 My Generation - the Blog 
A closer look at life on a young farmer's operation. |
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Stand Up for 4-H |
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| Posted on June 23, 2011 at 3:46 PM |
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Ok, 4-H fans, here's a prime chance to weigh in on the value of what you believe in!
A CNN blog, eatocracy.com, is asking today whether 4-H and its livestock production lessons are bad for kids. They are asking for opinions, based on response to their earlier blog on buying local food from 4-H members. That blog generated a lot of comments that divided into two camps.
Some like this:
I don't and would never support the 4-H. This group helps desensitize youngsters into having no emotional attachment to animals raised for food. For those who say no one should have attachment to animals raised for food, I say "of course". This is how the meat industry stays in business. If children are raised to love all animals and not try to see them as products, they would not be interested in seeing them killed. "Listening to the auctioneer and seeing how excited the children get when their animal is purchased is an incredibly fulfilling experience."
Really? Incredibly fulfilling experience. You mean knowing the animal that trusted you from birth is off to be mistreated before being slaughtered! That's fulfilling? Maybe that's because the 4-H has successfully desensitized these children who may have once be appalled by this. It's simply horrific. Shame on you 4-H for what you do to animals and to children. - Heather King
And some like this:
What 4-H does do is promote responsible animal husbandry and the cultivation of food resources in a responsible, ethical way. I accept your position that any killing of animals for food is, in your position, not ethical or moral, however most of us are omnivores and I for one would rather that those producing the meat I choose to eat do so in a humane and ethical way. I respect your position, but I would also hope that you would rather see people brought up to understand, and therefore demand, that there an ethical way to treat an animal even if that animal's eventual purpose is the nourishment of a human being.
Desensitization is the wrong word–education is the right word. These kids (I was one) are not at all desensitized to the process–rather, they are educated about proper raising and care of these animals. Not only was I a member, but growing up we also purchased meat and produce from 4H and FFA members–talk about locally sourced! We could be confident in the quality, origin, and raising of these products in a way we can rarely be in a supermarket. - Value rather than desensitization.
So far, they have over 1,000 comments. Please take a moment, click here, and share your thoughts on the value of 4-H and its impact on your family and your rural community. Remember, the best advocate is respectful, tells it straight and keeps it clean. If you would, after you comment there, come back here and let us know.
Let's not let those who want to take meat off the market smear the good name of 4-H!
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| Comments |
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| Posted by Susan on June 27 at 4:09 PM |
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| I applaud all those who have commented in support of 4-H. It is evident from the comments that 4-H offers youth an opportunity to develop skills in a wide variety of project areas ranging from photography, robotics, and geospatial projects to food and nutrition, entrepreneurship, and video filmmaking projects. Even the opportunities for working with animals are varied as youth may choose cat care, dog care, small pet projects or to raise breeding stock in a numbers of different species; none of the animals in these situations are being raised as market animals.
While 4-H teaches leadership, citizenship, independence, and helps its members make career choices, it also teaches respect, responsibility and decision making. Those are benefits of 4-H that I have not seen mentioned thus far in the comments. The youth who decide or choose to raise a market animal in any species are aware that by making that decision they are accepting the responsibility to care for that animal is such a way that the end result will be a quality meat product for those people who choose to consume meat as part of their diet. Therefore, they learn the importance of proper nutrition, veterinary care, providing shelter, and maintaining a healthy and clean environment for their market animal.
4-H members are taught to respect the views and opinions of others, even if they differ from their own. 4-H members who choose to raise a market animal realize that there are people who choose not to consume meat in their diet, who may disagree with the 4-H member’s decision to raise and care for a market animal. The 4-H members understand that those opinions exist and they respect choices that others have made. It seems mutual respect should be shown for the 4-H members’ decisions to raise market animals. To imply that market animals are not well cared for, or properly cared for simply because they will become part of the food supply, suggests that those putting forth the comments may be either misinformed or have not researched the topic completely.
