By Mike Barnett

When it comes to the domestic horse slaughter ban, I hate to say I told you so. So I won’t.

But President Obama recently signed a law that reverses the five-year ban on horse slaughter, a welcomed first step in addressing the unintended consequences of a misguided law.

Even Ingrid Newkirk, founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), says the U.S. should never have banned domestic horse slaughter—a stance that put the organization at odds with other animal rights activist groups.

By Gene Hall

I know we write a lot about People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) these days, but darn—they are just so busy doing ridiculous things. Following up on a long run of questionable publicity stunts, billboards with naked actresses, more nudity at live events and the launching of an explicit porn and animal abuse website, the folks at PETA applied for space at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas.  Relax. The fair turned them down.  Why? Do you really have to ask?

By Mike Barnett

PETA and porn are two four-letter words you’re going to be hearing a lot about.

PETA stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and is a group that promotes veganism. You know what porn is. Never shy about stretching the truth to achieve their objectives, the organization said they would start a porn site in December that would have enough adult content to qualify for the new XXX domain but would also add some graphic images of animal abuse.

The reason?

By Mike Barnett

Texas has a terrible feral hog problem and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) knows just how to solve it.

Some 2 million feral hogs call almost every county in the Lone Star State home, causing massive destruction to both agriculture and urban areas.

PETA has a simplistic solution for this Texas plague. Their reasoning is that bullets are bad when it comes to feral hog control. These animal activists are looking for a kinder, gentler solution.
Kind of like no hog left behind. Round them up. Put them in refuges. Corral them with “inexpensive” fences.

By Mike Barnett

Social media in agriculture for third generation farmer and rancher Jeff Fowle boils down to a few simple words: “That is what I am. That is what I share. This is my story.”

Fowle, who didn’t know Twitter from Facebook two years ago, is now regarded as an expert in agricultural social media. He spoke those words at Texas Farm Bureau‘s summer commodity conference recently. They stuck with me. I hope they stick with you as well.

Agriculture is very good at telling consumers what is good for them. We’re not so good at listening; or talking; or changing the way we operate to meet their expectations. We must engage consumers in meaningful dialogue. We must build trust.