My Little Corner of the World
by: Chris Chinn, a hog producer in Clarence, Mo., and the immediate past chair of the American Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee.


For too long, we in agriculture have been prone to live in our little corner of the world, ignoring or trying to find a quick fix when society misunderstands our farming practices. We have been remiss in helping our adversaries understand why we do what we do on our farms and ranches. Living by this philosophy, in the process, we’ve at times let other people tell their version of agriculture’s story, without correcting misinformation. 
 
Growing up in rural Missouri, or my little corner of the world, I thought we farmers were insulated from what the rest of the world said and did. But as I became more active in various agricultural leadership roles, my cocoon lifted and I saw the world for what it is.
With the average American three generations removed from the farm, agriculture is no longer seen through nostalgic, rose-colored glasses.
 
As I traveled this past year across the country as chair of the American Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee, I came to see firsthand how little consumers really know.
 
On a flight out east, a couple of Southern women said to tell the farmers in Vermont to lower their prices in the grocery stores because they were making too much money.  While in New York, I heard someone talk about how they had met a vegetarian at a banquet who loaded her plate with chicken wings because, she said, “these grow back.” 
 
On another trip, I met a woman who only believed eating organic food was much healthier than food from traditional farming.  She didn’t feel we needed antibiotics and fungicides or pesticides on our food.  When I explained to her how the absence of fungicides results in high levels of aflatoxin in organic peanut butter and aflatoxin is known for causing liver cancer, she was startled and wanted to learn more.  She didn’t realize that antibiotics were used to kill bacteria in animals, and that the absence of them increased her risk of consuming meat with bacteria.  I explained how our animals don’t have health insurance, and that we only use antibiotics when absolutely necessary. 
 
Today, we are serving consumers who know little to nothing about our industry, and because of this we are pressured into making changes on our farms and ranches. This ultimately causes our cost of production to increase, with no benefit to our farms and ranches, while our profits decrease due to these new and increased expenses.  Sadly, we lose farmers and ranchers yearly due to these challenges.      
 
Farmers and ranchers are proud of our heritage; we have every right to be. But to keep our little corner of the world productive and viable, we need to step out of it every once in awhile. We need to stand tall and speak out for our industry and our production methods. 

2/18/08