TNT’s Radio Broadcast on Measure P

September 13, 2014

Miss the program?
You can listen to the
recording here!

This past week I had the opportunity to take part in a discussion about GMOs on Humboldt State University’s radio station KSHU. On the ballot in November is Measure P, which would make the cultivation of any genetically modified crops in the county illegal. KSHU’s Thursday Night Talk program presented the opposition to Measure P on Thursday evening.

Also on the show were scientists Rollin Richmond and Mark Wilson.

I’m very happy that I got to participate in the show and speak out in favor of GMOs, especially next to a couple of scientists who offered new and interesting insight into the issue. I certainly hope, for the sake of the farmers in Humboldt County, that some voters were swayed by the discussion.

You can listen to a recording of the show here. If you do, I would love to hear your feedback in the comments!

Thank you to the station and TNT host Kevin Hoover for having me on and for giving us the platform for this topic.

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oil painting says

April 24, 2015 at 2:59 am

I hope you can get it

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An account right from a farmer that will be impacted.Long Post:October 11, 2022The date the Supreme Court will hear arguments regarding California's Proposition 12. Can one state dictate how animals are raised in another state?WHAT IS PROPOSITION 12 AND WHY DOES IT MATTER TO YOU?California’s Proposition 12 was a ballot initiative that asked its voters to determine livestock animal standards by requiring minimum space requirements for confining certain farm animals. It prohibits sales of meat and egg products from animals confined in a noncomplying manner. California citizens voted on it and they approved it.My question is, do the citizens of California have enough knowledge to vote on how livestock animals should be cared for?WHO ARE THE REAL ANIMAL CARE EXPERTS?Are Californians now the animal care experts? Do they really know how to care for chickens, pigs, and cows? How does someone living in Los Angeles know about livestock farming? Or are farmers the animal care experts?And I will take this one step further. Why was this on the ballot?This would not differ from having each of us vote on specific medical procedures surgeons use. Do I have enough medical knowledge that I can tell a surgeon on what medical procedure they should use? I think not. I would NEVER want to vote on an issue like that. I acknowledge I don’t have the knowledge and I am not the expert.The only way ballot initiatives work is if there is enough knowledge to make a good, educated decision. An educated electorate is necessary for our type of government to work properly. And there is no way California citizens had enough knowledge to vote on this issue, which is why the initiative succeeded. The people behind the ballot initiative knew this. Let's dig deeper into the space requirements. Many pig farmers use gestation stalls to house pregnant sows. There is NO perfect sow housing. None. There are advantages and disadvantages for gestation stalls, open pen housing or loose sow housing. We should leave the decision on animal housing to those who know best - farmers.Farmers know what is best for their animals and should not be forced into decisions that may not be good for the animals or themselves. The bottom line? Successful pig farming is dependent on how the pigs are managed or cared for and not how they are housed. So now what?It's simple: If you don't comply, you can't sell the meat in California. I don't have a problem with California dictating how animals are raised in their state, but this extends to ALL states. As it stands, people in California would not be able to buy pork from my farm. California consumes about 15% of U.S. pork. That's a lot of bacon. The bottom line – we should not be micromanaging farmers. Let’s leave animal care decisions to the farmers and their animal care experts - veterinarians.Some people may think – why not change the pig housing so it matches what California is dictating? Most people don’t realize the significant cost associated with changing housing methods, especially when it doesn’t mean better care of the animals. Pig farmers do not want to go backward in animal care by being forced into changing their animal care methods. They don’t want their hands tied based on someone who only has an ideological view of farming.If pig farmers have to comply with California’s ways, the cost of food could go up significantly. Many farmers would need to make significant changes to their farms, which would be costly. The costs would have to be absorbed by farmers. This would more than likely force out smaller pig farmers.Farming is not easy and should not have been left to a yes or no vote at the ballot booth. I truly hope the U.S. Supreme Court will make the right decision and strike down Proposition 12.#Proposition12 #pigcare #wecare .
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