In your February 11th edition, Trent Loos expresses in his column the need for people to be exposed to a variety of organisms and environments to enhance our immune systems and cites several research studies to back up his reasoning. I agree with the fundamental basis of this premise. However I don’t think the research suggests anything similar to what Trent has deducted from these findings. Trent’s suggestion that we need livestock feeding operations in every neighborhood to support this postulation is a correlation that most would find absurd, including the researchers. The reason I say this is that I also travel throughout the country speaking to university faculty, researchers, and livestock and consumer groups promoting and educating people about agriculture and I’m subjected to a lot of feedback. I certainly can appreciate Trent’s passion in standing up for his beliefs. In fact we are both livestock producers residing in Sherman County Nebraska promoting our beliefs and even though we may not see things in the same light, I respect his right to differ. I would just like to offer another viewpoint that contrasts with several of Trent’s recent columns.
This type of reasoning is what causes the livestock industry to lose credibility with the consumer. Keep in mind these are consumers that have Michael Pollan’s latest book, AN EATERS MANIFESTO ranked number two on the current best seller list. Promoting this type of attitude may bring applause at the pork producer’s meeting or the cowboy club conventions but it only further alienates consumer groups and even many ag producers as this is a divided issue. The majority of consumers will never buy into many of the current methods of food production no matter how hard the industry promotes or sugar coats the situation.
When you consider the artificial environments created in many of our industrial farming and livestock operations, the toxic inputs, and the contaminated products that can result from these types of methods, I don’t think many people would agree that an increased exposure level to these systems will build our immune systems. It is widely known from statistics that workers in CAFO’s have a much higher incidence of respiratory problems. I even know farmers who won’t let their children work in their own operations because of some of these risks. How many farmers would encourage their children play in the dirt on cropland where toxic chemicals are being applied so they can boost their immune system?
If we were to follow Trent’s line of reasoning, cattle feeders in the Midwest could certainly benefit by aggressively promoting the “E. coli enriched beef” that we are now becoming well known for with the feeding of ethanol by-products. This could be touted as a way to build immunity against food poisoning. Once again, another shot in the foot while trying to gain consumer confidence. The industry’s self destructing saga never seems to end. Let’s not construe this research and imply something that is completely off base.
I’ll end this on a positive note and point out that we are now seeing more and more unbiased research that shows we can actually produce more food with less chemical residues and higher levels of nutrients using organic and sustainable farming methods. This type of production can also be accomplished using far fewer inputs. Ten years ago I scoffed at this ideology. Now a University of Michigan study has shown we can produce three times as much food farming organically and suggest that this is a solution to battling the problems of world hunger. Starvation scare tactics used by those in the industrial ag community are simply unfounded and the educated consumer now laughs at that notion. Over time the research has proven me wrong and compelled me to re-examine paradigms. My open mind has allowed me to make adaptations leading to many benefits. Consumers are showing enormous support for organic, sustainable, local, and humanely raised food production systems based on their buying trends. Most importantly, producers can benefit from considerably higher profit levels. Having transitioned from conventional to organic methods on a 2800 acre farming and livestock operation, I am seeing this first hand. So are many others. The time is coming when economics will force the family farmer to move in this direction or be forced out of business because there is no end to the price increases on farming inputs.
Kevin Fulton
Litchfield, Nebraska
