American Farm Bureau President Declares War on "self-appointed and self promoting food experts" (UPDATED)

Picture: Dry land wheat field and farm road in Eastern Washington.

UPDATE: I can see that this post has stirred up quite a reaction from folks at American Farm Bureau and several farmers who were present at the address have chimed in with some very helpful comments. I do want to be fair and the last thing I want to do is misrepresent what was said but for now I think the title of the post is an accurate characterization of what was said.

Here's the key section in context:

It is up to us to share the strength of our character and the tradition of our values with our fellow citizens.

But, a line must be drawn between our polite and respectful engagement with consumers and the way we must aggressively respond to extremists who want to drag agriculture back to the day of 40 acres and a mule.

Our adversaries are skillful at taking advantage of our politeness. Publicly, they call for friendly dialogue while privately their tactics are far from that.

Who could blame us for thinking that the avalanche of misguided, activist-driven regulation on labor and environment being proposed in Washington is anything but unfriendly.

The time has come to face our opponents with a new attitude. The days of their elitist power grabs are over.

General George Patton was very quotable. He said that in times of war, “Make your plans to fit the circumstances.”

To those who expect to just roll over America’s farm and ranch families, my only message is this: The circumstances have changed.

Go here to listen to or download the full speech. When you use phrases like "in times of war" and quote from a famous general, I think it's fair to characterize it as "declaring war" on the "elitists" and "food activists". That's how the Capital Press heard it also when they summed up the address as a "Call to Arms."

The more debatable question is whether this is "declaring war" on consumers, and to be fair I will revise the body of the original post to say "consumer activists" instead of simply "consumers" I think what he misses and what I am reacting to so strongly in the post is that the activists are the consumers and vice versa. You can't disparage "activists" on the one hand and assume that "consumers" are a distinct group apart from activists that will not be stung by the characterization. I have been working for the last two years on this blog and elsewhere to cultivate local food culture in our region from the perspective of the consumer, and I can't help but see myself and others I know in our community who are concerned about these issues as the one's he is disparaging as "self-appointed and self promoting food experts". Maybe he should clarify who exactly it is that is the enemy in this whole war metaphor.

Original Post is as follows:

I had to stop by my local farm supply store this morning to get something for a sick chicken and I noticed a provocative headline on the front page of the "Capital Press: The West's Ag Weekly." In bold letters it  declares a "Call to arms" with a lead in quote from Bob Stallman, president of American Farm Bureau, stating "A line must be drawn."

The article goes on to describe Mr. Stallman's strident keynote address to 5,000 people at the annual convention of the American Farm Bureau;

'It is up to us to share the strength of our character and the tradition of our values with our fellow citizens. But a line must be drawn between our polite and respectful engagement with consumers and the way we must aggressively respond to extremists who want to drag agriculture back to the days of 40 acres and mule.'

In his annual address to Farm Bureau members, Stallman decried 'the nonstop criticism of contemporary agriculture.'

He described how inaccurate and unfair movies, magazine articles and undercover videos have attempted to turn public opinion against agriculture. Those external forces have created the stereotypes of 'monoculture, factory farms, industrial food and big ag,' he said.

As 'self-appointed and self-promoting food experts' seek to damage the reputation of traditional agricultural values, he said, it is all the more vital for American farmers and ranchers to adopt a new attitude.'

He invoked General George Patton, saying that in times of war, 'Make your plans to fit the circumstances...Are we going to let animal rights activists destroy our ability to produce meat that Americans want to eat? I say: No we are not!...Can we stand up - as did our forefathers - and fight for a better future for this great country? I say: Yes we can!"

If I'm hearing him correctly he just declared war on consumers activists who are concerned with these issues. I hear him saying, "Just eat your food and be grateful. Let us farmers worry about agricultural practices." Ironically he goes on to observe in an interview with the Capital Press;

"Most people are four or five generations removed from the farm, and they have no understanding of basic production agriculture."

