April 2010 Articles

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Just Rambling

Just Rambling: I was encouraged by the Response from Foster Farms in mid-March to the editorial “Area Poultry Growers still in Need of Help.” This response was in “Letters to the Editor” section of the Ruston Daily Leader. Even though their response was short it did address two key facts - Foster Farms is optimistic about the future of Farmerville poultry production and they look forward to returning to maximum capacity as soon as conditions permit. Growers feel they know this but it really helps to hear this communication from Foster Farms. Growers want to feel and know that they are part of the team and that the team is moving in the direction that will be profitable for both Foster Farms & its growers. Thank you Foster Farms for this response. Growers look forward to an even better line of communication in the future as economic conditions improve for both Foster Farms & their growers.
I recently attended the Annual Stockholders Meeting of the Farm Credit Bank of Texas in San Antonio. While there we were addressed by many agriculture industry speakers but the one that most impressed me was Mary Kay Thatcher - long time Director of Public Policy with the American Farm Bureau Federation. She was very knowledgeable of the Agriculture industry as a whole but she put special emphasis on the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the threat it holds toward animal agriculture in the United States. According to Ms. Thatcher, HSUS is not connected to your local animal shelters - it is a somewhat radical, national organization with an annual budget this year of 157 million dollars - many times larger than the annual budget of the American Farm Bureau. Even though this is an extremely large budget the HSUS is not satisfied with this - they spend 40% of their annual budget raising more funds to add to the war chest they are building to fight animal agriculture. We in the agriculture industry must be vigilant and pro active to combat the HSUS in their attempt to dismantle animal agriculture as we know it in America. Remember - the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is trying to change animal agriculture in this country one state at a time. We must meet that threat head-on & combat it effectively for America to remain the number one agriculture producer in the world.
About the front cover: A snapshot of a wooded pasture on our place showing the picturesque effects of a late snowfall as “Old Man Winter” is winding down and spring is around the corner.
Photographed by Velvet Roberts