Beef it's called nutrition

The attacks on Natural Resources continue. Isn’t it unbelievable that we must relentlessly tell the consuming public the truth about the essentials of life. To start with, one fundraising group saw an opportunity to capture headlines in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

"The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is calling for the cancer society to cancel its inaugural Cattle Barons' Ball here and in the 50 other U.S. cities where the fund-raiser has been held annually since the 1970s."

Quote from PCRM president Dr Neal Barnard, "It's no different than if the ACS held smoking marathons to raise money for lung cancer research."

So is there any doubt about where this campaign is heading. If you are not sure, check out Activist Cash and you will get the whole picture about these people. Also if you would like to send a letter to the editor of the Atlanta paper here is the address letters@ajc.com.

"Meat consumption is just as dangerous to public health as tobacco use … It’s time we looked into holding the meat producers and fast-food outlets legally accountable."
— PCRM’s Neal Barnard in a September 1999 U.S. Newswire press release, urging a federal lawsuit against “Big Meat”

Winter is coming

The closer we get to “coat weather”, the easier it is to get emotions stirs about the clothing business. This is a form letter that one fundraising group has sent out for people to send to the New Hampshire Program. This type of thing happens every day. I just want to share with you how well organized these groups are. Below is the factual information from Fur Commission. Teresa Platt is always on top of these issues and that is why fur sales continue to set new retail records each year.

The Miss New Hampshire Scholarship Program should not be a forum for the slaughter of wildlife. I am dismayed to learn that the New Hampshire Trappers Association annually donates a fur coat to the scholarship recipient. As a bridge to higher learning, your program ought to feature ethically responsible gifts.

Coats derived from wild animals mutilated in steel-jawed leghold or conibear traps do not project intelligence or sophistication. I strongly encourage the Miss New Hampshire Scholarship Program to stop providing a public relations vehicle for the cruel and barbaric trapping trade.

And here is the factual information from Fur Commission USA.

Furbearing Animals are More Plentiful than Ever
No furs from endangered species are sold in the United States. Fur sold in the U.S. comes from one of two sources: from fur farms or from trapping regulated by state governments. As wildlife habitat has given way to civilization, it has become vital to manage animal populations not only for the protection of people but for the survival of the animals themselves. That's why trapping is recognized, endorsed and regulated by government as an important element in proper wildlife management.

Consumer Polls

If you want people to believe what you think call it a consumer poll. How do people compare the resources of plant to animals and why? Thought you might find this Washington Post article of interest.

WASHINGTON - Consumers generally support tinkering with plant genes so crops will produce inexpensive medicines, but they are less comfortable with the idea of modifying animals for the same purpose, a new survey says. Eighty-one percent of 1,000 Americans interviewed for the poll by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology said designing biotech crops to make affordable drugs is a good idea, but just 49 percent of them believe genetically engineering animals for drugs is a good idea.

"As you go up the evolutionary ladder, people are less comfortable with genetic modification of any animals," said Michael Rodemeyer, executive
director for the Pew Initiative, a research group.

What a hypocrite…


On Tuesday this week, I shed some light on Jason Sheehan who wrote a ridiculous piece in the Denver Westword. Click here to read Loos Lips Sept 16, 2003 but the segment I want to remind you of is where he said this.

"And even though this was a piece made explicitly to shock and disgust meat-eaters like me -- using only worst-case examples to shame us into thinking twice about picking up that warm, greasy bag of double cheeseburgers on the way home -- I can't entirely fault the PETA folks for their fervor. They may have chosen only the worst, only the most graphic and most disgusting images they could find, but there's truth in them. Ugly and vile as the film is, I think everyone should see it. I think third-graders should be made to watch it before lunch.

Jerry Heidelk from Grand Island, NE has earned my Weenie Roaster Award for this correspondence he sent to Sheenan.

As Mike Rosen states we don't need to apologize for being on top of the food chain!

I have worked at a packinghouse in Sterling, CO and the propaganda they are showing you is not what happens.

The U.S. processes 135,000 cattle every day.

Do you really think this is how they do it?

After working in a plant I went from eating steaks well done to now ordering them RARE.

PETA is no more than a domestic terror group.

Sincerely

A Proud Producer of Beef
Jerry Heidelk

And the response back from Sheenan..

