This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Agriculture Future of America Animal Institute in Kansas City along with 80 other youth from across the United States that also have a passion for the animal industry. We had many chances to network with professionals in the agriculture industry and were given many tips on how to become stronger leaders in the animal ag sector. One of the activities we did involved getting way out of our comfort zones and gave us a new outlook on becoming better agvocates. The conference room had 14 tables spread out and at each table there was an animal industry related issue that the specific table had to discuss and present on. The catch was that some tables were "pro" a certain issue or practice and some were "con". After each group was done presenting, the opposing opinion had the chance to rebuttal the argument. The topic my group was assigned to was Antibiotic Use in Animal Production. I was feeling pretty confident about this topic because it is something I'm pretty passionate and knowledgeable about. That was until it was revealed that my table was supposed to argue against the use of antibiotics. This was extremely hard for me. I work for an animal pharmaceutical company, and it's an industry I want to be a part of post college graduation. How was I supposed to speak against an industry that pays for my groceries and utilities? I somehow managed to put my uneducated consumer hat on and my argument speech is below. Now, here's a challenge for all the agvocators out there: How would you respond to this argument without getting defensive or forceful? My stance was centered around the average suburban mom who is an avid follower of the infamous Food Babe. How would you approach this target audience without starting a war with a mama bear? Before we presented our arguments, a professor from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln gave an excellent lecture on the four keys to approaching a controversial conversation: Calm, Confident, Patient Present. Keep these words in the back of your mind as you think about your approach to this argument. Please remember these are not my actual opinions at all. Simply my version of what an argument against antibiotic use may be! It is also a little over exaggerated and extreme because I have a tendency to go beyond the call of duty.
As a mother of 3 young children I know that the right thing to do for my family is to feed them only organic. Factory farmers pump antibiotics and vaccines in their animals that end up on my plate. This leads to antibiotic resistance, which could make my children unable to fight serious diseases. When animal producers use hormones it disrupts the natural hormone levels in my meat, which can alter the hormone levels in my family. Organic food may be more expensive but that correalates to being higher quality meat. For these reasons, I choose to sacrifice more of my disposable income on organic meat for the greater good of my loving husband and darling children.
As a mother of 3 young children I know that the right thing to do for my family is to feed them only organic. Factory farmers pump antibiotics and vaccines in their animals that end up on my plate. This leads to antibiotic resistance, which could make my children unable to fight serious diseases. When animal producers use hormones it disrupts the natural hormone levels in my meat, which can alter the hormone levels in my family. Organic food may be more expensive but that correalates to being higher quality meat. For these reasons, I choose to sacrifice more of my disposable income on organic meat for the greater good of my loving husband and darling children.