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| Vegan Voices |
| P.O. Box 126 * Negaunee, MI 49866 * (906) 236-1279 * info@northernvegans.com |
Eyewitness To Deception: The Free
Range/Organic Controversy
By Ken Damro
So much of our lives – what we do, who we perceive ourselves to be, what
we purchase, where we go, and when we go, is strongly influenced by
words. Words have the ability to make us feel powerful or tear us down; give
us permission, or make us feel guilty; skirt the truth, or revile information.
The late George Carlin was a master of words. He showed us that the word
“wetland” paints a much more lovable or acceptable picture than the word
“swamp”. The same is true for the words “rain forest” and “jungle” - which
would you rather send your money to support?
Politicians caught on to this years ago authoring bills such as the “Clear
Skies Initiative” which was a bill that actually weakened environmental
standards. Most recently words such as “eco friendly” “organic” and “green”
have been exploited and phrases such as “low fat” and “free range” have
taken the same route.
I've often thought that the simple solution to our current “health care” (oops
there's another misleading set of terms) crisis is that we could simply tax
unhealthy junk foods and use that tax money to fund a socialized medicine
system. Of course the problem would be in defining the words “unhealthy” or
“junk food”, since most food manufactures claim their products are at least
“safe” for us to eat.
Last year I relocated from the North woods of Wisconsin to Southwest
Wisconsin – the Driftless Region – Coulee Country. It's an area of high
ridges, deep valleys, fertile soils and a moderate climate. Agriculture is alive
and well in this area, though the topography of the area encourages smaller
farmers and those who enjoy mixing some wooded land into their farming
experience. It's a melting pot of old hippies, back to the landers, Amish, and
both organic and conventional/commercial farmers. In fact, the county I live in
has the most registered organic farms in the state of Wisconsin.
Relocating here took a leap of faith for me – I didn't know anyone, had no
residual income, only a set of principals and a list of things I wanted to
accomplish. I was elated to score a job working for an organic veggie farmer
(who is my neighbor) the first month I lived in my new home. Some of the
fields we worked were surrounded by woods, creeks and bluffs – an
absolute joy to work. Others were near more conventional farms – though
they were all certified organic. One such field was near a large organic free
range egg farm. I'm a pretty informed vegan, so I knew the words “organic”
and “free range” didn't mean there was no cruelty involved. In fact there are
really no standards built into our organic certification addressing or defining
animal cruelty or how this relates to living conditions for animals.
Environmental awareness in organic farming pretty much focuses on not
using unapproved chemicals and producing a sanitary product.
The farm I worked near had about seven thousand “free range” laying hens
stuffed into one building – and many thousand in another. These hens are
raised as hatchlings indoors at another farm so they are unfamiliar with
being outdoors. In fact, after they arrive at the egg farm, some never go
outside and those that do often forage in yards of manure. Most of you
reading this have seen photos or film of the large commercial battery caged
chicken operations. I can tell you that the farm I worked near looked, smelled,
and sounded about the same only these hens were not in cages.
Last July, when temperatures rose into the upper 90's and the heat index
much higher, I wandered into the chicken shed to have a look around. I
couldn't stay long as the ammonia from the droppings was so strong I
literally could not take in a breath. Some exhaust fans were clogged with dust
and debris and the one or two fans on the floor of the vast shed didn't do
much to relieve the stench. Often I would find dead chickens outside in the
farm yard – most likely tractor hit and run victims – farmers often don't slow
down for chickens. Hens at these operations are shipped in just before egg
laying age and kept for a given number of months. When egg laying drops
off, they are corralled into a truck and shipped off to some meat operation I
presume.
This particular farmer also raised steers – which are male dairy cattle. Like
many farmers, he bought young bull calves from dairy farmers for a low price
and fed them for some months before selling them to a broker for slaughter.
The manure from the steer operation piled up over the winter months to
resemble small mountains. Little lakes of manure tea would form after rains
and winter thaws – and this is where many of the free range egg laying
chickens foraged.
Often I would stop and watch the hens scratch in the manure and breathe the
ammonia filled air – and I would think to myself that there is NOTHING
coming out of this environment that can be healthy. I often wondered about
the good meaning folks at grocery and health food stores buying these
organic products thinking they are really contributing to something good and
wholesome – they are shielded from the truth.