Jerry,

Exactly my point. Thanks for standing up for the other side. I've spent some time in slaughterhouses and processing plants. I know what goes on there. And I know that when your processing beef in the six-figures a day, there's no time for some slouching dude with a butcher's saber to give Bessie two in the chest. PETA is biased, but they are throwing a very bright light on a very small and dark corner of the industry.

I'm still eating meat. I'm still eating it rare. They didn't change my mind, but all I wanted to do is make people think a little before they ordered their next 99 cent McDonalds cheeseburger.

Hey, can we print this letter? I've gotten a lot of things from PETA activists, but not many speaking for the other side.

Thanks,

~Jason Sheehan

It is obvious that this guy will say what he thinks you want to hear. He certainly wants to hear from “our side” so send him your letter. Jason.sheehan@westword.com.

Radio Icon

Kansas State is proud to announce this, click for entire link.

RADIO NEWSMAN PAUL HARVEY TO DELIVER FIRST K-STATE LANDON LECTURE OF THE 2003-2004 SCHOOL YEAR

MANHATTAN -- One of the nation's best known radio newscasters will kick off Kansas State University's 2003-2004 Landon Lecture Series. Paul Harvey will present a Landon Lecture at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 19, at K-State's McCain Auditorium.

"Paul Harvey is a radio icon. He is one of the foremost newsmen in the business," said Charles Reagan, chair of the Landon Lecture Series. "His hallmark programs, 'News and Comment' and 'The Rest of the Story,' have established him as one of the world's most listened-to broadcasters."

I hope someone asks Mr. Harvey about his subtle anti-animal agriculture messages. For example, on April 28, 2003 when he glorified Ingrid Newkirk, co-founder of PETA, for her willingness to go to extremes for getting people to pay attention and motivate people to respond “to our otherwise senseless undemented sadistic torment and torture of our planets other animals”.

I have that on tape if you would like to hear it in his own words. And just this very morning, when speaking about hurricane Isabel, he planted a seed about the hogs, chickens and turkeys affected in hurricane Floyd.

Good luck, Mr. Harvey. You may need it in the great livestock state of Kansas.

Advocates for everything

We need representation! Every day it becomes glaringly more apparent that the wolves, the trees, the bears and even the soil have plenty of representation. But when are the stewards of these resources going to catch up? It seems that people are moving down the food chain. Oh, but that is the goal isn’t it? Read this piece from Missoula, MT. The judge’s comments about property rights concern me a little. Click here to read entire piece.

Initiative 143 did not strip Montana game farmers of their constitutional rights by outlawing the hunting of captive elk, deer and other "alternative livestock," U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon has ruled.

Indeed, game farm owners have no "absolute or unfettered right to operate an alternative livestock ranch as they see fit," Haddon said. I-143 "advances legitimate non-illusory state interests in protecting Montana wildlife."

And on this same morning I read this excellent column by Joyce Morrison in Illinois on the subject of property rights. Click here to read entire column.

"Rural cleansing" may sound like a tale from the Old West to some, but not to present day property owners who are being removed from their land in the here and now. Many of these people are said to be "willing sellers" but many times are forced to become "willing." property because of controls.

Daily I receive e-mails telling of people being moved from their land by some ridiculous land grab of a government bureau or an environmental organization. If these folks are not removed, they are often prevented from doing anything with their property because of controls.

The need for speed

Why it is we are a society that feels the need for speed? I don’t know but last week I attend my first auto race and watched a car powered by E-85. Tim Schwanke from Springfield, MN had that car. Check out his website. Now I find this race car being made out of cheese. Yesterday I spoke to the Upper Midwest Dairy Industry Association. The power of cheese continues to race on. Check out the I Love Cheese website.

Keep your eyes on Kellogg's/got milk? #5 Car! On May 3, a brand-new Cheese paint scheme was unveiled at Terry Labonte's running at Richmond International Speedway. Fans also witnessed the unveiling of the "World's Cheesiest Car," a to-scale replica of the #5 Chevrolet made entirely out of Cabot Creamery Cheddar!

Al Capone’s playbook

Most of you will have a tremendous amount of trouble believing what I am about to tell you. David Erickson is a county commissioner in Dodge County, MN. He understands the purpose of county commissioners. When a farmer submits a request to build or expand their operation and answers all of the questions properly in order to prove they are protecting the environment and meeting all regulations, Mr. Erickson is willing to say YES. Well, some Dodge County anti-agriculturist cannot stomach that. Sunday morning David woke up with hog manure in his yard, a dead rat hanging from his door and a sign that reads “Resign or Die”. Why do we spend our money removing the oppression in Iraq? What are we doing about it here at home? I have interviewed Mr. Erickson and it will air on Loos Tales. If you would like to hear it, email me and I will send it to you.

