A is for Advancing Animal Agriculture

Presenters:

Rod Wenzel and Betty Wolanykfor Project Food, Land & People

The FLP Mission

To educate students and citizens about the connections between agriculture, the environment, and people of the world.

“Most people know little or nothing about today’s advanced farms. The disconnect between farmers and consumers is a big concern. Suspicion and a lack of trust result.”

-- Ryan Robinson, writer, Lancaster, PA

The Disconnect, The Distance, and

The Distortion

The Disconnect, The Distance,

and The Distortion“In addition to challenges arising from what people don’t know, it’s also what they believe they do know, but isn’t true that is widening the disconnect between today’s consumers and animal agriculture.”

-- National Institute of Animal Alliance

The Disconnect, The Distance,

and The Distortion“As the distance between farmers and consumers grows with increasing urbanization, consumers know less and less about the way farm animals are raised. But they care about how their food is produced, how farm animals are treated.”

-- International Federal of Agricultural Producers

The Disconnect, The Distance,

and The Distortion“The accusation that farmers, ranchers and scientists are cruel to animals is having an impact with consumers and policy makers who do not have agricultural experience.”

-- Project Food, Land & People

“My goal is the abolition of all animal agriculture.”-- J.P. Goodwin, director, Coalition Against the Fur Trade

“We should distinguish our message from less meat because what we want is no meat.”-- Carrie P. Freeman, activist and professor

“Owning animals is the equivalent of slavery.”-- Hope Bohanec, In Defense of Animals organization

The Effort and The Effect: The Messages From Activists Encourage Children To:

• Stop drinking milk

(Milk causes zits, flatulence, and cancer)

• Become vegan

(All meat is dirty, diseased and dangerous)

• Resist classroom dissection

(The practice develops serial killers)

The Effort and The Effect:The Messages From Activists Lead Children To:

• Throw tomatoes and paint at fur wearers

• Think their dog or cat could be made into leather

• Perceive farm animals as standing upright, talking and being human

• Consider farmers as cruel mass murderers

• Believe global warming caused by cows

Key Trends and Conditions:

• Animal agriculture and modern animal practices under are attack.

• Farmers fight to prove they remain the good guys in a world where perception trumps reality.

• Consumers unaware of how meat, milk and eggs are produced on the farm.

• Animal-rights advocates altering how the public views farmers and their production methods.

Today the U.S. Has Over 100 Activist Groups Focused on

Attacking Modern AgricultureCombined Budgets Exceed $600 million

› Animal Rights Activists - $330 million worldwide

These groups intentionally create misinformation.

Goal is to drive change. Often with a hidden agenda.

Activist Groups

Budgets used almost exclusively for public relations and/or advocacy.

Funded by foundations, donations, government grants, memberships and sales of publications or subscriptions.

Creating sub-groups with farm or health organization names

Activist Sub-GroupsDairy Education Network

› NOT MILKFood and Water Watch

› Actually Ralph Nader’s Public Citizen International Partners for Sustainable

Agriculture › HSUS

Activist Sub-GroupsFood for Global Life

› Hare Krishna CultPhysicians Committee for Responsible

Medicine› Fewer Than 4% of Members are

Physicians› Pro-Vegan Group› Linked to PETA

Activist Groups

Professional Protesters Intertwined

Key Trends and Conditions:

Americans familiar with the phrase “factory farming” increased by 15 percent from 49 to 64 percent in past three years.

• Those claiming they never eat red meat increased from 6.7 percent to 8 percent since 2006, almost a 20 percent increase

•Almost two out of three people believe activist groups are acting in consumers’ best interest.

What Most Students First Experience:• Cats play the fiddle, cows jump over the moon, chickens

lay golden eggs, the Easter bunny also delivers eggs; and bears prevent forest fires.

• Farm animals introduced as colorful, animated, conversant cartoon characters.

• Smaller animals in the classroom become pets

• Larger animals in petting zoos rather than on the farm, in the field or working

FLP’s Assessment:• Found a significant lack of educational materials

• Mostly picture books, many with cartoon drawings, in elementary schools

• Major topics are nutrition, milk and dairy foods

• Teaching about products derived from dead animals sensitive and challenging

FLP’s Assessment:Our Resources for Learning contains 55 lessons, with 3 focused on animal agriculture.

• “Tomatoes to Ketchup; Chickens to Omelets,” a farm to consumer focus

• “Amazing Grazing,” environmental reasons for grazing animals in the food system

• “By the Way,” about animal by-products

FLP’s Assessment:Of almost 400 Instructional Resources on AITC Website:

• About half deal with animals, by focus:

• 28 about insects, 21 milk/dairy, 21 anthropomorphize farm animals (7 being historical fiction), 21 wool and sheep, 20 bees and honey making, 19 eggs or embryology, 13 worms and composting, 11 horses, 11 beef, 10 genetics or biotechnology, 4 general farm animal facts, and 3 goats.

• Only a few lesson plans. Only 3 related to farm animals and products w/ hands-on activities.

FLP’s Assessment:Among industry associations:

• Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has “Beef Ag Mag,” w/ teaching guide targeting grades 3-5; and “Dairy Ag Mag,” w/o a teaching guide, grades 3-5.

• National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has educational materials largely focused on nutrition for grades K-5 students;

• Animal Agriculture Alliance has “The Resource Guide,” but it needed updating at the time of our assessment.

• Most other related associations offer no or limited materials or focus on member education services for producers.

FLP Advancing Animal Agriculture Initiative:• Supported by a small USDA SPECA grant;

• Kicks off August 4 – 6, 2011 in St. Louis with a teacher-driven, lesson-writing workshop;

• Starts with the framework development of five lessons about animal agriculture to balance or refute activist propaganda; and

• Seeks industry, association, patron, and educational support to be expanded and continued.

About The Lesson-Writing Workshop• Up to 20 educators to be selected, with

emphasis on creative, award winners

• FLP covers travel, lodging and meal costs, w/ a $250 stipend to be provided

• Begins with topic and information overviews, followed by goals and guidelines, and then letting the teachers do what they do best in small groups.

Potential Priority TopicsNutrition: Impact of nutrient dense foods solving childhood obesity

Bio Energy: Importance of animals in bio-fuel production

Climate Change: Cows vs. Cars

Food Safety: Modern practices enhancing food safety

Potential Priority TopicsAnimal Welfare: Debunking the horror stories

Environment: The pros & cons of large animal feeding operations

Economics: Farm prices, food costs, and the dynamics of animal ag as trade

Food Security: Animal ag as a cause or cure for hunger

Cultural Differences: The international views, uses and treatments of animals

The FLP Approach• Uses multi-disciplines to teach about agriculture

• Agriculture is the vehicle to teach K-12 subject matter in mathematics, science, language arts, social studies, environmental studies, consumer and career education, and technology

• Problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making capabilities are emphasized

The FLP Strategies• Seek additional collaborators and ag experts to work on the project

• Deploy external evaluators, professional writers and editors, and correlate lessons with national standards

• Select pilot sites for lessons throughout nation

• Conduct lessons at National AITC Conference and make draft copies available

The FLP Principles• Increase agricultural and environmental awareness

• Uphold the highest standards for educational materials and training opportunities

• Materials produced by educators for educators and for a variety of instructional settings

• Objective and technically accurate curriculum

• Expands and complements other programs such as Agriculture in the Classroom, 4-H, FFA, Project WET, Project WILD, and Project Learning Tree.

Meet Us In St. Louis:Where Cows Come Home,

Chickens Roost,

And Goats Are Gotten!