When it comes to digester technology, lagoon covers, treatment systems and other methods of manure handling, it seems like much of the press lately has been on the ‘big guys’. Now, I am by no means suggesting that larger production facilities are any better in management or production practices. What I am saying is that the media tends to focus on the larger players in agriculture, for good and for bad, depending on the angle they approach.

I will be the first one to say that I feel there is room for anyone who is willing and wants to work in agriculture. Big or small, it is much more a matter of management and methods rather than acres and animal units. Each has a place and each can work.

When it comes to dealing with the public and perceptions in the media, Everyone takes a part when they are related to agriculture. there are no exceptions. I find it very interesting that several recent citations going to farms for manure management violations have been on farms that would, by industry standards, be smaller farms rather than large ones. From what I have been able to determine, of the last ten farms that have been cited, eight of them would have , by my best calculations, been somewhere between 200 and 400 animal units. While my math might be a bit off, I do believe that it is close.

What I am trying to get at is it doesn’t matter big or small we feel we are in the world of agriculture, we all have a voice through our actions and examples. It would be easy to point fingers at the largest CAFO operations and say, “The produce more byproducts, so they must be the problem”, that would not be fair or accurate. Many large operations exist because they have made concessions and modifications to be in operation. They have made choices to be in business, choices that have kept them out of trouble and out regulatory violations.

Yes, there is a bad apple in every barrel, no matter how big the apples are in that barrel. What it really comes down to is not being that apple. As an animal husbandry industry, it becomes everyone’s role to make a difference. We have all seen what one infraction at one meat packing plant has done for the livestock industry. We are all interconnected and anyone, anywhere can have an influence one way or another.

All we can ask of each other is to do what we can to stay above the fray and keep practices in place that will allow us to manage our operations in a professional, productive and profitable manner. I really think that is all anyone can ask for. ANM