One night in June we received 4 inches of rain. The next day at the farm I
couldn't help but notice the river of liquid manure rushing down a roadside
ditch toward the small tributary that directly feeds the Mississippi river. The
little river of manure flowed for weeks before finally drying up late in summer.
Remember, all of this is inspected, approved, and stamped “organic”.
There is an organic dairy farm even closer to my new home that is practicing
“rotational grazing”. Again, the illusion of clean, healthy, happy and free dairy
cows is sent to the consumer and a promise of environmental steward-ism
is projected as well. My life as an avid birder and an environmentalist has
taught me that rotational grazing – even if it's done by the book – which it
usually is not – is very hard on grassland birds and other wildlife. Clipped
and mowed pasture is simply not good wildlife habitat and those birds that
attempt to nest in such places usually find their nests trampled. But more
than this, there is an ignorance relating to dairy farming practices in the
Upper Midwest. A farmer can rotationally graze their cattle all summer, but in
winter, those cattle are confined to the cow yard, where manure and urine
pile up all winter long. The farm I am referring to hosts dairy cows who live in
manure up to their bellies in winter time. The farmer often parks his manure
spreader outside the barn to receive manure from the mechanical barn
cleaner. Manure spreaders are not designed to hold liquids so the urine and
liquefied manure runs through the cracks and openings of the manure
spreader and washes directly down the ditch and out into the pasture.
Nitrogen in the ground water aquifer is not a good thing – it doesn't matter if
it's organic manure or not!
It was in July one day when I saw a big black pick up truck pull into the egg
farm. A tall man got out of the truck and the school aged kids who live on the
farm came running – the tall man offered some attraction to the children, but
what could it be? This man walked around the back of the truck and
unloaded long chains of leg hold animal traps. He and the kids toted these
traps toward the farm yard – my heart sank. Two days later I saw the tall
man's truck parading throughout the farm yard with a load of dead animals –
raccoons, mink, opossum, and who knows what else. So there you have it –
the violence of the egg industry is not contained to the chickens themselves –
there is a broad ripple effect – we torture and kill wild, native animals so we
can raise, torture, and kill non-native domestic ones.
After living here for my first year, I have lost almost all reverence for anything
labeled “free range” or “organic”. These terms mean almost nothing to me.
Of course it may be a step better than lacing our land with chemicals, but we
can do better – much better.
(Organic) farming and birds....
Most of the folks that live and farm around my home are nice people, they'd
do almost anything for you – except stop farming. Most of them really,
wholeheartedly believe they are doing the land a favor – that they are very
good land stewards, after all, this is what our government agencies are
teaching them.
I've lived my entire adult life in Northern Wisconsin. In my short lifetime, I've
seen a pretty dramatic shift in bird populations. Generally speaking, those
bird species that tolerate human disturbance, such as modern logging and
farming practices, are on the rise or at least holding their own. But those who
do not tolerate such activity (and there are more species that don't tolerate
than do) are not doing very well. There are two groups of birds that have
been hit particularly hard by our agricultural practices: our grassland birds
and our forest birds.
Our grassland birds have been knocked down due to a variety of reasons,
but foremost is habitat loss and destruction of active nests on farm land.
Birds such as the Eastern and Western Meadowlark, Bobolink, Dickcissel,
Northern Harrier, Savannah Sparrow, Le Conte's Sparrow and others, seek
out tall grass lands for nesting as they have for millions of years.
Unfortunately just about when these nesting birds have their clutches of
young (early to mid June) the hay fields are ripe for harvest. Uncountable
numbers of grassland birds' nests are destroyed by cycle mowers and
haybines across the Midwest every spring. If farmers would wait until mid
July to harvest hay, most grassland nesting birds would have fledged their
young, but farmers cut hay when it's at its highest nutritional capacity. The
drive to harvest hay 2 or 3 times per year is also a factor in the farmers
decision making.
Bird species such as the Field Sparrow, Brown Thrasher, Vesper Sparrow,
Short-eared Owl, Red-headed Woodpecker, Northern Flicker and others are
in decline directly due to habitat loss. These birds live in brushy areas such
as overgrown hedge rows, orchards, fence lines, and fallow pasture. Since
most modern day farms find it lucrative to utilize every square foot of land for
crop production or animal grazing, little habitat is left for the aforementioned
species.