So on the one hand he declares war on consumers activists, like me and many readers of this blog, as a bunch of no good, know nothings but on the other hand laments that the problem is that people are too disconnected and aloof from where their food comes from.

I have a couple of observations;

1. If I didn't have chickens I wouldn't be a regular at the local farm supply store and I wouldn't have the occasion to see a provocative headline from an weekly agricultural magazine. Participating in agriculture and farming practices, even if on a micro, suburban scale is key to being engaged in conversations about agriculture and food systems. Otherwise all we'll ever see are the hypnotic headlines of People and Us magazines. It's interesting that the places we buy our food are not the places we find information on where the food comes from.

2. I agree that farmers are at times unfairly demonized by food activists.

3. I have no interest in a war with big agriculture. I regularly make it clear on this blog that I am no expert on food or agriculture. I see these things primarily from the perspective of consumer, and instead of dismissing people like me, farm bureaus need to include us in the conversation. Don't lump us all together as if anyone who asks questions about big ag practices is an extremist. I have great respect for farmers and I believe that if we are going to make positive changes in agricultural practices farmers are the ones who will pioneer and innovate the new practices. There are few things in the world more difficult than making a living from farming and farmers deserve our support and respect.

4. Stallman says, "Are we going to let animal rights activists destroy our ability to produce meat that Americans want to eat?" I am part of a growing movement of people who are also drawing a line in the sand and are saying through our consumer choices that we don't want to eat the meat the current system produces. The American Farm Bureau ignores this reality at the peril of the farmers' it represents.

As consumers we feel incredibly powerless to change the system and so we are changing our consumption practices. We're raising our own chickens and eating their eggs. We're tearing out our lawns and growing vegetables and canning them for the winter. We're shopping at farmers' markets so that we can know the farmers and the practices that brought out food to market. We're asking where our food comes from and in some cases are horrified by what we're discovering. And more than any of that we are re-discovering the joy of being connected to people and food and land in our communities. We are becoming friends with our farmers and working with them on ways to strengthen our community and our economy.

So you can have your war Bob, and your George Patton quotes. We'd rather collaborate and quote Wendell Berry.

Comments

[Michelle Sidles]

I just love your blog! That's all. :)

[FarmerHaley]

I was one of the 5,000 farmers present at that speech. I believe that you only heard part of what Stallman has said. If you would like hear the entire speech it is available here:

http://bit.ly/7YcRix

He is not asking us to declare war on consumers! He is asking us to stand up and talk about how we farm, and communicate our values, and convey that the way we farm is compatible with traditional ideals.

Farmers today are more than ever concerned with protecting our natural resources, animal care, and sustainability not only economically, but also environmentally as well as sustaining the food source for our population.

To Quote Stallmans speech:

"As I scan this hall, I see farmers who embrace all the tools of modern agriculture. I see people who choose modern organic production…I see folks who plant conventional seed and those who use biotechnology.

I see families who raise livestock in sheltered, climate-controlled conditions. I see feedlot operators. But also among our ranks here in Seattle, I see farm and ranch families who produce grass-fed beef, free-range pork and cage-free eggs.

These are the personal and business choices we have made about how best to serve consumers.

Farm Bureau reflects all of agriculture.

We are comprised of farmers of all different political persuasions using a variety of production methods, all while executing unique marketing strategies. We have farmers who drive different brands of trucks, and different colors of tractors. We need all of you."

Farm Bureau represents farmers of all shapes and sizes. It is going to take all of us to meet the demands of a growing population. From Roof Top Gardens in the City, to the Corn Fields of Iowa farmers are growing food to meed the specific needs of all consumers.

Thank you,

Mike

[Val Wagner]

I'm sorry, but perhaps you should go to the Farm Bureau site and actually watch the whole speech. I was sitting in the second row and I heard something completely different.

