Why chipotle is not LYFE

Let’s face it, we have all seen the video of the young boy mocking, what seems to be a teenage girl, obsessing over chipotle. But what is all the rant and rave over a burrito bowl? They don’t even have cheese dip for goodness sake.

For most people in urban areas, chipotle comes across as a restaurant portraying positive images and promoting sustainable agriculture. But for farmers and agriculture advocates it is a restaurant that is skewing information given to consumers and bashing farmer’s practices.  These are the mottos, beliefs, and advertising methods used by Chipotle described by an agriculturist’s prospective:

NO GMO. In the early months of 2015 Chipotle was the first restaurant to nationally announce that their menu was officially GMO free. For those who don’t know, a GMO is a genetically modified organism. GMO’s allow farmers to increase yields and feed more people with fewer farms. This scares consumers because of “super bugs” and resistance to diseases when in fact it has never been proven that GMO’s have caused death, increased allergies, or increased human resistant to antibiotics. There has been no proof of any harmful effects of GMO’s on humans or the environment. (I do not claim to be a GMO genius, for more information on GMOs see this link)

Cultivating a Better World. Chipotle claims that by using their farmers they are encouraging agriculturists to “cultivate a better world.” This goes along with another one of their mottos,  Food with integrity. For most of Chipotle’s consumers they think, “Wow, Chipotle really cares.” By no means am I saying Chipotle doesn’t care about what farmers are producing or what consumers are putting in their mouths but I am saying that the farmers they use for the food in the restaurants are not the only farmers that care about what you are eating and what is happening to the environment. Farmers work everyday to ensure that what they are producing is going provide for future generations and that their food is safe for their own families to eat.

Factory Farming. Chipotle not only has youtube videos and articles discussing factory farming they now even have a comedy TV show on Hulu. Within the first 3 minutes of the TV series they show a “farm” in a warehouse and they blow up a cow. As someone who has worked with beef and dairy cattle, swine, and poultry I have never seen something like this happen but consumers don’t realize that. Why? Today consumers are about 3 generations removed from the farm. This means the average elementary school student thinks that their food comes from Walmart or McDonalds and not the farm. Farms today, of course are going to look different from what they did 50 or 60 years ago because we are feeding a population with billions more people. The farms look different but they are actually more productive and practices used are more ethical. Farmers do care about the health of livestock and the consumers no matter what organizations like Chipotle or PETA say.

Sustainability. Multiple times as I flipped through the Chipotle website I ran across the word “sustainable.” But what is sustainability and who measures it? What I consider sustainable may not be what you consider sustainable. Farmers all over the United states are implementing new practices to become more sustainable. For example, rooftop gardens in urban areas such as New York and GMOs in rural areas are allowing farmers to use less pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers leave less green house gasses. Just because Chipotle doesn’t think that a farmer’s practices aren’t sustainable doesn’t mean that a farmer isn’t doing his or her best to protect the environment, his livestock, and the health of the consumers.

In America, the great thing is we have freedom of speech and we are entitled to our own opinion. As an agriculturist, I support sustainable agriculture and GMOs. Organizations like Chipotle and PETA make advocating for agriculture harder. It is our job as agriculturists to be able to handle conversations with supporters of these type organizations. I challenge each of you reading this to research GMO’s and make a difference in your local community.

 

 

French Manicures, Heels, and Agriculture.

As a woman in the agriculture industry its funny to hear some of the reason why we, as women, “can’t” do something. I think it is safe to say that women are no longer considered the minority in this industry because we are closing the gender gap. But agriculture is still considered a man’s industry so along with being a woman in a man’s industry there comes a few struggles and doubts. So laugh along with me as I share some of the things I have heard as a woman working in the agriculture industry.

1.  “You can’t feed cows in THAT outfit.” You would be surprised at some of the outfits I have successfully fed my livestock in. It has been done in heels and official dress all the way to flip flops and bikini tops. When the livestock needs tending to, it can’t always wait but you can always easily wash your clothes. There is nothing a little soap and water can’t fix so why be scared of getting dirty.
2. “Are those fake nails going to get in the way out there?” Ironically I had someone ask me this yesterday. No, as a matter of fact, my french manicure has nothing to do with my work ethic. If my nail breaks, sure its going to hurt but its not the end of the world and fill-ins are not that expensive but thank you for noticing that I got my nails done.
3. “Does she really think she can pick that up?” I may be a small girl but I promise I am stronger than I look. Showing livestock all through high school I was always in charge of buying feed and those 50 lbs feed bags didn’t load and unload themselves, I promise. Granted, I may not be able to do somethings guys can because of my size (yeah, being under 5 ft isn’t always a perk), it has nothing to do with the fact that I am a female. So, please, do not under estimate me.
4. “Why are you wasting your money on a degree if you’re JUST going to farm.” One of my favorite quotes is “The FFA is more than just cows, plows and sows.” This is also true in the agriculture industry. (Yes, I am aware you are thinking “what the heck did she just say”) The agriculture industry doesn’t just involve farming anymore. Of course one day I want to own and operate my own small farm but my future job in the agriculture industry fits somewhere between politics and sales. (Again, I’m sure you are like “wait, so she doesn’t want to get dirty?”) I want to protect farmers and educate consumers but that doesn’t mean I don’t have passion for agriculture and farming. Besides, farmers can have degrees too.
5. “You do know, working here means you’ll be wearing poop all the time, right?” Yes, I am aware that cows poop. I am also aware that it stinks. Your point? I am not afraid to get dirty. Just because I took the time to put on mascara this morning does not mean I can’t handle the cow feces on my jeans. (FYI pig poop is the worst so I don’t even want to hear it)

Of course, I am not complaining about the struggles of being in this industry because honestly I don’t see myself fitting in anywhere else and there are many other women who seem to agree. Women need agriculture and agriculture needs women.  And as a plus, women do make agriculture look good.

Agriculture Awareness: It’s OUR Responsibility

As an agriculturist, everyday I am frustrated by the lack of knowledge the common person has on agriculture. Often as agriculturists we hear that we do a terrible job at advocating for agriculture. Wait, What? So is it really ALL the agriculturist fault that the lack of knowledge of agriculture is growing? Of course from time to time farmers get a little distracted by the calves who need to be bottle fed or the Vidalia Onion season deadline. But farmers are often opening their farms for tours, writing blogs, going into classrooms for agriculture education programs and even serving as lobbyists for agricultural issues.  Consumers are often blindsided by big organizations like PETA, The Humane Society of the United States, and other animal rights groups that they pay little attention to the word of the farmer. But as agriculturists we can’t let this stop us. Today is agriculture awareness day and as I look around my small campus I see so many different people sharing their passion and knowledge for agriculture. Don’t let days like today be the only time you share your passion for this industry. We must continue to spread our message until our voice is heard because We are agriculture and we feed the world.