No one takes health and fitness more seriously than today’s top football players. So isn’t it kind of absurd that as we watch Sunday’s game we will all be bombarded by advertisements for some of the unhealthiest junk food imaginable? And as we admire the speed, strength and agility of our gridiron heroes, chances are that most of the millions of chicken wings and burgers that will be consumed at Super Bowl parties across the U.S. will have come from industrialized livestock farming systems that are damaging to the environment, to animal welfare, and ultimately to our own health.

As two titans of the football world clash this Sunday, there is one Titan football player who is already leading by example. Will Witherspoon is linebacker for the Tennessee Titans – and a sustainable farmer. Will is passionate about producing healthy and nutritious food on his Animal Welfare Approved Shire Gate Farm near Owensville, Missouri. As a professional athlete involved in one of the world’s most physical sports, Will is particularly aware of the health benefits of grassfed, high-welfare farming.

“My cattle are raised as nature intended, on grass, and aren’t fed growth hormones, antibiotics or other unnatural additives,” says Will. “As a pro football player, I can’t take over-the-counter cold medicine without letting my trainer know about it. So why would I want my kids eating beef from cattle fed hormones or routine antibiotics?”

The truth is that if you knew what goes on behind the closed doors of most industrial farms you probably wouldn’t want to touch the meat – let alone eat it. The only farming images that Big Ag wants you to see are the bucolic, picket-fenced scenes on their food packaging – along with false messages, such as ”naturally raised” or ”free-roaming” (neither of which actually means that animals were raised outdoors).  In the drive to produce ever-cheaper foods, the pursuit of profit comes before all other concerns, including our health. The soaring rates of obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and diet-related cancers stand in stark contrast to the healthfulness and sporting prowess that we will all applaud this coming weekend. In today’s junk food world, where childhood obesity and diet-related ill health is epidemic, Will Witherspoon is just the kind of sporting role model we urgently need.

So when you’re out shopping for your Super Bowl party, why not make sure that at least one of your purchases is a truly sustainable choice. Seek out some high-welfare, pasture-raised chicken wings or grassfed ground beef for your burger patties – I can guarantee you’ll taste the difference. And don’t be fooled by terms like “all natural,” “naturally raised” or “cage-free” – they are used to mask the same old industrialized farming system where confinement, routine antibiotic use, and a horrific, short life are the norm. Make sure you ask for grassfed or pasture-raised meat at your grocery store. Better still, why not make a play for your local farmers market – or use our online directory to find your nearest supplier of Animal Welfare Approved meat and dairy products.

Small changes can make a big difference. As we build up to one of the greatest sporting contests on Earth, let’s use the opportunity to start reducing our consumption of unsustainable, unhealthy, intensively reared meat and dairy – and choose high-welfare, pasture-based meat and dairy products instead. Let’s make this Super Bowl Sunday really count: let’s make it a Sustainable Super Bowl Sunday.

As the year comes to an end, it’s a tradition of mine to write a note of gratitude to our friends, farmers and ranchers, consumers, advocates, donors, and everyone else who has helped give the future of sustainable farming room to grow and flourish.

And what a year it has been! Animal Welfare Approved has yet again experienced a fantastic year of growth and innovation, driven by the ever-increasing demand for healthy, environmentally friendly and high-welfare products. Here are some highlights of significant milestones we have achieved over the last year. None of this could have been achieved without your continued support.

AWA Grows on the West Coast

Farmers and ranchers in the West Coast region can now benefit from even greater AWA support following the appointment of two new Farmer and Market Outreach Coordinators. Beth Spitler (Southwest) and Eve Cohen (Central and Northwest) will work across the West Coast region to support new and existing AWA farmers and to raise consumer awareness about the program. This represents a considerable increase in our ability to provide sustainable farmers in the West Coast region with access to free marketing and technical support.

AWA Invited to Multiple Major Marketing Events

KeHe Distributors is one of the country’s largest wholesale distributors of natural and specialty food products, serving more than 33,000 food retailers across the North America. In recognition of the growing importance of our label in the marketplace, AWA was invited to attend associated retail shows in September to promote the program and benefits of AWA products to countless vendors and retailers across KeHe’s distribution chain. We hope that this is the start of new market opportunities for AWA farmers and ranchers in 2012 – and the wider availability of AWA-certified food to consumers across the U.S.