What I took away from the speech was that now is a time for producers and consumers to come together. A time for producers to ask farmers directly any questions that they have regarding their food and fiber...not just take the words of activists as the truth, without so much as giving the actual producer a thought.

I think it is great that you are familiar with your food and use local markets to know where it comes from. There are producers that benefit from your attitude and desire to buy locally. There are also producers that provide food for the masses that don't take the time to know where their food is grown and raised. They don't know that cotton is a plant, wool comes from sheep and milk comes from cows. They are of the mindset that whatever they need comes from the supermarket and that's where it stops. This is the connection we, as producers, need to make.

It is not consumers that we are "declaring war" on. It is the lack of knowledge. It has been proven that public perception is shaped by those who speak out. And the farming community has long-since been one that is reluctant to tell our own story...and now that story is being told for us by those who would like to see our livelihood come to an end. So we need to start letting consumers, such as yourself, see us as we truly are...not the way others portray us.

You see, fewer and fewer farmers need to feed more people on less land every year. If you want to talk facts...you do the math. How does that pencil out? Yet, on the same hand, those producers are so busy trying to provide for others that they don't feel they have the time to respond to every negative letter-to-the-editor, Time story or Michael Pollan novel that misleads consumers. What Stallman is telling us, is that it is time to take the time.

So, it is not consumers that we are fighting...it is perception and information. And these are battles that we are becoming better equipped for.

[Craig]

Thanks for the comments. See the post for my response. I wish you the best in your vocation as farmers.

[Debbie Lyons-Blythe]

You are not the first one to think that the declaration against activism is against the consumer. It is important that we in agriculture are willing to listen as well as talk.

For too long we have minded our own business, and worked to feed the livestock, plant the crops and ignored what's going on with the consumer. But it is important for us to tell our story and invite the consumer to see what we're up to and to see how we do our jobs. But at the same time, we need to be willing to have a conversation (not just a speech) with the consumers. We need to understand their concerns and be willing to make changes or explain why we do certain things. A two-way conversation is always better than preaching at someone!

Thanks for your insight and reminder. I do believe that Mr. Stallman is calling for the true conversation, but in the article you read, it was not clear.

If you would like to pursue the conversation, I'd be happy to talk about life on a real cattle ranch in Kansas.

[Craig]

Thanks Debbie. I really appreciate your comment. I'll be in touch about that conversation. :)

[Steve Smoot]

I appreciate your work "to cultivate local food culture in our region . . ." Craig.

It looks a good deal like war rhetoric from this AFB president and I believe that was what it was intended to sound like: injustice has been inflicted upon us. we have an enemy, our cause is just.

Perhaps to some degree, this is true but quoting "Old Blood and Guts" Patton seems ill-advised. Remember it was "his guts but our blood."

I'm a little surprised when farmers "buy" so solidly into a system that has resulted in continual depletion of, among other things, the farm population. The food industry has done far more to drive farmers from the land than consumer interest in where their food comes from.

Promoting a healthful diet and a clean and safe environment is preferable to a declaration of war.

[Craig]

Thanks for the comment Steve. In many ways the metaphors we use create the world we live in. If we live within the metaphor of war than we can't help but engage the other as enemy. I agree that the war imagery was ill-advised and incredibly tone deaf. Like I said above, I'd love some clarification of who the enemy is.

[Dan]

The debate over food will only get more intense as information-age consumers make more and more informed choices. One-size-fits-all organizations like broadcast television networks and the American Farm Bureau will struggle to represent and serve diverse members and customers. The US Chamber of Commerce experienced a bit of that medicine when it failed to account for the self-interest that some of its corporate members have in supporting global warming legislation. If Stallman wants to keep trying to claim that his organic agriculture and food-producing (as opposed to commodity-producing) members will support his "line in the sand" he may start feeling the heat from within his own organization as well as from consumers who want more choices. I hope so. Thanks for all of your great posts Craig.

[Craig]

Intense is a good word for the food wars that seem to be brewing.