas Farm Bureau website at www.txfb.org .
Follow Texas Farm Bureau on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates on this topic and many more.

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