Greatly Disturbing

This article appeared in the Denver Westword published Sept 11, 2003 and it concerns me greatly. If you have not seen the “Meet your meat” video put out by PETA, you should. This disturbs me because of where this “journalist” started and ended up. Read entire article by clicking here.

Jason Sheehan writes a dining column called "Bite Me." The current one includes a discussion of PETA's "Meet Your Meat" video:

"When the Alec Baldwin-narrated Meet Your Meat, a DVD from PETA, arrived in my mailbox the other day, it looked like money in the bank -- an easy couple of column inches poking fun at the Hollywood star and lefty mouthpiece, then closing with a brief screed on how much I hate it when celebrities try to tell me how to live my life. Of course, being a good little journalist, I
figured I'd better actually watch the thing first.

"And even though this was a piece made explicitly to shock and disgust meat-eaters like me -- using only worst-case examples to shame us into thinking twice about picking up that warm, greasy bag of double cheeseburgers on the way home -- I can't entirely fault the PETA folks for their fervor. They may have chosen only the worst, only the most graphic and most disgusting images they could find, but there's truth in them. Ugly and vile as the film is, I think everyone should see it. I think third-graders should be made to watch it before lunch.

Sex sells

I have seen a lot in the past year. The most memorable moment, without a doubt, is when the fifth grade students at an elementary school in Manhattan, NY that told me they were animal rights activists. Where does that come from? I have a very good example right here.

Read here about the Liberation Now website promoting The National Student Animal Rights conference taking place Nov 3-7, 2003 at American University in Washington DC. Take a look at the speakers list for this conference. I have pulled out the work of Carol Adams who is speaking for the third straight year. She is an author. Her topic is “The Sexual Politics of Meat”. Below is a brief look at what these kids are hearing.

Sexualized fragmentation. Fragmented body parts of animals who will be eaten depicted in such a way that thoughts of women as sex objects are clearly evoked as well. Breast and thighs advertised on menus, as well as specific examples like "We serve the best legs in town," draw upon the patriarchal fixation on women's bodyparts.

Animals feminized/sexualized. Animals presented in poses and clothes human females are represented in our culture (svelte legs, a "chick" in high heels, often animals posed like women, animals who are four-legged made to appear both "sexy" and bipedal, animals in bikinis). "I ate a pig..." Exactly who are they referring to?

Back-entry shots of both animals and women. In pornography, back entry shots are constructed to convey both women's accessibility and imputes to them an "animal-like" nature, that is, "animal-like" in a speciesist culture, a view that sees women as desiring being sodomized; sometimes animals who are seen as consumable are positioned that way as an invitation to consumption.

Connecting flesh eating and other forms of animal oppression to prostitution and pornography ("strip", "buck-naked", "Live Nude Lobsters!", and the "Happy Hooker," etc.).

So what are the students saying about this?

"A lot of the analogies she made...they seem like things that were always out there we just never connected them in our minds."

--Student at the University of Michigan, quoted in the Michigan Daily.

Sometimes grandpa’s way isn’t the best way

This year I attended the United States Sorghum conference for the first time. I came away from there wondering why we don’t plant more acres of sorghum in this country. Since that time, I have made it a practice to ask farmers why they don’t. The best answer I have received is “I don’t like it”. I bring it up today because I want to reiterate that sometimes we need to look to new options. From National Grain Sorghum Producers newsletter last week, please consider this:

The Kansas State University Department of Agronomy is establishing the Center of Excellence for Sorghum Improvement at the university’s Manhattan campus. Research aimed at developing new, improved varieties will also be conducted at the school’s various research fields around the state, including the north central field near Belleville and its agricultural research center at Hays. “Grain sorghum is one of the most important dryland crops in the Central Great Plains of the United States,” says Dave Mengel, agronomy department head. “With water increasingly coming into focus in agricultural policy, and given that farmers in the central Great Plains are concerned about waning supplies in aquifers, sorghum is in a unique position to be a leader in this new agriculture evolution.”

National Farm Safety and Health Week 2003

Securing Your Farm Future Through Safety and Health…Kids Are Key!

Earlham, Iowa - AgPRonline - Sept. 12, 2003 - In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the third complete week in September as National Farm Safety and Health Week. Since 1987, Farm Safety 4 Just Kids has been proud to help support farm safety efforts and help raise awareness about children and youth during National Farm Safety and Health Week.

