Another call to action against those who would destroy animal agriculture

Not so slowly, and very surely, a growing number of agricultural spokespersons are taking off the kid gloves when they discuss the threat to all food animal producers that is posed by vegan wolves disguised in animal rights clothing.

A case in point came during the National Dairy Leaders Conference April 20 and 21 in Denver, Colo. That’s when Gatz Riddell, D.V.M., executive vice-president of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, added his voice to the growing chorus urging livestock industries to proactively adopt animal care practices that resonate with consumers – and consider abandoning those that don’t.

“Groups like Humane Society of the United States are never to be believed,” he said. “We have to remember that their true agenda is the abolishment of animal agriculture. Our best defense is to remove our opponents’ offense. We need to identify the “low-hanging fruit” in terms of our procedures and protocols that are easy to take issue with, address them before others do, and correct or eliminate them.”

Riddell cited several practices that are either under increased public scrutiny now or are likely to be in the near future. These include:

• tail docking
• dehorning
• surgical procedures without the use of anesthesia
• lameness
• low body condition
• culling rates
• failure to provide bull calves with colostrum
• disposition of bull calves in general

It's all about the economy at National Dairy Leaders Conference

The dairy economy – surviving the current downturn and preparing for what could be a much different financial environment that follows – dominated discussion at the 2009 National Dairy Leaders Conference April 20 and 21 near Denver, Colo.

An audience of some 200 dairy producers, co-op leaders, regulators, and educators was told that the current crisis is more than just another up-down cycle, due to the global recession that triggered it. As a result, economic forecasters generally see a gradual, subdued rebound rather than a quick snapback.

Terry Barr, chief economist for the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives in Washington, D.C., (pictured here) sees financial recovery beginning this summer and modest gains continuing throughout 2010. He warned, though, that consumers could remain cautious about spending for years, and the acceptable degree of debt and leverage has already changed for everyone, including farmers.

For the long term, however, his outlook for U.S. agriculture is positive. “The fundamental fact to remember is that the world will still be resource challenged, and demand for food will continue to exceed supply,” he said.

Marv Hoekema, a dairy financial consultant from Visalia, Calif., said he already sees signs of recovery in the form of tremendously slowing Commodity Credit Corporation purchases and declining inventories of manufactured dairy products. He sees recovery of cheese prices beginning this summer, driven in large part by declines in production per cow. However, he agrees that recovery will be slow and profitability may not return until 2010. He sees Class III milk prices rising above $15 per hundredweight only occasionally during 2009.