Don't Get Mad...Get Even?

“Farmed and Dangerous,” Chipotle’s new online-only television series, launched this week. In typical Chipotle fashion, it does not speak kindly of current farming practices. It promotes the idea that today's food system is controlled by "corporate agribusiness" and therefore it is unsustainable and unhealthy. "Much of our marketing is aimed at making consumers more curious about where their food comes from and how it is prepared," said Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing and development officer at Chipotle. 

O.k., Mr. Crumpacker, it's my turn. I watched your satire, "Farmed and Dangerous." I realize it is supposed to be funny, but I also realize you are trying to make a point about what you and your company feel are questionable farming practices. I could get mad, or try to get even, but I have chosen to educate instead. Since your goal is to "make consumers more curious about where their food comes from" I have chosen to write about what I know about our farm. My hope is that it satisfies some of that "consumer curiosity."

* Our farm is family owned.  Farms can be smaller or larger than ours, but according to the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) 97% of U.S. dairy farms are family owned and operated. Our children are sixth generation farmers, and proud of the fact that they can carry on the same values of caring for the land and animals.

* Although farms may not look like they have in the past, cow comfort is still our top priority. We are committed to providing you with safe, high quality milk and dairy products, and it all begins with taking good care of our cows. Our cows are housed in our free-stall barn which allows them to move about to eat, drink and rest whenever they like.

* Our cows receive good medical care, including the use of antibiotics when necessary. Just like people, cows sometimes need medicine when they are sick. Milk from cows treated with antibiotics is separated from the rest of the milk supply, and tested repeatedly on our farm. It is again tested at the dairy plant since it cannot be sold to the public.

* Our farm chooses to not use supplemental hormones, therefore our milk is sold to Land-O-Lakes and packaged under the label "rBST free" in response to consumer requests for choices in the dairy aisle. All milk naturally contains very small amounts of hormones and even farms that chose to use supplemental hormones for their cows produce the same safe, wholesome product.

* Yes, our animal feed does contain genetically modified organisms (GMO's). This biotechnology is found in most of the corn we plant to feed our cows. This allows us to grow more crops using the same amount of land, water and other natural resources since we care about and respect our land. We follow strict rules in regard to the amount of GMO's we can plant.The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Food and Drug Administration have all confirmed the safety of food and animal feed containing GMO's.  

No, I'm not mad at Chipotle. No, I'm not trying to get even with Chipotle. My family and I are just going to continue to be the hard-working, honest, responsible farmers that my family and I have been for generations. 

Consumers...still curious? The best way to learn about farming, 

is to ask a farmer. What would you like to know?