Today, Farm Safety 4 Just Kids is proud to have communities across the nation celebrate farm safety during National Farm Safety and Health Week. The theme from the National Safety Council in 2003 is, Securing Your Farm Future Through Safety and Health. Farm Safety 4 Just Kids is making kids key to a safer future of agriculture through a staff traveling road show and local “Kids Are Key!” walks.

Unfair deal to citizens

Unbelievably, no matter which state I travel through there seems to be a controversy over ethanol. Yes I said the United States renewable resource Ethanol. Last week it was Marshall, MO. This article was in the Marshall Democrat News, but here is an excerpt.

"I'm not opposed to the ethanol plant, I'm just opposed to the (tax abatement) deal," he said. "It's not the tax part, it's the fairness part to the citizens of the county. You're expecting everyone else to pay property taxes. It takes away even the obligation for sales tax.

Here is my letter to the editor printed Wednesday…

I wonder why? Why is the next generation leaving the farm? Why, in Saline County, is the average age of the populations under 18 and over 65 years of age 1% lower and 3% higher, respectively, than the entire state of Missouri? It may have to do with hypocrites that talk about saving the family farm in one breath and try to stab us in the back in the next.

I can’t believe what I heard while in Marshall for short time on Friday. There is a controversy over tax abatement on the farmers investing in Mid-Missouri Energy. This is not some New York Wall Street Company moving into Saline County to avoid paying taxes. All of the investors in Mid-Missouri Energy are farmers who are working and taking a risk in an attempt to add value to their farm products.

The last time I checked the property tax deposits for the county’s checking account, “farmland and farmers” were pretty well represented. I read the concern about “fairness to the citizens of the county.” How fair is it that Saline County has an average annual salary that is $3000 less than the state average? How can that be corrected? Not by setting back and waiting it to rain dollar bills. You must seek opportunities for increased income as these farmers are attempting to do.

Perhaps someone could explain to me which of these is a bad deal for Saline County or any rural community:

Ethanol is a value-added product of corn, which aids local and state economies and boosts profitability for producers.

Ethanol is a biodegradable alternative additive that provides consumers with a high-octane fuel at a competitive price.

One less barrel of imported oil is needed for every 28.3 gallons of ethanol used, which helps the U.S. balance of trade.

Ethanol reduces our demand for imported gasoline by 100,000 barrels each day.

Ethanol lowers harmful carbon monoxide (CO) emissions by 30 percent.

Oh yes I understand that you are not against ethanol but you just don’t want it in your backyard. You just want things the way they used to be in the good old days right? Well, today is your lucky day, because the Amish communities in Missouri will gladly accept new members.

And the whistle blew

This year, the plains portion of our country has had more than it’s fair share of fires. The entire state of Montana tried to burn all summer. I know of one volunteer fire department (White River, SD a community of 600) that received seven fire calls in one night a couple weeks ago. In honor of all firemen on this anniversary of 9-11-01, I wanted to emphasize the importance of volunteer firemen in rural America. I have some interesting facts about firemen in the United States from the National Volunteer Fire Council:

1,078,300 total firemen; 73% are volunteer

The number of volunteer firemen is declining by 10% annually

2 million fires are reported each year

Volunteer firemen save communities $36.8 billion annually

Each year fire kills more Americans than all other natural disasters combined

I was prompted to tribute these volunteer firemen today because this was sent to me last night, thanks Doug.

http://www.fdnylodd.com/BloodofHeroes.html

The most passionate fireman I know is Susan Littlefield from Columbus, NE. She is a farm broadcaster for Farm and Ranch Market Network. Check out her website.

New age marketing

David Cantor, long time Animal Rights advocate, has again showed his hand. I attended the Animal Rights 2003 conference in Washington DC in June. The movement has moved into colleges and universities across the country recruiting members. Locations of secondary education are a haven for young people, typically ladies, who are “searching for a cause”. That is why David Cantor has chosen to target Land Grant Universities in search of members for his new animal rights group. Here is what he had to say this week in a letter to Iowa State University, read entire letter here.

"I would love for students to understand our campaign and get involved to
the extent that they can," he said.

"Teaching people to make animal products is infinitely worse than any other
major could possibly be," Cantor said.

"If animal agriculture remained the way it was in 1862, it would not be a
target of animal rights activists. Period."