AWA Welcomes Young Farmers

Perhaps the most significant development in 2011 was the certification of two new farmers to the program – both aged 12. Shelby Grebenc of Happy Chapped Chicken Butt Farm in Broomfield, CO, and Wyatt Schenker of Schenker Family Farms in McCune, KS, are the youngest farmers in the program and both are approved for laying hens. These two remarkable individuals have a maturity and presence beyond their years, and represent the future foundation of sustainable farming.

First AWA Restaurant Opens

Grazin’, in Hudson, NY, is a modern take on the classic 1950s diner, serving locally sourced and sustainably produced meals. All meat, dairy and eggs are Animal Welfare Approved – a truly outstanding achievement for all involved. We were delighted to support the development of this exciting initiative and look forward to welcoming other restaurateurs who are seeking to serve a truly sustainable menu.

State of the Plate DC

More than 200 farmers, restaurateurs and consumers came together in October at the State of the Plate DC conference to discuss ways to strengthen the supply chain for meat, cheese and eggs from sustainably raised animals in the Washington, DC area. Organized by AWA, in cooperation with the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington and hosted by George Washington University’s Urban Food Task Force, the event was designed to bring individuals from every level of the hospitality supply chain together under one roof. We are looking at opportunities to roll out this event in other areas in 2012 and beyond.

AWA Achieves Increasing Media Attention

In addition to wide circulation of AWA’s blogs, we are now receiving a tremendous amount of local and national media attention. Two particular highlights include AWA’s Emily Lancaster’s appearance on a “My Carolina Today” television segment with Edible Piedmont and AWA being the only independent label recognized in Real Simple magazine’s special consumer guide to buying steak. We look forward to highlighting the work of our farmers and ranchers to the media in 2012.

AWA Egg Cartons

Following discussion with some of our certified farmers, we were proud to launch a new low-cost branded egg carton for poultry farmers. Made with 100 percent reclaimed paper, the new dozen-egg carton enables AWA family farmers to market eggs locally using the trusted AWA brand alongside farm-specific information. We are confident the carton will result in higher levels of sales and are exploring other packaging options.

AWA Publishes New Publications

One of our key objectives is to raise public awareness of the benefits of high-welfare, sustainable farming, and to highlight the inherent problems with industrial farming systems. In 2011, we were proud to launch two new informative publications. Food Labeling for Dummies: A definitive guide to common food label terms and claims is designed to help decipher the most common terms and claims found on today’s food packaging, while The Grassfed Primer: Your guide to the benefits of grassfed beef offers a clear description of the benefits of grassfed and pasture-raised beef. We also redesigned the AWA newsletter to ensure it keeps readers up to date with relevant news, to highlight inspirational models, to address technical issues, and to promote our free services.

New Standards

During 2011 AWA developed new standards for rabbit farming, which join our range of standards for all commonly domesticated farmed animals. The individual standards, which are available online, address every aspect of each species’ lifecycle needs – from birth all the way to slaughter. The strength of our standards is reflected by the fact that AWA program was acclaimed as a “highly meaningful label” by Greener Choices, the food label evaluation arm of Consumer Reports.

Annual Auditor and Staff Training

Finally, for the first time AWA marketing staff joined the auditors in Raleigh, NC, for annual training. As the program grows it is important to ensure effective communication between staff members and teams, who often work some distance apart. Auditors participated in on-farm and classroom standards and auditing training, while marketing staff discussed future strategy.

Looking to the Future

Despite difficult economic times, growing numbers of people across the U.S. are recognizing the inextricable link between the way we farm, the way we raise our animals, the way we treat our environment, and our health and well being. So while I am the first to accept that we face significant challenges ahead, I am also confident that 2012 will bring us a step closer to the goal of changing how we feed ourselves.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy holiday season and a prosperous, healthy, and sustainable New Year.

Andrew Gunther
Program Director
Animal Welfare Approved

We’ve seen it happen with organic, where some of the rules that farmers and food manufacturers must follow in order to use the coveted organic label have been watered down or manipulated. This has happened to such an extent that many well-meaning organic consumers would now struggle to differentiate between some larger ‘organic’ operations and their industrial cousins. The same thing is now happening with the term “grassfed.” While the range of products, labels and brands that make grassfed claims grows day by day, the sad reality is that some of the grassfed meat, milk and cheese you can buy probably shouldn’t be labeled grassfed at all.

