If You Know Ag,You Will No Sonic

Supper at Sonic is not an option for our family anymore. Why? Sonic caved into the radical anti-animal agriculture group the Humane Society of the United States or (HSUS). Sonic stated that they will start to phase in eggs raised on cage-free farms and pork produced on farms that do not use gestation crates. I raise crops, beef and sheep on my farm, so why does it matter to me?

It matters because those of us in agriculture need to stand up for ourselves and that means stand up as a united front. You see even though I don't raise poultry or hogs on my farm, I know many farmers who do. They are hard-working family farmers who are using the latest in technology to take care of their animals. Believe me when I saw they have the best interest of their animals first.

I know that cage-free may sound good when it comes to chickens and eggs. We have a pastoral picture of chickens pecking around a barnyard, happy and healthy. Unfortunately that is not necessarily true. Did you ever hear of something called the pecking order. Well that got its name from chickens establishing an order of dominance within the flock. That leads to malnourishment and death if you are at the bottom of that pecking order.

This behavior is also exhibited in pigs. The bottom line is that the lower the chicken or pig is on the social order the harder it is for them to survive. That is why conscientious chicken and pig farmers employ modern technology like gestation crates. This allows the animal to benefit from modern building with climate control (no extreme heat or cold like outside), modern diets (balanced for complete nutrition, fed in the right amount), without the competition from more dominant animals.

You see, contrary to what HSUS would have you and Sonic believe, farmers and ranchers care enough about their animals to provide them with the best, latest, most technologically advances developed to provide their livestock with a stress-free environment. I don't know of a single farmer or rancher (and I know a lot) who only cares about the bottom line and not about their animals.

I would ask that you let Sonic know that they need to do more research and not bend to the heavy-handed propaganda of HSUS. Folks, don't be blinded by this group. HSUS's intention is that you no longer eat meat, period, end of story. All I ask is that you spend a little time, get to know a farmer or rancher, find out about agriculture, then you will have a greater appreciation of the lengths we go for our animals.

In the meantime, I will be going to Dairy Queen for my limeades and elsewhere to eat. I hope that with a little outrage and a lot of education we can make Sonic know agriculture.