NEWSBYHAROLD BROWN

Following is the final part of former animal farmer Harold Brown's multipart guest post. In addition to this excellent, thoughtful post, see also these previous posts: part 1, "Animal Ag: Will It Be Our Death? An Intro to Cattle Culture; part 2, "Free-Range Pasture Systems Not a Viable Solution"; and part 3, "Cattle Culture, Aquaculture, and Export of the Western Diet." -S. Ernst

Okay, I've pointed out some concerns regarding livestock production, with an emphasis on free-range and pasture-fed. What are some answers? Quite simply, it is animal-free organic farming, also known as stock-free or veganic farming.

Recently a book was published called Growing Green (purchase here) that gives not only the reasons we must adopt stock-free practices, but also the nuts and bolts on how to do it on any scale. An organic farmer in New Mexico named Don Bustos converted to veganic practices at his CSA (community supported agriculture) and soon was supplying the same amount of food for his shares from less acreage. Producing food with less land!

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The following is part 3 of a four-part post by guest contributor and former animal farmer Harold Brown. See also part 1, "Animal Ag: Will It Be Our Death? An Intro to Cattle Culture," and part 2, "Free-Range Pasture Systems Not a Viable Solution," from earlier in the week. -S. Ernst

This discussion brings me to another subject, Heifer International. Most people and faith communities believe they are doing good work, feeding poor people around the world. Don't be fooled. Heifer International, in my opinion, is the gateway for cattle culture expansion. There has been a concerted effort for over 30 years to change the diet of the "developing" world. In this case, "developing" refers to anything other than the Western model of affluence. If you look at their website, you would be amazed at how much it looks like any of a number of farm animal sanctuaries in the United States.

Agribusiness sees the global south as an untapped market waiting to be exploited for its potential consumers and resources (think free-market capitalism). Beyond this CAFOs are not going to disappear anytime soon. Sure, they are having problems here in the United States, primarily because of the environmental damage they cause. But to mitigate the problems here at home, they are expanding overseas to China (now the largest hog producer in the world) and places like Poland, where Smithfield has built hog CAFOs, which, by the way, many in Poland are regretting for environmental and ethical reasons.

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The following is part 2 of a four-part post by guest contributor Harold Brown. See the first part here. -SE

I have noticed a few things in recent articles and conversations that I would like to share my two cents on.

First, many people think that if we do give up eating meat, whether for health, environmental, or ethical/moral reasons, we will be overrun with feral farm animals. The reality is that all farm animals are purpose-bred. I seriously doubt that the world will stop eating animals and their by-products by the end of the week, which means we have to look at animal agriculture for what it is: a food supply system. In other words, as demand goes down, the herd and flock densities go down. Nearly all farm animals are artificially inseminated, regardless of the size of the operation. AI (artificial insemination) not only guarantees impregnation, but also allows for controlling the genome or bloodline with the most favorable traits and genetics. This is highly desirable to animal producers. If a producer doesn't have the demand, then he/she will not be calling the AI guy as often. Some farm animals, if they were to become feral, wouldn't be able to survive in most of the United States. Humans have manipulated their structures to the point that, say, pigs no longer have the back fat to allow them to survive cold winters. Quite honestly, the farm animals we recognize today are mere caricatures of their ancestors. Shadows of what God created. Now some people will say that the heritage breeds will be the answer. Not really, and here is why.

I was taking too-slow steps toward veganism from lacto-ovo vegetarianism when I attended a fateful event a few years ago. I'll not go into all the details now, but I will say that I owe my veganism (as does a previously omnivorous friend who went vegan overnight after attending with me) to some extraordinary people, including Harold Brown, someone who knows animals well and knows as well as anyone what's involved in animal ag because he spent much of his life in it. I wish for all of you the chance to at some point listen to Harold speak or, better yet, sit down and have a conversation with him because his gentle compassion and breadth of knowledge are really something to behold, but those of you who haven't yet had or won't get that chance can at least read some of his thoughts. The below post is the first part in a series of three or four connected posts by Harold that I'm honored to be sharing over the next couple days. -S. Ernst

Of late there has been a great deal of interest in how our food is produced and in particular, the issues surrounding farm animals.

Being a former cattle farmer, and having spent over half my life in agriculture, including working in the dairy industry for three years, I have a little different perspective on the topic. After reading some related articles and posts recently, I would like to share another angle on this wide range of issues.

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