Before European Settlers came to this region, it was mostly forested with
some of Southern Wisconsin remaining in Oak Savannah or tall grass
prairie. There is a native bird of the central plains states named the Brown-
headed Cowbird, which is considered a nest parasite. This species of bird
feeds in short grass stubble and bare ground habitat. It evolved feeding
around native bison, since the bison would clip the grasses down and create
perfect habitat for the cowbird. Because bison are nomadic and migratory,
the Brown-headed Cowbird had to find a way to follow the bison yet also find
a way to raise a brood of young. It did this by laying its eggs in other birds'
nests, - an adaptation ornithologists have labeled nest brood parasitism.
Grassland birds such as the Chipping Sparrow co-evolved with the Brown-
headed Cowbird. Chipping Sparrows have at least two broods per season,
often their first nest is parasitised, but the second nest is later than the egg
laying period of the Brown-headed Cowbird, thus it survives.
When European Settlers came to this region, they cleared land – lots of land.
The land stayed cleared with help from their livestock – which from the Brown-
headed Cowbirds' perspective was perfect foraging habitat. The cowbirds
ranged out into nearby forest lands to parasitise local forest birds that had no
defense to this. The more fragmented the landscape became, the fewer
forest birds there were and cowbirds became more numerous. Nowadays
our mowing of lawns and along rights of way have only added to the problem
of forest fragmentation.
These three factors alone – the destruction of nests via hay harvesting,
habitat loss by modern farming practices, and the effects of the Brown-
headed Cowbird would be enough to push the effected species in decline,
but there is more...
There have been two introduced bird species that have capitalized on our
animal agricultural practices; the European Starling and the English House
Sparrow. The European Starling feeds on grazed and clipped fields and
lawns – their habitat requirements are similar to those of the Brown-headed
Cowbird. The European Starling however is not a nest parasite but a
secondary cavity nester (a bird which nests in used woodpecker holes,
cracks and crevices and anywhere it can get out of the weather). It is an
aggressive species so it often takes over the nests of our native species. Our
animal farms have worsened the situation by offering grain and other feed
during winter months and supplying starlings with ample niches in which to
nest (in our many outbuildings and barns). This species has almost pushed
some of our native species to extinction- however thanks to massive efforts
by concerned citizens, species such as the Purple Martin and the Eastern
Bluebird have at least temporarily been saved from extinction.
There is one more introduced species that thrives on our animal farms and
in our cities – the English House Sparrow. This species cannot survive our
Northern Midwest winters unless it can shelter itself in our outbuildings and
keep itself fed in our feedlots and polluted urban parking lots and byways. It
too is a secondary cavity nester, but will also nest on sheltered ledges and
other niches. Like the European Starling, it is aggressive and will kill native
bird species and take over their nests and nest boxes.
Would the Brown-headed Cowbird, the European Starling, and the English
House Sparrow exist here in the Upper Midwest if it weren't for animal
agriculture? Would they exist if we were all vegan? The answer is probably
yes, they would still be here- but in much lower numbers. Since animal
agriculture requires so much more land to raise a calorie of food than non-
animal farming, there would be less land in production if we were all vegan.
Also, marginal lands that are not good for growing grains, fruits, and
vegetables are now used for animal grazing, whereas if we were all vegan
these lands would grow up into brush lands, savannahs, and forest. The
vast corn and soy fields here in the Upper Midwest are biological deserts. If
these crops were replaced by carrots and oats for human consumption,
there would be little change in habitat for birds- however, fewer acres in
overall production would be a benefit for wildlife.
There is one more detrimental factor of animal farming relating to birds; and
that is feral cats. The feral cat is the second largest factor effecting the
decline of our native bird species, (second only to habitat loss). Though our
cites, towns, suburbs and such are definitely hot spots for feral cats, our
dairy and other animal farms are perpetual sources.
My focus in this article has been on birds, but without a doubt many other
wildlife species have been negatively affected by our animal agricultural
practices. By our shifting to a vegan diet, our farmlands will be converted to
lands where wildlife will have a larger piece of the pie.
Ken Damro is a founding Northern Vegans board member. For more
information from Ken, see more at this page on our site.
