Today I was asked to be part of a press conference on the farm bill. I turned down the opportunity. While it is true that I am the self-proclaimed Carbon County Hot Pepper King, I really can’t call myself a farmer. Twenty-two chickens, two guinea hens, and a half-acre truckpatch does not a farmer make.
Nonetheless, I do have some opinions on certain farm policies. I don’t like concentrated feedlot operations, Roundup Ready soybeans, and genetically-modified crops in general.
I also have an opinion on antibiotics in animal feed. Approximately 80% of the antibiotics sold in the U.S. are fed to chickens, cows, pigs, and other animals. Many scientists think these antibiotics are a major reason reasons infections in humans are resistant to treatment.
It is difficult to determine if there is a link because the people who produce the meat we eat are not required to report which animals are fed the antibiotics or what doses are given.
Producers, of course, argue that public reporting would entail more government regulation. Of course it would. It is the kind of regulation we need.
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