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| Posted by Gladys on June 24 at 11:46 AM |
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| 4-H is a positive program that reinforces leadership and community service to youth of the USA. My two kids, husband, and myself have all been involved in 4-H as members and leaders. To say that my kids are basically horrible for raising and caring for animals that will go into the food chain, is just jude. Obviously, American has not been hungry! |
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| Posted by 4-H on June 24 at 10:53 AM |
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| Anyone that would ridicule 4-H obviously has never been apart of a 4-H program. The focus of 4-H is science, community and citizenship. The 4-H pledge states: I pledge my Head to clearer thinking, my Heart to greater loyalty, my Hands to larger service and?my Health to better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world. This is what 4-H is about. It teaches kids to be a good citizen and give back to the community. 4-H is more than just livestock. This is a program that teaches kids about: gardening, cooking, woodworking, photography, bicycling, animal care, babysitting, visual arts and hundreds more that teach life skills. |
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| Posted by RuaCath on June 24 at 8:59 AM |
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| I posted:
To say that 4H is in any way negatives means you have never been involved with 4H. The program foster respects for all living things. And as far as my person experience is concerned I must concede we are only small herd dairy farmers – but we have been so for over 800 years in Ireland, on the same farm. You cannot farm and not care for the animals. To say that is very naïve. No one puts that much work into the land, sacrifices vacations, money and time to foster something they do not care about. In this country we make pets of everything, often to their detriment. Dogs are not made for baby carriages and co-sleeping in your bed. IT IS NOT IN THEIR BEST INTEREST – but people do it to fulfill some need of their own, not taking the dog’s needs into consideration. In my opinion if children are desensitized to death it’s due to the television and movies they are permitted to watch and the video games their parents are purchasing for them – not because they have raised a cow and sold it. |
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| Posted by R. Stuart on June 23 at 4:45 PM |
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| My involvement in my local 4-H club was one of the highlights of my childhood growing up in rural Illinois. At the age of 8 when I was finally able to enroll, little did I know just how much my 4-H experience would shape my life, and now my career. I learned how to respect agriculture and the importance agriculture plays in keeping food on our tables and clothes on our backs. I could on for days about the skills I gained from 4-H, but I guess the biggest take-away that I have from that organization was learning just how integral agriculture is to our lives and because of that, I will forever stand up for an organization who undoubtedly has american agriculture and youth's best interests in mind. Never once did 4-H teach me how to be desensitized about animal agriculture, but it taught me what it's like to raise a FOOD animal correctly, care for it, show it, love it, and send it off to market where it is processed for food production because after all, it's a FOOD animal. I don't think that process is inhumane, it's just common sense. I have a great respect for the animal agriculture industry and can't wait for the day when I can teach my children the same lesson. It's easy to point fingers and throw blame when we accuse without fully understanding or experiencing something. I firmly believe that if you walk "a mile in the shoes" of a 4-H'er, you will learn a lesson or two about how much 4-H means to youth and agriculture and just how important it is to the rural communities across the nation raising the next generations of farmers, ranchers and agvocates who would love to prove you wrong. |
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| Posted by H. Spangler on June 23 at 4:13 PM |
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| Here's what I shared:
I joined 4-H as a young person, I showed cattle, I grew up and married a farmer and we now raise cattle on a farm in Illinois. We are counting the days until our oldest child is abls to join 4-H, and so is she. In all my years, I have never been involved with an organization that cares so deeply for teaching young people and for mentoring them through scientific and vocational skills the way 4-H does. Essentially, the argument that's being played out in this comment secion is among those who believe in eating meat and those who don't, and the 4-H organization is being drug into it. Please, if you have questions about 4-H, ask a 4-H member or leader or someone who is actually involved with the organization. But don't misrepresent a an organization that is the fabric of our rural communities based on your idealogical beliefs. 4-H teaches community service, learning, public speaking, how to conduct a meeting and how to operate within a group of people in a public setting. It teaches teamwork. It teaches small engines, model rocketry, food preservation, cookie baking and animal care. It teaches hog and cattle production, livestock judging and it gives kids the chance to be successful in a non-athletic setting. And it's an activity that an entire family can participate in - how many organizations can say that? Let's keep in mind what 4-H really is: it's good for families, it's good for communities, it's good for kids. |
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| Wait. Monsanto Isn't the Devil? |
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| Posted on May 16, 2012 at 8:30 AM |
| An email from a friend reminds me that our world – and the farm arguments we hear – aren't so black and white. |
| Category: Consumers |
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| We Get Letters |
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| Posted on May 09, 2012 at 8:55 AM |
| People can be so kind, and the letters we receive at Prairie Farmer are the absolute evidence of that. Words are powerful. |
| Category: Farm Family Living |
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| HSUS: Perception as Reality |
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| Posted on May 01, 2012 at 3:05 PM |
