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Griff · 12-11-2001, 08:52 AM

As I type this, there is a doe hanging by my woodshed waiting for me to saw her up. An urbanite who hunts on my place gave her to me last week as a goodwill gesture (he got an extra doe tag this year and noticed I didn't have one). I hunt occasionally if half-heartedly and have slaughtered all the common farm animals. My position is if you wouldn't kill it you shouldn't eat it (you don't have to actually kill it, just accept responsibility for it) . Right now we only have chickens and dogs on the place. The dogs are not that charming

so the chickens, who are free range, are the only meat source presently on farm.

I thought Starchilds perspective was pretty interesting and don't have a serious problem with any of it since he apparently wouldn't try to impose his decision on others. With chickens roaming here, we get a few predators so I'd have to defend the farmers right to be armed.

I'd encourage my fellow omnivores to consider how the animals they eat are raised and processed. If you can afford it, its pretty easy to get beef and chicken right off the farm that are not pumped full of antibiotics or over-grained. Our centralized food production has done a great job feeding the country but as with any other concentration it creates problems (especially with terrorism on peoples minds). Feed lot systems concentrate waste (fecal if not financial) and disease producing more potential pollution and health problems than necessary, but I'd never support legislating the end of the feedlot system since it puts relatively high quality food within reach of almost everyone.

As far as going vegetarian, its an individual lifestyle choice and as long as its a choice not a mandate its cool. Its easy for me living in a rural area to assume that many urbanites have lost touch with land, food, and nature. There does seem to be a lack of understanding about the realities of food production. The same industrial food production technique that feeds the masses and frees up land that can be returned to the wild also reduces the quality of life for farmers and animals, threatens diversity in foods (plants and animals), and relies heavily on transportation. Vote with your food dollar, its the best way to achieve balance with all these conflicting needs and values. Griff descending from the soapbox.

12-11-2001, 08:52 AM	#14
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	As I type this, there is a doe hanging by my woodshed waiting for me to saw her up. An urbanite who hunts on my place gave her to me last week as a goodwill gesture (he got an extra doe tag this year and noticed I didn't have one). I hunt occasionally if half-heartedly and have slaughtered all the common farm animals. My position is if you wouldn't kill it you shouldn't eat it (you don't have to actually kill it, just accept responsibility for it) . Right now we only have chickens and dogs on the place. The dogs are not that charming so the chickens, who are free range, are the only meat source presently on farm. I thought Starchilds perspective was pretty interesting and don't have a serious problem with any of it since he apparently wouldn't try to impose his decision on others. With chickens roaming here, we get a few predators so I'd have to defend the farmers right to be armed. I'd encourage my fellow omnivores to consider how the animals they eat are raised and processed. If you can afford it, its pretty easy to get beef and chicken right off the farm that are not pumped full of antibiotics or over-grained. Our centralized food production has done a great job feeding the country but as with any other concentration it creates problems (especially with terrorism on peoples minds). Feed lot systems concentrate waste (fecal if not financial) and disease producing more potential pollution and health problems than necessary, but I'd never support legislating the end of the feedlot system since it puts relatively high quality food within reach of almost everyone. As far as going vegetarian, its an individual lifestyle choice and as long as its a choice not a mandate its cool. Its easy for me living in a rural area to assume that many urbanites have lost touch with land, food, and nature. There does seem to be a lack of understanding about the realities of food production. The same industrial food production technique that feeds the masses and frees up land that can be returned to the wild also reduces the quality of life for farmers and animals, threatens diversity in foods (plants and animals), and relies heavily on transportation. Vote with your food dollar, its the best way to achieve balance with all these conflicting needs and values. Griff descending from the soapbox.