Beef Ambassador

We’ve all been hearing about the recent issues with the Humane Society of the United States. First Yellow Tail, then Pilot Travel Centers, next Mary Kay and Ohio legislation, and now Michigan’s Meat-Out Day. The last of this list is the most disturbing, in my opinion, because this dig on animal agriculture is taking place this Saturday, which just happens to be National Agriculture Day! As an industry, we must join together with our agriculture counterparts and share our positive stories to make an impact!

Recently this last week, I participated in a Cal Poly Intramural Public Speaking Contest. There were approximately 50 contestants and 25 judges. We were split into groups of 5 and gave our speeches in front of 3 judges. We were then put in a different group and gave our speeches again in front of a different panel of judges. I wanted to make a difference by participating in this contest, so I wrote a speech entitled, “Friends Don’t Let Friends Support HSUS”. In my speech I spoke about apposing future Proposition 2 like legislature in other states besides California and I aimed to expose the HSUS for what they are really trying to do. Below is a summary of my introduction and conclusion. My introduction was inspired by a YouTube video produced by Animal Agriculture Alliance. I encourage you to watch it here.

“What if the real world were like Farmville on Facebook? Strawberry milk would come from pink cows. It would only take 12 hours for rice to grow. Each week 11 million people would start farming! But we don’t live in Farmville. Real farmers ask tough questions like, “How do I keep my animals safe and healthy?” and “Will I be able to pass my farm down to my children?” 98% of the US population doesn’t live or work on a farm. However, 98% of the 2% who are involved in production agriculture own family operated farms. United States farmers and ranchers care about their livestock and ensure that they are safe and healthy, and receive a nutritious diet. I am one of those ranchers. But then I’m sure you’ve heard of the Humane Society of the United States. Who could forget those T.V commercials with abandoned puppy dogs and kitty cats with one eye? Just $19.99 a month could help save those poor, helpless animals, right? Wrong. The Humane Society of the United States, or HSUS, does not support local animal shelters. The HSUS aims to eliminate animal agriculture as we know it.  So the next time you see an HSUS add on the T.V., maybe you should picture this: The camera pans across a desolate farm and the narrator says, “For just $19.99 a month, you can help raise your cost of food, jeopardize the reliability of the safest food production in the world, and increase your cost of living, all while undermining the lifestyles of thousands of farmers and ranchers in the United States.”

Please consider my thoughts when ag-vocating for animal agriculture against the HSUS the next time you run into the opportunity to persuade a friend.

I placed 2nd in this contest, received a nice little trophy, and most importantly I was able to reach approximately 75 people with my message. I encourage all of you to embrace every little chance you get to AG-vocate on agriculture’s behalf! Happy National Agriculture Day!

Sin-steer-ly,

Malorie

P.S. I will be judging the South Coast Region FFA Public Speaking finals tomorrow in King City, CA, which is why I’m blogging so late tonight. I’m excited to hear all of the speech topics on current agriculture issues and hope to learn more than three new things tomorrow!