Fortunately, Animal Welfare Approved has just published an 18-page booklet called The Grassfed Primer to cut through the confusion surrounding the term “grassfed” and to help the public to understand the wide benefits that real grassfed farming systems can have for the environment, for farm animal welfare, and for our health.

The good news is that people across the U.S. are waking up to the hidden costs of cheap, industrialized meat production and damaging impact that intensive farming is having on the environment, on animal welfare, and on our health. Growing numbers of consumers are voting with their wallets and seeking out truly sustainable alternatives – including grassfed meat and dairy products.

And they would be right to do so: Scientists have shown that grass-based farming systems, where livestock eat a diet of 100 percent grass or other forage throughout their lives and have constant access to pasture or range, are far better for animal welfare and are less likely to cause environmental pollution. We know that grassfed farming has the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As cattle and other ruminants graze pasture they stimulate the growth of grass, which absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere through its leaves and stores it in a mass of roots under the ground in a far more stable form of carbon – a process called carbon sequestration. Indeed, scientists now think that grazing cattle on pastures and restoring grasslands could play a vital role in slowing the global warming process. We also know that grassfed meat and dairy products offer real human health benefits in terms of higher levels of omega-3s, CLAs and vitamin E, as well as reducing the risk of E. coli food poisoning and the development of other antibiotic resistant bacterial diseases associated with intensive farming systems.

However, the bad news is that despite the apparent assurances that a grassfed label might offer, some of the so-called grassfed systems out there actually fall well short of our expectations because the requirements for keeping animals on pasture can vary significantly among the different grassfed labels.

When you ask most people to explain what “grassfed farming” means, they will almost always describe a pastoral farming scene with animals grazing outdoors on pasture, rather than in intensive feedlots. The truth is that a number of the grassfed labels which have recently sprung up may actually hide farming systems that still allow farmers to confine cattle in feedlots for at least part of the animals’ lives.

For example, some well-known supermarket retailers have set up their own grass-based beef standards which require participating farmers to ensure their animals spend at least two thirds of their lives on pasture. This sounds great. But when you realize that this could mean that the cattle may actually spend a third of their lives in barren confinement on a feedlot system, the bucolic “grassfed” image of this label starts to fade, and you start to wonder if this beef should really be labeled grassfed at all.

What about the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) definition of grassfed, which was introduced in 2007 to protect consumer and farmer interests? Unfortunately, the USDA’s voluntary grassfed standards only require farmers to ensure their animals have access to the outdoors during the grass growing season. This means that farmers in some states could confine animals for as much as six months of the year in what is essentially a feedlot — yet still label products as grassfed — provided animals are fed trucked-in cut grass or forage.

Even more shocking is that the USDA also allows these grassfed farmers to feed a grain supplement to their cattle. In fact, the USDA sets no limit whatsoever on the amount of grain supplementation that is allowed, as long as the percentage of grain fed is stated somewhere on the grassfed label. Of course, this percentage could appear in much smaller print on the back of the packaging. Some of these grassfed labeling programs also permit highly questionable farming practices such as the routine use of antibiotics and do little to address other problem areas, such as environmental pollution.

So how can you be sure that the grassfed beef you are about to spend your hard-earned cash on really does meet your expectations? When you see the Animal Welfare Approved and the American Grassfed Association logos together on a label, you can be absolutely confident that the animal was raised according to the highest welfare standards, and lived its life on pasture eating a natural diet of 100 percent grass and forage. Animal Welfare Approved certifies truly free-range systems. No feedlot or confinement operation may use the AWA logo to sell its products — and that’s a guarantee.

We published The Grassfed Primer to help people to identify and purchase meat and dairy products from real grassfed farms. We hope that it helps to explain the problems with feedlot farming systems, but also the significant solutions that real grassfed farming can offer, and why it is important to choose a “grassfed” label that really means what it says.

Find out more about real grassfed farming and Animal Welfare Approved: download The Grassfed Primer here.

As the range of products, labels, and brands making grassfed claims continues to expand, The Grassfed Primer is designed to cut through the confusion and provide an informative, easy-to-digest introduction to the benefits of real grassfed and pasture-raised beef.

The 20-page publication includes chapters titled “Grassfed, health, welfare and the environment,” “The problem with feedlots” and “How do I know it’s grassfed?” Written in an accessible and informal style, the booklet also contains full scientific references for further reading and research.

