Last weekend, many of us farmers listened as Dr. Temple Grandin talked about animal behavior, animal welfare and the farm and slaughter system. Her achievements are notable and her wisdom and insight are both remarkable yet somehow so simple.
Her comments reminded me of why we manage our farm the way we do and inspired me to do even better. We thought we’d a few of her comments as they relate to the food system we are sharing here at the farm.
Q: What practices would you most like to see ended?
Temple Answered, with no hesitation:
“Sow gestation stalls* gotta go
Small chicken cages gotta go – it is probably too expensive to raise all chickens outside, but at least move towards colony houses.”
“Michael Pollan says slaughterhouses should have glass walls. I agree. Stream videos to the web with a map so people can see what is happening. When I take folks to a slaughterhouse and it goes well, they are surprised. Surprised that animals just calmly walk in.”
Q: What can I do when I learn of the abuse of livestock happening in large facilities?
Temple’s Answer: “First of all, know where your food comes from.”
At Green Mountain Girls Farm, our guiding principles from the beginning have been to raise tasty, healthy (organic & sustainable), and happy (free range and loved) animals and vegetables. Eating from our farm, allows you to actually see how your meat, milk, eggs and vegetables are raised and decide if it meets your standards for humane, sustainable food.
*In addition to being inside always, most sows in the country are put in gestation stalls where they cannot even turn around for delivering and nursing piglets.
Additional thoughts from her talk on Caroline Abels new site, Humaneitarian.com