His history is a bad as his logic. The number of bison in the 1800’s exceeded the number of bovine today. The Indians were more than just a little dependent on animal products for their survival. People lived in sod houses with no electricity, no phone, no cars and kept snakes in the ceiling to control insects. Life expectancy was about 42, considering that millions of Americans that died from Malaria, Tuberculosis, Measles or Typhoid. The population was 31 million and it took 60% of the population to feed the people, lest we not forget that 3.5 million of the 31 million were slaves. So it is probably not a stretch then to consider Cantor a racist.

Here is an Abraham Lincoln quote from 1862 which also endorses this theory?

Speaking of farmers, Lincoln said, “It also follows that that interest is most worthy of all to be cherished and cultivated -- that if there be inevitable conflict between that interest and any other, that other should yield."

A quick history lesson from the University of Illinois:

Although pioneer farms were much more diversified than today's corn and soybean farms, corn was grown on considerable portion of cropland acres because it gave high and reliable yields and the mature crop could stand in the field all winter without spoilage or much loss to wildlife. However, corn's low price per bushel did not justify transporting it very far and consequently much of it was used to feed livestock on or near the farm where it had been grown. Thus, by 1860, the Midwest was becoming the nation's livestock and feed grain producer, complementing the agricultural and industrial specializations occurring in other regions.

It seems that despite our advances in technology, many things remain unchanged.

Scientist or activist?

Dr. Elizabeth S. Williams, researcher at the University of Wyoming, has been a full time researcher of Chronic Wasting Disease. How does a “scientist” promote the need to attain research dollars without exaggerating the problem? I am pretty sure this scientist doesn’t know the answer to that one. Nature.com printed this article yesterday morning, and as of right now, I know of 15 newspapers that have used it to scare the public about BSE and/or CWD. Read this….

Here we compare the incidence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in captive mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) that is attributable to horizontal or maternal transmission. We find that horizontal transmission is remarkably efficient, producing a high incidence of disease (89%) in a cohort of deer in which maternal transmission was improbable. Our results indicate that horizontal transmission is likely to be important in sustaining CWD epidemics.

Although prion diseases have emerged worldwide as a threat to human and animal health, they are incompletely understood.

Now remember that we have had 132 deaths worldwide due to vCJD as a result of BSE. We have had ZERO humans affected by CWD and less than 500 confirmed cases in the cervid population in the history of the United States. Furthermore, with a cervid population of over 30 million, this “scientist” made “significant” findings by testing less than 20 head of deer. I am no statistician but I know a couple and they agree that the numbers are a little lacking.

I found this from 1998 and thought you would find an interesting correlation:

Wyoming has yet to issue health recommendations for deer and elk hunters, but "the risk is so small, I wouldn't worry about it at all," says Tom Thorne of Wyoming Game and Fish, who adds that he regularly hunts and eats deer from southeastern Wyoming.

The spread of the disease among captive animals may represent a more immediate threat.

"This is probably going to cause quite a bit of problem in the game-farm industry," says Wyoming's Tom Thorne.

What you need to know is that Tom Thorne is married to Elizabeth Williams, humm…? Also, notice their implication that BSE is looming even though this study is only about CWD and there have been no confirmed cases of BSE in the US. But shouldn’t consumers always be on the lookout for it?

Keep my kid safe

On Friday I briefly mentioned the assurance of food safety with the irradiation process and got bombarded with comments, all in support of the process. With school once again back in full swing and our kids eating lunch at school, it is no wonder the anxiety arsonists are back at work trying to scare the nation’s mothers. Ron Eustice, Minnesota Beef Council, tells me there is irradiated ground beef in over 9,000 stores. I believe consumers are speaking with their food dollar. Then I found this article from Consumer Reports in August:

Supporters of irradiation as a tool for preventing foodborne disease are dismayed by a generally negative evaluation of irradiated meat in the August issue of Consumer Reports.

"There's no real reason to [buy irradiated meat] if you cook meat thoroughly," the article says. "Irradiation actually destroys fewer bacteria than does careful cooking." In addition, Consumer Reports taste testers found a "slight but distinct off taste and smell" in irradiated beef and chicken servings they sampled.

It makes me wonder if they have figured out that seat belts don’t help you at all if you never have an automobile crash. Furthermore, who would buy it if it didn’t taste good? And of course the Public Citizens try get in on all the fun, in this article from Wyoming they are trying to bash the neighborhood “demon” Hatfield Quality Meats based in Pennsylvania.