Some facts covered in the publication include:

• Today’s U.S. feedlot system is the largest and most concentrated in the world, with less than 5 percent of the nation’s feedlots marketing 80-90 percent of all U.S. beef. A single modern feedlot can hold tens of thousands of cattle in confinement.

• The official USDA grassfed definition has loopholes that potentially allow a farmer to raise their “grassfed” cattle on a confined feedlot and use routine antibiotics and hormones. As long as farmers feed the cattle on trucked-in cut grass or other forage, they can still label their beef as “USDA grassfed.”

• Real grassfed farming has a potentially vital role to play in helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through carbon sequestration, the process where atmospheric CO2 is absorbed by the growing pasture and locked in the soil within the plant’s root system.

• Grassfed meat and dairy products also offer real human health benefits in terms of higher levels of omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and vitamin E, and can reduce the risk of E. coli infection. Scientists now believe that CLA may be one of our most potent defenses against cancer.

Commenting on the publication of The Grassfed Primer, Dr. Patricia Whisnant,  President of the American Grassfed Association and grassfed beef farmer,  says, “Animal Welfare Approved’s The Grassfed Primer is a timely and much needed publication. As demand for sustainably produced grassfed beef grows it is vitally important that consumers understand the benefits of real grassfed beef – and that they can identify the ‘real McCoy’ from the growing mass of lesser ‘wanna-be’ labels. I believe that The Grassfed Primer will play a key role in helping consumers to make the right choices whenever they buy beef. It goes to the very heart of the grassfed story, describing a model of agriculture where animals are raised on pasture in a manner that is biologically and behaviorally appropriate for the animals, for our health, and for the health of the planet.”

The Grassfed Primer is available for free download from the Animal Welfare Approved website along with AWA’s recently published Food Labeling for Dummies.

The State of the Plate DC (www.StateofthePlateDC.net) daylong conference is set for Monday, October 17, 2011 at George Washington University’s Marvin Center and will feature a series of panels and notable speakers, focused on sharing best practices, information, and strategies. The event is designed for chefs, restaurateurs, distributors, farmers, ranchers, food leaders, students, faculty and those interested in the topic.

Ultimately, producers want to sell meat and restaurants want to buy it. This event will allow both producers and chefs/restaurant owners to discuss the terms of the trade via lively discussions, and then potentially engage in actual deal‐making that satisfies the needs of both groups. Designed to share information in a positive format, focus will be on sustainable farming, animal product preparation, the myths and realities of food labeling, and supply chain management.

This event is organized by Animal Welfare Approved, the industry leader in auditing and certifying family farms that raise their animals sustainably, outdoors on pasture or range according to the highest welfare standards. The co‐organizer is Educated Eats (the education foundation arm of RAMW), dedicated to creating the next generation of culinary professionals. The George Washington University’s Urban Food Task Force is the event’s key collaborator.

“DC chefs are increasingly renowned for their commitment to top‐quality, sustainable, healthy, and delicious foods. I’m delighted to see more of them entering the dialogue about sustainable and high‐welfare farming. State of the Plate DC fits well with the mission of George Washington’s Urban Food Task Force; it offers hands‐on opportunities for chefs and producers to work together in advancing the conversation about food policy and action,” says Diane Robinson Knapp, Chair, The George Washington University Urban Food Task Force.

Animal Welfare Approved program director Andrew Gunther added, “We believe that attendees will gain a better understanding of the challenges and rewards of developing sustainable food supply chains, but even more importantly, participants will have the opportunity to meet with and taste products from farmers already delivering solutions.”

“Educated Eats is thrilled to be working with our partners on this sustainable meat conference, continuing our series of seminars for our members,” says Gregory Casten, Chairman of the Board of RAMW. “We look forward to raising awareness for chefs and restaurateurs about the many benefits of sustainable farming practices‐‐including raising animals outdoors on pasture or range. Using sustainably raised animal proteins can help improve a restaurant’s image, efficiency and performance.”

Tickets: $55 includes continental breakfast and boxed lunch from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Advance registration is required. Seating is limited so be sure to register early. To register online visit www.StateofthePlateDC.net. From 5:00‐6:30 pm a sustainable meat tasting reception will bring together members of the RAMW with farmers, distributors and processors.

