Friday, January 27, 2012

Old McDonald in a New Light



We are not in Kansas anymore...


I spent the week at the PA farm show this month. This year PennAg Industries put together a live animal exhibit called "Today's Agriculture". Inside the commercial building were animals depicted in their commercial enclosures for their particular needs.
Almost to the person, most were very impressed with how all the needs of the animal were being cared for. Most were fascinated that we can keep animals in confinement and yet have them flourish if given the proper environment.

What this great exhibit reminded me of was that we sometimes hang onto old ideas, like Ol' McDonald's farm. Old McDonald had to become more efficient and produce more product as margins for his product decreased. It is amazing to think of all the developments that have continued to make our food the most plentiful and safest in the world. The people who went through that display saw firsthand how their food is produced. We should do more to promote that dialog. One such place is Farmers Feed Us that discusses how some of our foods are grown. Take a look and see. picture credit: Sarah Weeda