Big Ag Launches Multimillion-Dollar Marketing Campaign

A new multimillion-dollar marketing campaign is being mounted by Big Ag, primarily aimed at fending off attacks by activists and small farmers who are spreading the word that “factory farming” is bad for animals and produces subpar food that causes illness.

A new group called the US Farmers and Ranchers Alliance will stage several town hall meetings in September. The meetings, which will be streamed online, are part of a multimedia effort to  what the group calls myths about the agricultural industry.

According to the Financial Times:

Bob Stallman, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation, said that the industry had been unfairly vilified since films, such as Food Inc. and Farmageddon, have depicted the industry as using genetically modified seeds, pumping animals full of hormones and antibiotics to fatten them and confining them in cages with no light. He argues that activist groups want the farmers to return to the days when small family farms served local communities.

Mark Kastel, a director of The Cornucopia Institute, which supports sustainable and organic agriculture, was quoted as saying:

“I think corporate agri-business is frightened about the marketplace implications and concerned about more regulatory constraint. They are afraid that the ugly stories out there are tarnishing their reputation.”

With 50 affiliates joining forces and willing to bankroll $30 million per year on a campaign, big farming groups are hopeful that it will eliminate the bad public perception.

According to the Financial Times:

Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface, an organic farm in Virginia, called the USFRA campaign “laughable” and said that criticism of industrial farmers is justified because they view the environment as a machine rather than as something biological.

Joel Salatin’s newest book, Folks This Ain’t Normal, is scheduled for release this October.

How You Can Fight Back

Are you a member of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund? If you care about supporting small, sustainable farms, it’s time to pony up!

We don’t have all the money Big Ag does to spend $30 million per year on marketing, that’s for sure. But think about it… if just 300,000 of us contribute $100 per year, that’s $30 million right there.

Donate $100 to the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund during their annual fundraiser and get a copy of the brand new movie, Farmageddon, or Joel Salatin’s new book, Folks This Ain’t Normal. Hurry — this special offer expires September 1st.

Click here to join the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund today!

Photo credit: Veal Crates by Farm Sanctuary on Flickr and Joel Salatin by FRESH: a delicious documentary on Flickr