Location: The conference will be held at the George Washington University’s Marvin Center, 800 21st Street, Washington, DC 20052.

Questions: Contact Laura Colombi with questions at (202) 446‐2138.

Members of the press are encouraged to contact Beth Hauptle at (202) 446‐2155 to reserve complimentary press passes.

I know this first-hand from conversations I have had with Will Witherspoon, linebacker for the Tennessee Titans – and sustainable farmer. Will is a unique human being; a gentle, humble and quiet spoken man whose day job is making the quarterback’s life as uncomfortable as possible. He’s also passionate about producing sustainable, healthy and nutritious food on his family farm, Shire Gate Farm, near Owensville, Missouri.

Through our farming connection, I have been very fortunate to have got to know Will and he’s become a family friend. On several occasions, he has given both my sons one of those talks that only a true sportsman can. As any dad knows, we can talk until we are blue in the face about the need to eat well and look after yourself, and to dedicate yourself to your sport. Yet after one minute chat with Will, my boys are immediately re-energized and focused. Will has the gift of being able to communicate the connection between what goes in their mouths and their performance out on the field in a way that most dads can only dream of. In today’s junk food world, where childhood obesity is common place and diet-related ill health is epidemic, this kind of education is truly priceless.

Will and I have spoken at length about the connection between the food we eat and our health. When Will bought Shire Gate Farm as a working farm in 2007, he wanted to farm it “right.” After much research, he chose the White Park cattle breed to start building up his herd as they are docile, thrive in a grassfed environment, and provide superior milk and meat. His research also led him to Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) and pasture-based farming: “I wanted Shire Gate Farm to be true to nature and true to the way things should be done,” he explained on one of my visits to the farm. “That means putting the welfare and care of the animals first.”
As a professional athlete involved in one of the world’s most physical and competitive sports, Will is particularly aware of the health benefits of grassfed, high-welfare farming. “I want my kids, and all kids really, to grow up in a way that is more in touch with the natural environment,” he explained. “My cattle are raised as nature intended, on grass, and aren’t fed growth hormones, antibiotics or other unnatural additives. As a pro football player, I can’t take over-the-counter cold medicine without letting my trainer know about it. Why would I want my kids eating beef from cattle fed hormones or routine antibiotics?”

Will’s concerns about how he farms and the food his family eats are well founded. We know that the nutritional quality and taste of meat is the result of how an animal is fed, raised and ultimately slaughtered. I mentioned above the old saying ‘You are what you eat;’ so when you buy grassfed meat what are you eating?

Omega-3s are often referred to as “good fats“, because they play a vital role in every cell and organ system in the human body. People who have ample amounts of omega-3s in their diet are less likely to have high blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat. These crucial healthy fats are most plentiful in flaxseeds and fish, and are also found at much higher levels in meat from animals that have been raised on grass when compared to cheap, intensively farmed grain-fed meat. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is another “good” fat worth examining. Scientists now believe that CLA may be one of our most potent defenses against cancer; and when ruminants are raised on fresh pasture, their meat and milk contains three to five times more CLA than from animals fed grain-based diets. Similarly, we know that vitamin E in our diet is linked with a lower risk of heart disease and cancer. Research has also shown that grassfed meat is higher in vitamin E than meat from grainfed animals.

So where does AWA fit in all this? AWA has the most rigorous standards for farm animal welfare currently in use by any United States organization, and they exist for good reason. Our standards have been developed in collaboration with scientists, veterinarians, researchers, and farmers across the globe to maximize practicable, high-welfare farm management. Why? Because research shows that if animals are kept on farms where they are not overcrowded, where they can perform their natural behaviors on pasture, where they are fed a diet that matches their natural needs, and where they are managed to promote health and well-being then they are happier and healthier. The end result? Better tasting, more nutritious meat, milk and eggs from sustainably managed family farms that we can all feel good about eating – and that includes the Witherspoon family. Animal Welfare Approved: not just food for thought, but food for sport.

For more information on Shire Gate Farm visit www.shiregatefarm.com

Jack Whisnant, the son of Patricia and Mark Whisnant (Animal Welfare Approved farmers from American Grassfed Beef in Doniphan, MO), is leading a group to Joplin to provide BBQ pork and grassfed burgers over the Memorial Day weekend and following week. Jack recently lost his smokehouse to fire and is working back at the family farm.  As a member of a Missouri farming family he feels strongly that it is his duty to help as best he can with the efforts in Joplin. Jack is heading to Joplin, MO today with a group of volunteers, smokers, grills, coolers, AWA grassfed beef as well as pastured pork and bottled water.  He will be providing hot meals for all those in need throughout the weekend and coming week, and plans to stay for as long as he can.