Click Here To Go Back to "Media & More"
Range/Organic Controversy
By Ken Damro
So much of our lives – what we do, who we perceive ourselves to be, what
we purchase, where we go, and when we go, is strongly influenced by
words. Words have the ability to make us feel powerful or tear us down; give
us permission, or make us feel guilty; skirt the truth, or revile information.
The late George Carlin was a master of words. He showed us that the word
“wetland” paints a much more lovable or acceptable picture than the word
“swamp”. The same is true for the words “rain forest” and “jungle” - which
would you rather send your money to support?
Politicians caught on to this years ago authoring bills such as the “Clear
Skies Initiative” which was a bill that actually weakened environmental
standards. Most recently words such as “eco friendly” “organic” and “green”
have been exploited and phrases such as “low fat” and “free range” have
taken the same route.
I've often thought that the simple solution to our current “health care” (oops
there's another misleading set of terms) crisis is that we could simply tax
unhealthy junk foods and use that tax money to fund a socialized medicine
system. Of course the problem would be in defining the words “unhealthy” or
“junk food”, since most food manufactures claim their products are at least
“safe” for us to eat.
Last year I relocated from the North woods of Wisconsin to Southwest
Wisconsin – the Driftless Region – Coulee Country. It's an area of high
ridges, deep valleys, fertile soils and a moderate climate. Agriculture is alive
and well in this area, though the topography of the area encourages smaller
farmers and those who enjoy mixing some wooded land into their farming
experience. It's a melting pot of old hippies, back to the landers, Amish, and
both organic and conventional/commercial farmers. In fact, the county I live in
has the most registered organic farms in the state of Wisconsin.
Relocating here took a leap of faith for me – I didn't know anyone, had no
residual income, only a set of principals and a list of things I wanted to
accomplish. I was elated to score a job working for an organic veggie farmer
(who is my neighbor) the first month I lived in my new home. Some of the
fields we worked were surrounded by woods, creeks and bluffs – an
absolute joy to work. Others were near more conventional farms – though
they were all certified organic. One such field was near a large organic free
range egg farm. I'm a pretty informed vegan, so I knew the words “organic”
and “free range” didn't mean there was no cruelty involved. In fact there are
really no standards built into our organic certification addressing or defining
animal cruelty or how this relates to living conditions for animals.
Environmental awareness in organic farming pretty much focuses on not
using unapproved chemicals and producing a sanitary product.
The farm I worked near had about seven thousand “free range” laying hens
stuffed into one building – and many thousand in another. These hens are
raised as hatchlings indoors at another farm so they are unfamiliar with
being outdoors. In fact, after they arrive at the egg farm, some never go
outside and those that do often forage in yards of manure. Most of you
reading this have seen photos or film of the large commercial battery caged
chicken operations. I can tell you that the farm I worked near looked, smelled,
and sounded about the same only these hens were not in cages.
Last July, when temperatures rose into the upper 90's and the heat index
much higher, I wandered into the chicken shed to have a look around. I
couldn't stay long as the ammonia from the droppings was so strong I
literally could not take in a breath. Some exhaust fans were clogged with dust
and debris and the one or two fans on the floor of the vast shed didn't do
much to relieve the stench. Often I would find dead chickens outside in the
farm yard – most likely tractor hit and run victims – farmers often don't slow
down for chickens. Hens at these operations are shipped in just before egg
laying age and kept for a given number of months. When egg laying drops
off, they are corralled into a truck and shipped off to some meat operation I
presume.
This particular farmer also raised steers – which are male dairy cattle. Like
many farmers, he bought young bull calves from dairy farmers for a low price
and fed them for some months before selling them to a broker for slaughter.
The manure from the steer operation piled up over the winter months to
resemble small mountains. Little lakes of manure tea would form after rains
and winter thaws – and this is where many of the free range egg laying
chickens foraged.
Often I would stop and watch the hens scratch in the manure and breathe the
ammonia filled air – and I would think to myself that there is NOTHING
coming out of this environment that can be healthy. I often wondered about
the good meaning folks at grocery and health food stores buying these
organic products thinking they are really contributing to something good and
wholesome – they are shielded from the truth.