Public Citizen argues that irradiation could cause cancer, that the materials could be used to make a radioactive "dirty bomb," and that concerns about food contamination should be addressed by making slaughterhouses more sanitary.

I have my own personal experience with Public Citizens click here to read my assessment. But most importantly notice the context, we don’t have any proof but the sky may be falling…..

Phil Clemens of Hatfield Quality Meats is one of the premier individuals in this industry. Sounds like a good time to reread his company values. Read the entire thing with a click here, but this is what you must now.

Let me put this into practical terms. Let me tell you what we do at our family corporation. First we have clearly identified our values. They are:
1. Honor God in all we do.
2. Earn a reputation of high ethics and integrity
3. Make sound business investments
4. Take a long-term view
5. Share success with employees, community and shareholders
6. Be good stewards
7. Seek to set commercial standards
Of course maybe it’s just the “In God we trust” concept that they can’t handle.

The Animal Rights movement

With so many trying to understand the whole movement, it looks to me like the American Veterinary Medical Association has found one professor who does. Read entire article.

Dr. B. Taylor Bennett's presentation on the animal rights movement July 21 at the
AVMA Annual Convention in Denver could not have been timelier. He believes that the protest and media campaign directed at the AVMA in July during the Denver convention are just the beginning.

"The AVMA is now going to come under attack, and they're going to have to deal with it," he said. Bennett began his presentation with a review of the AVMA position statements distinguishing animal welfare from animal rights and the recently adopted statement opposing the trend in several cities and municipalities to refer to pet owners as pet guardians.

Frogs only give you frog legs

Recently I attended the Waterkeeper Alliance’s “Fear a Minute” conference. The Waterkeeper’s whole premise for existence is to improve the waterways of the country. But the theme of this annual rally seemed to be presenting any topic that might instill fear in the minds of consumers. Animal rights issues had plenty of time on the program, including three presenters from the UK. Now there is a prototype we should adopt when it comes to animal laws! You need to know that Patty Lovera, from the Public Citizen group, presented information about a deadly concept - making meat safer.

It reminded me of the whole bumper sticker approach to creating consumer anxiety. She identified the things that are happening in the food business and then made little statements poking fun of science in action. The one that sent my head spinning was her perception that “the implementation of HAACP is an industry excuse to limit inspectors.” So why is it that we have fewer and bigger packers? Concentration has increased sharply in recent years. The four largest packers handled 82% of the cattle harvest in 1994 compared to 72% in 1990 and only 36% in 1980. It seems that the cost of food safety compliance is forcing many smaller packers out of business. Food-borne illnesses are predominately a handling issue yet some seem to believe you can mandate consumers to wash their cutting boards or even their hands!

According to Ms. Lovera, “manure from cattle has e-coli.” She made it sound like some rare plague that you can only catch if you eat beef instead of an organism that is present in every human body. But there is the hidden anti-meat agenda slipping a little subliminal message in there.

In her criticism of the USDA, Lovera stated that “they have created so much of this irradiated beef that now we let them sell to it the school lunch program”. Her statement implied that since nobody else wants irradiated beef, we will dump it on the school children. Never once was irradiation considered an important means of ensuring food safety. If the procedure kills 99% of all bacteria, wouldn’t it be a good idea to provide the safest food to our children that technology will allow?

Lovera suggested that “the farm to fork” concept is one of the most dangerous strategies this industry has come up with. I find this statement fascinating because while she is busy poking holes at the concept, she is probably shopping at a farmers market. I guess it is fair to say that she may want to know the guy who raised her tomato but when it comes to meat, ignorance is her choice.

Her closing jab was that “irradiating beef is similar to painting a house when the foundation is crumbling.” I’m not sure what part of the beef industry is on such shaky ground because consumption is clearly on the rise. The U.S. is not only consuming more beef annually but more total meat protein than ever before.

While many in the meat industry ignore people like this wishing them away, I recognize all the people like her are a problem only if they are not held accountable. Whether it is the truth or not, when we hear something enough times, we begin to believe it. As consumers continue to be bombarded by messages like these, they will lose trust in the safety of their food supply and those who produce it.

Consequently, I challenge everyone in this industry to confront the Patty Loveras of the world as you hear them manufacturing and propagating these tales. If you don’t believe that their lies uncontested will become “truth” just remember that, contrary to what you heard when you were a kid, you don’t get warts from a frog!