If you would like to support this effort, the best way to do so is with an electronic transfer from your bank account. Jack has set up a bank account specifically to receive funds for this effort. If your bank does not offer this service, you may mail a check directly to the bank. Important: please include a note with the check (or in the memo line) that says “Deposit to account 75264.”

The bank information is as follows:

Jack Whisnant Joplin Relief Fund
First Missouri State Bank
#2 South Mount Auburn Rd.
Cape Girardeau, MO 63703
Routing Number: 081519219
Account Number:  75264
Phone: 573-334-9000
Bank Contact: Uli Duenne

This endeavor is a massive undertaking, and we want to assist Jack in being able to meet the needs of all those in Joplin who come to him for aid. If you would like to assist the effort, please contact Amanda Kisner at (202) 446-2149 or by email at info@AnimalWelfareApproved.org.  Please support us by passing this message on to your network.

The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has lauded AWA’s welfare standards for two years running as being the most stringent in the U. S. Ecosalon.com (author Vanessa Barrington) says Animal Welfare Approved is “the best of the best” when it comes to humane farming.

Animal Welfare Approved farms are now in 42 states as well as Canada. That means AWA products are becoming more readily available.  “AWA products can be found at the farm gate, farmers’ markets, national and regional retailers, and restaurants,” says Andrew Gunther, AWA program director. “The good news for consumers is that sustainable, high-welfare farms are growing in numbers. Sustainable farming is losing its quaint, niche persona, as AWA farmers prove on a daily basis. We have individual farms and cooperating farm networks supplying retailers and restaurants all over the country. This directory is yet another connection between the consumer and the farm.”

On this new directory you’ll find listings for AWA farms, farmers’ markets, restaurants, grocery stores and online shopping sources that will help bring better quality foods to your table.  “Each week we receive countless requests from consumers who want to know where they can find AWA products,” says Gunther. “Our online directory will make it easier for people to find products from farms where animal welfare and the environment really do come first.”

The legendary Poag Mahone’s, of the Rosenthal Group, is the very first restaurant in Chicago to be serving this prized beef. Poag Mahone’s  has been named as  one of the best burgers in America by Oprah Winfrey, and GQ magazine declared Poag Mahone’s as serving one of “Top Twenty Burgers You Must Eat Before You Die.” Animal Welfare Approved director Andrew Gunther says  “ the AWA label is going to help make Poag Mahone’s burgers  NUMBER ONE .”

Dan Rosenthal says he’s proud to be serving meat that bears the AWA label.  “There’s no question that the treatment of animals is one of the top priorities that we’re seeking in the continuation of our purchasing program,” says Rosenthal.  He adds, “It’s not only the humane treatment of the animal, but what the animal is fed and what impact the farming system has on the environment and the quality of the meat people are consuming. AWA certification gives us the total package.”

Finding just the right humanely raised beef for Poag Mahone’s was no easy chore. Rosenthal tried meats from as far away as Uruguay until he came across the renowned stock of American Grass Fed from Missouri. AWA’s American Grass Fed worked extensively with Dan to get just the right blend of beef to maintain that classic Poag Mahone’s burger flavor.

Poag Mahone’s is using AWA beef in other dishes, too, and one of those is Rosenthal’s favorite—Guinness Beer Beef Stew. He says diners get two bonuses for the price of one out of the stew.  “You get nutrition and you get a little high from having this Guinness marinated product. It’s such a great combination of flavors.”

Recently John Stossel of FOX Business Channel has aired a number of segments disparaging sustainable agriculture.  His issues have included the use of herbicides and pesticides, grainfed vs. grassfed beef, genetically modified food and food safety. Is Stossel going out of his way to be outrageously provocative? To what end? And for whose benefit? Certainly we are not the only ones to condemn these reports as being inaccurate, unbalanced and biased, as the many comments to the reports attest.

