Animal rightists foster image of animal cruelty in Texas and other states

Those of us attentive in preventing cruelty to animals in the Texas livestock industry have watched with interest as the theatre in Ohio has played out in recent days. Apparently, an agreement has been struck that may eventually hamstring the livestock industry in the Buckeye State, instance giving it some alive room for now. The effort for a restrictive animal rights choosing initiative will not come to a vote this fall, and livestock producers will make some concessions, most of which will come at a next time.

Consistent is the nature of poll initiatives, which accord activists all the advantages, a short time frame in which to gradient up emotional arguments with really cool sound bites, juncture science and reason wait to sort out something workable from the rubble.

We are told that livestock producers in Ohio can live with the agreement. I dont want to second guess that, but I worry about the tendency of the animal rights folks to reach an agreement and then begin planning their adversaries unconditional surrender on the very next day. Animal cruelty in Texas and other states is a perception they foster. Their goals are clear.

The Humane Society of the United States, PETA and other traveling partners intend for the United States to stop eating meat. They will take what they can get for now and keep working toward that goal. For them, this is a marathon, not a sprint, and the children or grandchildren of livestock producersif the animal rights folks get their waywill be selling their farms in a few decades.

Even without misguided ballot initiatives in Texaswhere we still believe in representative governmentwe are not without worries. Its possible that when HSUS has forced enough state initiatives, they can hoodwink Congress into passing a national law. Thats the beginning of the end for livestock production in the U. S. It would also signal the end for family livestock farms and many hundreds of thousand jobs.

To be clear, I make little distinction between the goals of HSUS and PETA. HSUS is PETA in a nicely tailored suit. The leadership of both is vegan and anthropomorphic, assigning human characteristics to animals. PETAs primary purpose is to make HSUS look moderate by comparison. Understanding that Americans will not willingly give up a diet of meat, they set out instead to make the production of it prohibitively expensive. Its a clever and effective strategy.

HSUS has enjoyed a skillfully deployed false front, using alleged cruelty to animals in Texas and other states as a weapon. Fundraising appeals are all cute puppies and kittens, sadly neglected. But the money raised for this alleged purpose is mostly spent to raise more money, lobby against animal agriculture and fund pensions. About 1 percent of the take will fund animal shelters. The watchdog group, Charity Navigator has noticed, downgrading HSUS to a point where they now rank below PETA.

HSUS will not suffer though. The budget is huge enough to support more than 30 lawyers, all of them working on ways to deal grief to livestock producers. They live in the gray area between scientifically developed agricultural practice and the senseless cruelty to animals that all agree should be aggressively punished in Texas and other states. They pretend these two things are the same. They are not.

When these questions are raised, animal rightists lash out at those who voice them. I and the family farmers I work for will be labeled " big ag, " as if that alone discredits the argument.

We will continue to fight this fight in the hope that Americans who love meatfrom hamburgers to steak, from bacon to pork ribs, from drumsticks to Thanksgiving turkey realize what the animal rights movement has in store for them.

US DOJ Files Discrimination Lawsuit in Texas

The United States Department of Reparation has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Texas Department of Agriculture and General Land Office on the profit of three women, according to the Houston Chronicle. The lawsuit alleges pay discrimination against the women - male counterparts in the same position were earning significantly more. The Texas Department of Agriculture has denied any wrongdoing. - The Texas Office of Attorney General has been working with federal lawyers to resolve this matter on behalf of the former Texas Department of Rural Affairs, - said Todd Staples, Texas Agriculture Commissioner. - The US Department of Justice, for obvious political purposes, issued a grossly misleading press release simply to take an unnecessary shot at Texas. - The Texas Department of Agriculture will have to provide solid evidence as to why it paid women less than it did men for equal work. Doug Silverstein,

Kesluk & Silverstein. a>.

Water Conservation In Texas its Everyones Job!

I bought a new home here in Waco in May of 2008. One of the things that caused me to fall in weakness with the town was a lush lawn of St. Augustine grass. Im something of a lawn junkie. I enjoy working guise and tending to it. Now, two and a half years later, I fully understand the ramifications for Texas water conservation of having that lawn. If I had built that house instead of buying it, I would not have chosen St. Augustine.

Now dont get me wrong. There are few things more visually pleasing to me than that lawn, thick and freshly equable. If my home was in repeat, Beaumont, where I worked in television three decades ago, it would be condign fine. St. Augustine was developed in Florida for Gulf Coast climates and the rainfall that goes with it. Its perfect for those areas. Waco? Not so much. Our annual rainfall is about 20 inches per year less than what falls in Beaumont.

The Texas Legislature will, in the session that begins in January, tackle the issue of water. It will be a difficult and contentious process. Water conservation is something that every Texan must take seriously. Time is running out for us to deal with our water problems. Native Texans, and those getting here as fast as they can, will nearly double our population by 2050. Our current rate of water usage cannot deal with that many Texans.

Here at the Texas Farm Bureau, we are gearing up for that session with the knowledge that agriculture has both a need for water to produce food and fiber and a responsibility to use it wisely.

The latter point has led to a variety of methods by which agriculture conserves water. The systems that have been developed toward that end include low elevation and low pressure delivery systems in irrigation that minimize the opportunity for evaporation.

Theres also the now widespread use of conservation tillage. In conservation tillage, including minimum till and no till, the breaking up of the soil is held to a minimum. The moisture that lies near but below the surface does not evaporate as easily. This method can improve water conservation significantly.

But, water conservation is not something that can be left strictly to the big users like farmers and industry. Taken together, the amount of water used by homeowners on lawns is staggering.

If I were starting a lawn today, Id do it very differently. Id plant a less thirsty species of grass and Id consider xeriscape. This is a combination of low water use turf grass, native plants adapted to the drier parts of Texas and even rock and gravel.

Of course, many other water saving ideas are easy to implement. Dont let that drippy faucet go on another day. Put water savers on those shower heads. Modern toilets work as well as the older models while using less water.

Im not a farmer and I dont play one on TV. I do, however, work for farmers and Ive seen first - hand the steps that are being taken to conserve water. Conservation tillage and new irrigation technology is only a part of that.

As a homeowner, I keep up with water leaks and try to avoid wasting any. I have long range plans to replace that elegant lawn. Water conservation is everyones job today.