My husband, Kevin, and I are young, independent hog farmers.We are fifth-generation family farmers. We farm with Kevin’s parents and brother near Clarence.On April 25, Ken Midkiff, a Tribune columnist and member of the Sierra Club’s Osage Group, attacked our family farm.Let me set the record straight: The information in Midkiff’s article is false, and he has never met me or visited our farm.

When I say I am an independent hog producer, I mean we still own the hogs we raise.Contrary to Midkiff’s article, we are among about 15 family farmers in northeast Missouri who own their own hogs and house them in modern barns.We are proud to provide this country with a safe and nutritious meat supply.

Midkiff accused my family of being janitors for Cargill, saying we don’t own our animals and that we are lacing their feed with antibiotics.I have the bank debt, property tax receipts and feed bills to prove we own these animals.We purchase from local farmers all the grain to make the feed at our family-owned feed mill. We employ seven members of our family full time and other local residents who were born and raised in or around Shelby County.We purchase our fuel at the local gas station, we own our own trucks to haul our hogs and feed, and we purchase our supplies locally.

Antibiotics are extremely expensive, so we use them only when necessary to improve the animal’s quality of life.We currently lose $45 for each hog we sell, so we cannot afford to misuse antibiotics or any other animal health product.Hog prices are low while feed and transportation costs are at an all-time high. Unnecessary increases in our cost of production are not feasible or achievable.

The majority of people today are three generations removed from farming; they know only what they read or hear about modern agriculture.If society continues to hear only misinformation, many family farms like mine will be forced out of business because of regulations intended to run off the "big" guys and preserve an outdated image of the family farm as seen by people like Midkiff.

This image of a family farm is not realistic in today’s world.Burdensome regulations and false propaganda only hurt the family farmers who work each day to feed people in this country and around the world.Some might be able to relocate to another state or country when regulations hinder their ability to operate, but my family is not among them.Excessive regulation hurts all of agriculture, not just the "big" guys.I hope I never see a day when the majority of my children’s food comes from a foreign country.If we continue to impose burdensome, unwarranted regulations on family farms and ranches, we will open the doors for foreign countries to provide our families with food.This would no doubt lead to concerns about food safety and security.

Agriculture is the backbone of rural America, and we farmers contribute to the economic viability of our communities. I am proud to speak up about agriculture each chance I get. I do this for my kids because if I don’t, they might not have a family farm to return to someday.

We are the same farmers today that Americans trusted 50 years ago, but agriculture has changed to meet the needs of a growing population.

Today we have to produce more food on fewer acres, and we do it in a manner that respects our environment.The Missouri Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulate our farm, and we go above these regulations by having a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan and an Environmental Management System in place to protect and preserve the environment.

My husband and I live within 150 yards of our hogs.There is no threat to the environment, as Midkiff implies.We record daily rainfall and test the soil and nutrients before injecting the nutrients into the soil.We do this not only to protect our environment, but to continue recycling our natural resources for fertilizer.

Farmers are the original stewards of the land, and we take great pride in protecting our animals, land and environment.I am proud to be part of the 2 percent who provide safe and nutritious food for the other 98 percent of this country’s population.You can continue to trust your food supply is safe, from farm to fork, thanks to modern technology that enables farmers to better care for their animals and the environment.

Advertisement

13 weeks for $13 | Sunday & Wed In your beach bag, in your car, take it with you this summer