| If you believe everything you hear, you might just think HSUS is for shelters, Kashi is natural and Nutella is healthy. Wait. They're not? |
| Category: Consumers |
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| BSE: Here's What We Know |
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| Posted on April 26, 2012 at 4:29 AM |
| The tests worked, USDA's system worked and our food supply is just as safe today as it was yesterday. Or even on the day BSE was discovered. |
| Category: Consumers |
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| How a Good Product Got a Bad Rap |
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| Posted on April 12, 2012 at 10:25 PM |
| Pink slime: lots of misinformation, followed by hype and more misinformation. Rinse, and repeat. But wait! Here are the facts. |
| Category: Issues |
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| The End of a Long Road |
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| Posted on March 28, 2012 at 4:00 AM |
| Blog hiatus explained: my mother died last week. And here, a look at hope, her life and our changed lives on the farm. |
| Category: Farm Family Living |
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| Master Farmers Give It Back |
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| Posted on March 07, 2012 at 4:29 AM |
| Half of all farmers and ranchers donate their time to youth organizations, compared to 7% of most Americans. Take a Master Farmer and that's 100%. |
| Category: Issues |
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| We Went Red...And Met Moms |
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| Posted on March 05, 2012 at 4:29 AM |
| Farm Moms hit the city for a fancy-schmancy event, connecting farmers with consumer moms in Chicago. |
| Category: Consumers |
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| How a Cow Can Change Everything |
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| Posted on February 23, 2012 at 5:31 PM |
| World population expands. Ag technology spreads. Cows make more milk. Families have better lives. Check it out here. |
| Category: Technology |
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| Is Agriculture Waiting to Talk? |
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| Posted on February 21, 2012 at 1:00 AM |
| Ken Cook offers up a contrarian view, not only of food production on the farm, but of telling agriculture's story. He may have a point. |
| Category: Issues |
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| Had It Not Been for 4-H House |
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| Posted on February 17, 2012 at 1:00 AM |
| A cooperative housing unit at the University of Illinois made a profound difference in my life. May it continue to do the same for generations. |
| Category: Farm Family Living |
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| Loose: Not Taking Questions |
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| Posted on January 31, 2012 at 3:36 PM |
| The author of the story that launched degree-gate simply can't answer any questions. Today. |
| Category: Issues |
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| Our Friend, Greg |
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| Posted on January 17, 2012 at 1:00 AM |
| An entire community mourns for Greg Chatterton – farmer, father, husband and friend to so very many. |
| Category: Farm Family Living |
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| When the New York Times Calls |
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| Posted on January 06, 2012 at 1:00 AM |
| It's not always easy to be on the other end of the questions, and other things I learned while being interviewed. |
| Category: Issues |
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| Bob: Just a Great Teacher |
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| Posted on December 29, 2011 at 1:00 AM |
| What’s the mark of a great teacher? In Bob Siebrecht, it’s a teacher who can see in his students what they cannot see in themselves. |
| Category: Farm Family Living |
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| Field Moms Look to Farms, Not PETA |
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| Posted on December 21, 2011 at 11:00 AM |
| Another round of conversations with Illinois Farm Families Field Moms reveal our outreach may just be working. PETA will not be happy about this. |
| Category: Consumers |
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| Big City Lessons |
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| Posted on December 13, 2011 at 4:02 PM |
| A trip to Chicago yield more than just a little fun and sightseeing. See what a couple farm kids learned about hard work and delayed gratification. |
| Category: Farm Family Living |
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| To the Farm |
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| Posted on October 19, 2011 at 12:30 PM |
| A Saturday on the farm with eight moms from Chicago? Priceless. |
| Category: Consumers |
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| Hunger Amidst Bounty |
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| Posted on October 13, 2011 at 3:23 PM |
| Canadians organize a Harvest for Hunger: 120 combines, 160 acres, 12 minutes. |
| Category: Issues |
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| Ready to Roll |
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| Posted on September 26, 2011 at 12:44 PM |
| Harvest rolls along, amid sun and rain and more. Despite the craziness, my favorite season of the year. |
| Category: Corn |
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| ADAP: Clear as Mud, Part Deux |
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| Posted on September 22, 2011 at 5:00 AM |
| Part Two of a series with former Illinois FSA head Bill Graff, as we dissect NCGA's proposed farm program. |
| Category: Policy |
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| ADAP, ACRE, FSA: Clear as Mud? |
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| Posted on September 20, 2011 at 10:47 PM |
| Part One of a series with former Illinois FSA head Bill Graff, as we dissect NCGA's proposed farm program. |
| Category: Policy |
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| Prairie Pictures |
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| Posted on September 08, 2011 at 8:39 AM |
| A barn in a field, a farm on a hill. In Illinois, it's the little things that take us back. |
| Category: Farm Family Living |
