By Nathan Smith

It’s 3 a.m. The air is hot, the wind is rising. Smoke is heavy in the sky.

A wall of fire rages through a pasture and only minutes before an entire herd perished in the flames. The only thing between other frightened cattle and impending death is a rancher.

This is not a fictional scenario. It’s one that has played across Texas for the last six months. And with little rain falling, it will continue.

By Mike Barnett

 “You can be on the right track and still get hit by a train.”—Alfred E. Neuman, Mad magazine

That quote from the freaky little cartoon character came to mind this morning as I tried to get a handle on agriculture’s use of social media. Our industry has been slow to adopt this new method of communication. We’re gaining ground. But we have a long way to go.

Farmers and ranchers are a different breed. While our focus centers on crop production and cattle markets, often it does not extend beyond the turn row or fence line.

By Mike Barnett
If eating meat is a sin, then I guess I’m going to Hell. The new vegan theology spouted by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is that eating meat is a vice and that meat eaters should be penalized the same as smokers and drinkers by paying a “sin” or excise tax.

Meat eating a vice? The *#@! you say!

In a recent article in The Huffington Post, PETA Vice President of Policy Bruce Friedrich suggested Congress issue a 15-cent levy on Americans for every pound of chicken, turkey, pork, fish and beef sold in grocery stores and restaurants, as well as a tax on each dairy item and carton of eggs.

By Mike Barnett

I hope 2010 was a year to suit you. Here are my fearless ag predictions for 2011.

January 2011: In late 2010, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) lauded Bill Clinton as Person for the Year in honor of his newfound vegan diet. PETA revokes title as the former president is discovered in a compromising position with a cheeseburger.

February 2011: Global warming officially declared dead after mini-Ice Age continues to grip East Coast.

March 2011: Mass defection to meat markets as vegans discover there’s a little bit of bovine in most everything.

By Mike Barnett

You might be a redneck if your dinner ever mooed, oinked or clucked. That’s a new twist as animal activists continue to use cruelty in animals in Texas and other states as a reason for you to quit eating meat.

I never heard Jeff Foxworthy use that line. But it’s a sentiment expressed by Bryan Monell, an activist who has frequently obtained illicit employment at farms and research facilities in order to obtain undercover video footage. He mocked the work of both farmers and researchers, as reported by the Animal Agriculture Alliance, a non-profit group who communicates the important role livestock agriculture plays in our nation’s economy.