One night in June we received 4 inches of rain. The next day at the farm I
couldn't help but notice the river of liquid manure rushing down a roadside
ditch toward the small tributary that directly feeds the Mississippi river. The
little river of manure flowed for weeks before finally drying up late in summer.
Remember, all of this is inspected, approved, and stamped “organic”.
There is an organic dairy farm even closer to my new home that is practicing
“rotational grazing”. Again, the illusion of clean, healthy, happy and free dairy
cows is sent to the consumer and a promise of environmental steward-ism
is projected as well. My life as an avid birder and an environmentalist has
taught me that rotational grazing – even if it's done by the book – which it
usually is not – is very hard on grassland birds and other wildlife. Clipped
and mowed pasture is simply not good wildlife habitat and those birds that
attempt to nest in such places usually find their nests trampled. But more
than this, there is an ignorance relating to dairy farming practices in the
Upper Midwest. A farmer can rotationally graze their cattle all summer, but in
winter, those cattle are confined to the cow yard, where manure and urine
pile up all winter long. The farm I am referring to hosts dairy cows who live in
manure up to their bellies in winter time. The farmer often parks his manure
spreader outside the barn to receive manure from the mechanical barn
cleaner. Manure spreaders are not designed to hold liquids so the urine and
liquefied manure runs through the cracks and openings of the manure
spreader and washes directly down the ditch and out into the pasture.
Nitrogen in the ground water aquifer is not a good thing – it doesn't matter if
it's organic manure or not!
It was in July one day when I saw a big black pick up truck pull into the egg
farm. A tall man got out of the truck and the school aged kids who live on the
farm came running – the tall man offered some attraction to the children, but
what could it be? This man walked around the back of the truck and
unloaded long chains of leg hold animal traps. He and the kids toted these
traps toward the farm yard – my heart sank. Two days later I saw the tall
man's truck parading throughout the farm yard with a load of dead animals –
raccoons, mink, opossum, and who knows what else. So there you have it –
the violence of the egg industry is not contained to the chickens themselves –
there is a broad ripple effect – we torture and kill wild, native animals so we
can raise, torture, and kill non-native domestic ones.
After living here for my first year, I have lost almost all reverence for anything
labeled “free range” or “organic”. These terms mean almost nothing to me.
Of course it may be a step better than lacing our land with chemicals, but we
can do better – much better.
(Organic) farming and birds....
Most of the folks that live and farm around my home are nice people, they'd
do almost anything for you – except stop farming. Most of them really,
wholeheartedly believe they are doing the land a favor – that they are very
good land stewards, after all, this is what our government agencies are
teaching them.
I've lived my entire adult life in Northern Wisconsin. In my short lifetime, I've
seen a pretty dramatic shift in bird populations. Generally speaking, those
bird species that tolerate human disturbance, such as modern logging and
farming practices, are on the rise or at least holding their own. But those who
do not tolerate such activity (and there are more species that don't tolerate
than do) are not doing very well. There are two groups of birds that have
been hit particularly hard by our agricultural practices: our grassland birds
and our forest birds.
Our grassland birds have been knocked down due to a variety of reasons,
but foremost is habitat loss and destruction of active nests on farm land.
Birds such as the Eastern and Western Meadowlark, Bobolink, Dickcissel,
Northern Harrier, Savannah Sparrow, Le Conte's Sparrow and others, seek
out tall grass lands for nesting as they have for millions of years.
Unfortunately just about when these nesting birds have their clutches of
young (early to mid June) the hay fields are ripe for harvest. Uncountable
numbers of grassland birds' nests are destroyed by cycle mowers and
haybines across the Midwest every spring. If farmers would wait until mid
July to harvest hay, most grassland nesting birds would have fledged their
young, but farmers cut hay when it's at its highest nutritional capacity. The
drive to harvest hay 2 or 3 times per year is also a factor in the farmers
decision making.
Bird species such as the Field Sparrow, Brown Thrasher, Vesper Sparrow,
Short-eared Owl, Red-headed Woodpecker, Northern Flicker and others are
in decline directly due to habitat loss. These birds live in brushy areas such
as overgrown hedge rows, orchards, fence lines, and fallow pasture. Since
most modern day farms find it lucrative to utilize every square foot of land for
crop production or animal grazing, little habitat is left for the aforementioned
species.