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| See You at the Show |
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| Posted on August 28, 2011 at 10:36 PM |
| Time for the Farm Progress Show…drop by the Hospitality Tent and say hello! |
| Category: Issues |
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| POTUS |
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| Posted on August 18, 2011 at 1:03 AM |
| A whirlwind day amid the White House press corps, the president and a lot of seed corn. |
| Category: Issues |
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| Farm Moms Hit the Road |
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| Posted on August 10, 2011 at 10:11 AM |
| Four farm moms drive north to talk food & farming with Chicago moms. Note to self: it's a long way from a Starbucks on State to the Caseys in Kewanee. |
| Category: Issues |
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| Meeting in the Middle |
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| Posted on August 02, 2011 at 10:07 PM |
| A Chicago legislator and her family travel south for a taste of Fulton County agriculture. And let me tell you, the shop has never been cleaner. |
| Category: Issues |
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| A Will and a Way |
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| Posted on July 18, 2011 at 8:57 PM |
| What's it take to get to college? Hard work, if you follow this man's example. |
| Category: Issues |
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| Flashback: 1997 Seed Industry |
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| Posted on July 07, 2011 at 4:00 AM |
| A look back in the files reveals a point in seed history time that feels much longer ago than just 13 years. |
| Category: Corn |
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| Value off the Farm |
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| Posted on July 05, 2011 at 10:30 PM |
| Don't bemoan kids leaving the farm. They're taking good stuff with them. |
| Category: Issues |
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| How We Wound Up On a Billboard |
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| Posted on June 28, 2011 at 10:18 PM |
| One ambitious and forward-thinking county Farm Bureau reaches out to Chicagoland with a family farm message. |
| Category: Issues |
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| Stand Up for 4-H |
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| Posted on June 23, 2011 at 3:46 PM |
| A new CNN blog asks for opinions on 4-H and livestock - and the anti-meat folks are saying a lot of nasty things. Make sure CNN gets your opinion! |
| Category: Issues |
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| It's a New Day |
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| Posted on June 01, 2011 at 4:00 AM |
| New efforts to take the farm to consumers starts with a new blog, a new logo and a new website. And what's this thing called a "Field Mom"? |
| Category: Issues |
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| The Only Peanut Farmer in Illinois |
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| Posted on May 19, 2011 at 4:00 AM |
| With the help of a friend to the south, my six-year-old is growing peanuts. Also, please send 120 days of warm weather. |
| Category: Peanuts |
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| Scrap Direct Payments? |
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| Posted on April 26, 2011 at 10:46 PM |
| Early feedback from readers looks to cut direct payments, simplify crop insurance and help the little guy. |
| Category: Policy |
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| Where Do You Stand? |
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| Posted on April 21, 2011 at 10:02 PM |
| Direct payments, crop insurance, conservation payments and more. |
| Category: Policy |
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| 654 Miles |
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| Posted on April 13, 2011 at 3:00 AM |
| My past 36 hours has seen the following: 654 miles, a dozen ag editors, 378 oz. Diet Pepsi, 23 planters, 3 sprayers, 2 states. Give or take. |
| Category: Farm Family Living |
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| Strength in Numbers |
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| Posted on April 08, 2011 at 3:28 AM |
| Farm leaders do their western Illinois community proud. |
| Category: Issues |
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| What's Natural? |
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| Posted on April 05, 2011 at 5:46 PM |
| Just because something's natural, it doesn't mean it's good for you. |
| Category: Issues |
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| About The Writer |
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Holly Spangler has covered Illinois agriculture for the past 13 years, beginning her career with Prairie Farmer even before graduating from college. As associate editor, she brings real-world production agriculture experience to the topics she covers, including a range of production, management and issue-oriented stories. She also shares the trials and tribulations of young farmers through her monthly column, My Generation, and her blog at www.prairiefarmer.com.
Holly and her husband, John, farm in western Illinois where they raise corn, soybeans and cattle on 2,000 acres. Their operation includes 100 head of commercial cows in a cow/calf operation, plus several Shorthorns for the local show calf market. The family operation includes John’s parents, and their three children, Jenna, Nathan and Caroline.
A member of the American Agricultural Editors Association, Holly was named a Master Writer in 2005 and has received numerous writing and photography awards. She graduated in 1998 from the University of Illinois in agricultural communications, and received the Warren K. Wessels Award for outstanding senior in the College of ACES. She was a founding member of the U of I Ag Communications Alumni Leadership Council, and currently serves on the AAEA Board of Directors. She is also one of 10 recipients worldwide to receive the 2011 IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Ag Journalism award.
Holly and her husband are active in state and local farm organizations, receiving the Illinois Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer Achievement Award in 2007. As members of their local community church, she and her husband serve in youth and music ministries. |
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