I got an email out of the blue recently from someone asking a lot of questions. It was from someone saying he found my “blog.” I assume the sender meant Ozarks Farm & Neighbor’s website.
The sender claimed to be a writer and wanted information about pigs. I responded I would help him to the best of my knowledge and have other contacts I could refer him to. The sender was seeking information for a short fiction piece about a woman and pastured pigs.
After questioning him more, I said I would not participate in anything involving animal rights or anything anti-agricultural. The sender assured me it was about a woman who claimed to be involved in animal rights but had no idea what she was doing. He said he was a meat-eater but was pro-animal rights. He also said he opposed “corporate farming” but liked homesteading.
He sent me what he was working on with portions highlighted with his questions. I thought this could be an opportunity to share a little about agriculture and dispel misinformation. I, however, opted not to participate. Why? My gut told me not to, and sometimes you have to go with your gut.
Some of the questions sent were a bit odd. The writer wanted to know if pigs were only pink and black, if they snorted when happy, and if pigs would attack or charge a person. Then there were questions about signs of animal abuse, how tall fences are and if they are electrified, if roads go between pastures or if houses could be located away from the livestock facilities, if bales of hay in a field could be mistaken for pigs from a distance, and if pigs need to be in heated shelters when it was about 35 degrees outside. There was also a question about how to find out if someone was charged with animal abuse. I felt like I was helping someone case a joint and decided I wanted no part of it.
During the holidays, I mentioned the email to my family. The way I figured it, there were likely close to 300 years of combined ag experience sitting at the table, so I asked what they thought about the request for information. After sharing some of the questions presented, they all felt like I did: leave it alone.
I sometimes get discouraged when we reach out to people to do stories about them, their farms or ranches, but after that email, I understand why people can be apprehensive. A person they don’t know from a company they may not have heard of is calling them, asking questions about them and their farm, asking if they can come out for a visit and take pictures. Yep, it can sound a little fishy.
I sometimes sound like a telemarketer as I try to sell myself and OFN. Most of the time, folks who are unfamiliar with us are friendly, and I offer to send them a copy of OFN. I might hear back from them, but most of the time, I don’t. I chalk it up as a “no” to a story.
My gut still tells me I did the right thing by not answering those questions, but a part of me wishes I would have. That part of me thinks I could have told someone that agriculture isn’t cruel and that farmers and ranchers work hard to ensure the health of their animals. My gut, however, has a sinking feeling my words would have been twisted or the information I gave would be used to figure out how to “liberate” a bunch of hogs.
While I wait to write my own “Great American Novel” detailing the adventures of Nell and her cat siblings, I will stick with telling the stories of farmers and ranchers in the Ozarks in the pages of OFN. Ya all, after all, are our greatest resource and my inspiration.
Julie Turner-Crawford is a native of Dallas County, Mo., where she grew up on her family’s farm. She is a graduate of Missouri State University. To contact Julie, call 1-866-532-1960 or by email at [email protected].
