Dear PETA,
As an agriculturalist, it is my responsibility to make sure livestock are being taken care of properly, that I take care of my livestock the way they should be taken care of, and that I am a steward of the land.
You, PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, have made outrageous claims about how farmers take care of livestock. In fact, your organization has gone above and beyond to making false claims.
If you should know one thing about farmers, it is that we care about our livestock and land more than anyone could imagine. Our livestock and crops feed our families, our communities, and the growing population of this world.
These are 3 reasons why you've got farmers all wrong:
1. The work
The amount of time and effort I put into my livestock is certainly harder than the effort you put into your daily routine of protesting slaughterhouses and preparing your vegan meals. If you knew how much work farmers put into their livestock, you wouldn't be so against us.
2. The profit
No, this is not about the money profit we earn, because most times we don't get a profit from raising livestock; we raise livestock because it's the way of life we enjoy.
The only profit we receive is the profit of knowledge and experience. Anybody that has raised livestock has had their eyes opened to new surgeries, vaccinations, diseases, etc. We may not typically make a literal profit from our livestock, but it's always great if we do.
3. The love and care
If you could have seen the vet bills, feed bills, and pharmaceutical bills we had to pay last month, you would clearly see that we care for and love our animals beyond any limit.
If you're so concerned about how we take care of our animals, perhaps you'd like to cover our bills, my neighbors' bills, and the several thousands of bills farmers have all over Ohio.
Please go ahead and tell us how we should run our operations, how we should feed our livestock, and how we should let our animals all be free-range and let nature take its course. If you would prefer not to, I'd like to politely ask for you to step off of your platform and show us more respect for what we do.
As a 4-H member for the past 14 years, I have sold my livestock every year, and every year I have shed tears over them. As I have been doing this for 14 years, I have learned that this happens every year and yet I still choose to do it.
I choose to buy an animal, put hundreds of dollars into that animal, and then sell it only to make a loss of profit. I chose to get involved in this organization, just as this organization chose to give me the best benefits any organization can, just as FFA has.
So PETA, in case you forgot, I do have some livestock bills that need to be paid. If you could cover those instead of telling me I don't raise my livestock right, that would be great.
PETA, I invite you to take a step back from your platform and look around. Sure, there are some bad apples in the bunch, but not everyone is like what you think they are.
Our producers want to produce more, and it's their choice about how they go about that. We as farmers take great care of our animals. We have established rules passed by livestock producers to keep everyone happy that we maybe all don't agree with.
Because of your claims that have been spread virally through social media, you're fueling your own fire of lies. I realize you'll do your very best to come at me and put my name down, and you may try to get me to convert to your way of life. However, you'll only be wasting your time and resources on someone who already has their mind set on this controversial subject. I'll fight back for what's right, and I won't stand for others bashing the lifestyle that gave me everything I could have ever dreamed of.
Sincerely,
The girl who wants more respect shown to farmers, slaughterhouse facilities and their workers, livestock producers, feedlots, and anyone who has seen PETA go too far with their heinous claims and articles