Stossel would no doubt accuse me of being unrealistic and only supporting small scale farms. However, the reality is that to keep the planet healthy and fed we will need to employ a wide range of solutions. Sadly, the last 40 years of ”big ag’s” version of the solution has shown chronic failure in the form of antibiotic resistance, tainted water and some of the largest food recalls in history. Too bad Stossel doesn’t recognize that we have to stop using the planet – a finite resource – as “big ag’s” test tube.

Let’s take a look at Stossel’s grassfed versus grainfed beef segment. Determining which of these methods of production is “best” is a complicated matter involving animal welfare, human health and environmental outcomes. It is unfortunate that as with the other topics in his series, Stossel appears to have taken a rather close-minded and biased approach to a very complex subject.

In making the claim about grassfed meat that “there’s no evidence it’s better for the environment or better for you,” Stossel relies heavily on the evidence of Dr. Jude Capper, Assistant Professor of Dairy Sciences in the Department of Animal Sciences at Washington State University. I have recently spent time with Dr. Capper and found her understanding of the greenhouse gas issue to be somewhat in harmony with my own. However, when it comes to solutions, our approaches are as different as night and day.

Dr. Capper states that a ”whole-system approach” proves that intensive livestock systems – in which meat or milk production is maximized per animal, per acre – are less environmentally damaging than what she calls ”inefficient” pasture or grass-based systems. Yet it is Dr. Capper who is not looking at the “whole system” – or indeed the bigger picture we all face. In reality, the vast majority of scientists who are working on climate related issues contend that it is intensive agriculture – with its heavy reliance on fossil fuels and other damaging environmental practices – that is the real climate culprit. And in the face of the reality of climate change and ever-decreasing oil reserves, “business as usual” agriculture is just no longer an option.

One of the biggest problems is that any report which states that grassfed meat is less environmentally friendly than grainfed meat has ignored the environmental costs of all the inputs needed for the system. The true cost of feedlot beef has to consider the full environmental footprint caused by producing cattle feed – all the way back to the destruction of vast tracts of rainforest in order to grow soy and corn fed to cattle confined to massive feedlots. This is before we start adding in the environmental pollution from feedlots and the greenhouse gas emissions from the stockpiled manure. On the side of grassfed beef, the positive influence of carbon sequestration that is specific to grazing grassfed animals must be considered.

Stossel sadly relied on only one source for his information on grassfed. He didn’t take the time to understand both sides of the argument and, like a student with a poorly researched school paper, published his report without review or evidence. This lack of rigor appears to be the only way industrial agriculture and its mouthpieces can defend themselves.

Moving on to Stossel’s report about herbicides and pesticides, here, too, he is off the mark. Atrazine is regularly found in water across the U.S. at levels above the designated “safe” maximum residue level. This pesticide has been banned in Europe for more than five years due to its toxicity and presence in water sources. I therefore wonder why Stossel feels we should subject America’s children to this potentially dangerous chemical with no known antidote.

In 2002, two studies raised new concerns about the herbicide: one connecting extremely low levels of atrazine with sexual abnormalities in frogs, and another pointing to increased prostate cancer among workers at atrazine factories. Why do we have to keep using this when Syngenta (the manufacturer of atrazine) has an alternate product? Perhaps it’s because atrazine is highly profitable so why worry that it makes people sick by polluting our water? As long as it has good shareholder return! Nice work, John, good to see you have the interests of the population at heart.

And finally, in Stossel’s segment on genetically modified food, he takes a swipe at one of his guest’s reference to the 2006 recall of spinach contaminated with E.coli. While debating the fine point of whether the spinach was from a field in organic conversion, Stossel ignored the 800 pound gorilla in the room: Where did the deadly E. coli O157:H7 pathogens come from in the first place?  Certainly not organic spinach. Studies report that confinement feeding of grain to cattle and low dose antibiotics are the main culprits in the evolution of the E. coli O157:H7 at the core of the explosion in food poisoning outbreaks.

As disturbing as Stossel’s lack of balanced reporting is, there is a real positive here. Clearly, someone has put huge sums of money and effort into trying to distort the truth. This tells those of us working with alternatives to the industrial agricultural model that we are making a difference and that our message is getting through. In the parlance of bomber pilots, you know you are near the target when the flak really starts to fly. Stossel’s biased attacks should be a rallying cry to all of us to redouble our efforts…there’s no stopping us now! We are getting the message out there and we will continue our rallying cry against “business as usual” agriculture.