Before European Settlers came to this region, it was mostly forested with
some of Southern Wisconsin remaining in Oak Savannah or tall grass
prairie. There is a native bird of the central plains states named the Brown-
headed Cowbird, which is considered a nest parasite. This species of bird
feeds in short grass stubble and bare ground habitat. It evolved feeding
around native bison, since the bison would clip the grasses down and create
perfect habitat for the cowbird. Because bison are nomadic and migratory,
the Brown-headed Cowbird had to find a way to follow the bison yet also find
a way to raise a brood of young. It did this by laying its eggs in other birds'
nests, - an adaptation ornithologists have labeled nest brood parasitism.
Grassland birds such as the Chipping Sparrow co-evolved with the Brown-
headed Cowbird. Chipping Sparrows have at least two broods per season,
often their first nest is parasitised, but the second nest is later than the egg
laying period of the Brown-headed Cowbird, thus it survives.
When European Settlers came to this region, they cleared land – lots of land.
The land stayed cleared with help from their livestock – which from the Brown-
headed Cowbirds' perspective was perfect foraging habitat. The cowbirds
ranged out into nearby forest lands to parasitise local forest birds that had no
defense to this. The more fragmented the landscape became, the fewer
forest birds there were and cowbirds became more numerous. Nowadays
our mowing of lawns and along rights of way have only added to the problem
of forest fragmentation.
These three factors alone – the destruction of nests via hay harvesting,
habitat loss by modern farming practices, and the effects of the Brown-
headed Cowbird would be enough to push the effected species in decline,
but there is more...
There have been two introduced bird species that have capitalized on our
animal agricultural practices; the European Starling and the English House
Sparrow. The European Starling feeds on grazed and clipped fields and
lawns – their habitat requirements are similar to those of the Brown-headed
Cowbird. The European Starling however is not a nest parasite but a
secondary cavity nester (a bird which nests in used woodpecker holes,
cracks and crevices and anywhere it can get out of the weather). It is an
aggressive species so it often takes over the nests of our native species. Our
animal farms have worsened the situation by offering grain and other feed
during winter months and supplying starlings with ample niches in which to
nest (in our many outbuildings and barns). This species has almost pushed
some of our native species to extinction- however thanks to massive efforts
by concerned citizens, species such as the Purple Martin and the Eastern
Bluebird have at least temporarily been saved from extinction.
There is one more introduced species that thrives on our animal farms and
in our cities – the English House Sparrow. This species cannot survive our
Northern Midwest winters unless it can shelter itself in our outbuildings and
keep itself fed in our feedlots and polluted urban parking lots and byways. It
too is a secondary cavity nester, but will also nest on sheltered ledges and
other niches. Like the European Starling, it is aggressive and will kill native
bird species and take over their nests and nest boxes.
Would the Brown-headed Cowbird, the European Starling, and the English
House Sparrow exist here in the Upper Midwest if it weren't for animal
agriculture? Would they exist if we were all vegan? The answer is probably
yes, they would still be here- but in much lower numbers. Since animal
agriculture requires so much more land to raise a calorie of food than non-
animal farming, there would be less land in production if we were all vegan.
Also, marginal lands that are not good for growing grains, fruits, and
vegetables are now used for animal grazing, whereas if we were all vegan
these lands would grow up into brush lands, savannahs, and forest. The
vast corn and soy fields here in the Upper Midwest are biological deserts. If
these crops were replaced by carrots and oats for human consumption,
there would be little change in habitat for birds- however, fewer acres in
overall production would be a benefit for wildlife.
There is one more detrimental factor of animal farming relating to birds; and
that is feral cats. The feral cat is the second largest factor effecting the
decline of our native bird species, (second only to habitat loss). Though our
cites, towns, suburbs and such are definitely hot spots for feral cats, our
dairy and other animal farms are perpetual sources.
My focus in this article has been on birds, but without a doubt many other
wildlife species have been negatively affected by our animal agricultural
practices. By our shifting to a vegan diet, our farmlands will be converted to
lands where wildlife will have a larger piece of the pie.
Ken Damro is a founding Northern Vegans board member. For more
information from Ken, see more at this page on our site.
Click Here To Go Back to "Media & More"
| This page is designed to showcase various vegan writers. |