Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Day Six: 6

So I have a sweet friend. Her name is Katie (Hi, Katie!). She has three lovely children...super cute, and,  coincidentally two of the three are exactly three months older than my two youngest.  When she was three months along with her third, and I was NOT pregnant, she thought it would be great for us to do it all over again...and we'd have another child together...NO WAY, Jose! I've enjoyed her most recent baby without having one of my own.

Anyway, this is not about babies...it's about our interesting conversations over the years. Katie is smart. She is a great mom. She asks lots of questions, and she listens to all sides. So, yesterday, when I received a text from her in regards to the Dr. Oz show yesterday, I listened. I did my research. I watched online, and I have 6 words to say to "Dr." Oz.

"Hey Oz! Where's the farmer?"

Dr. Oz is not my favorite. He's a sensationalizer. He strikes the fear of God in our hearts when we bite into anything that isn't made entirely of flax seed and red pepper. He is of the Oprah persuasion, and while I was able to tolerate Oprah at times (hello! Favorite THINGS??? Love that!), he is just trying to basically scare the bejeezus out of us all.

When I began to watch the trailer for yesterday's episode, I was nervous. The music alone was nerve wracking. Then, the picture of a combine in a wheat field showed up, dissolving into a corn field waving in the breeze, and then a crop duster (cue even scarier music), followed by ripe fruits and vegetables. All the while, the intense voice over guy was spewing details in regards to the "best kept secret in the food industry."

I watched as Dr. Oz then illustrated the use of pesticides using people spraying small spraying devices on a bucket of corn. Woman after woman joined this illustration, all the while, Dr. Oz was explaining how the use of pesticides since the 90s has increased, and how also we can blame all the miscarriages, learning disabilities and birth defects on us, the evil farmer.

But, suprisingly missing during this time was...A FARMER.

He had experts. He had doctors. He is a doctor. He had the women in the audience so freaked out you could read it on their faces as the camera panned the audience. Audible gasps were heard during the discussion.

BUT WHERE WAS THE AGRICULTURAL REPRESENTATIVE????

Honestly "agvocates," I think we are to blame here to some extent. Why am I going to libraries and coffee shops to meet with urban folks, when what these women and men are generally getting information from Dr. Oz?

Dr. Oz isn't reading this blog, however, I would love to welcome him to do so and come to our farm, while he's at it, so am I just preaching to the wrong choir? Why aren't agricultural people asked to be on a show like this to add our two cents about how our crops require LESS pesticides than before because of the technology we use in the tractor and applicator itself as well as the engineered seed? I don't want a dude in a suit from a corporate company. I want a farmer. An educated, well intentioned farmer to sit on a panel on Dr. Oz.

But where's our invitation?

Well, here's 6 reasons:

1) Money: People like Dr. Oz don't want to be refuted. They want to be retweeted, shared on Facebook, watched on TV to become more famous and ultimately make more money.

2) Spin: Even if Dr. Oz invited someone level headed like my husband to the show to refute his argument, Dr. Oz doesn't want to hear that. He wants you to believe everything he's telling you is true, and that we as farmers are just out to make a buck and harm the earth.

3) Pop Culture: We can't get in. Honestly. There's a disconnect between our advocacy efforts and pop culture. While groups that I participate in are doing a good job in getting our stories out, unless we infiltrate shows like Dr. Oz, we will continually bang our heads against a computer screen trying to refute old arguments such as pesticides.

4) Fear: We are driven by fear. I am signing the kids up for flu shots, because I read that this year's flu strand is deadly, and there was a four year old who died...and on and on. However, isn't this said every year? While I'm not advocating for you to not vaccinate your kid, I tend to freak out about issues like this because it sounds like me, looks like me, applies to me. That's exactly what Dr. Oz is trying to do. He is advocating for health through fear, not facts on all sides. That's not hard-hitting journalism, and pardon the word, that's crap.

5) Justification and a Reason: Obviously, we want a reason for the allergies, the birth defects, the learning disabilities. Unfortunately, we need a scapegoat, and Dr. Oz is using agriculture as such. Lucky us. So, while I agree that I don't want to hang out underneath a crop duster, nor do I dance in the spray as it's applied in the spring on our fields, I will tell you that thanks to technology, we are able to pinpoint exactly where it's needed, and apply it only in that specified location. It's amazing, and I would love to invite Dr. Oz on a round during the application of such.

6) Pride: On both ends, we think we're right. Dr. Oz, I surely hope, has your best interests in mind, as do we, and we're not coming together because of the big, nasty human trait of pride. If we'd all put this aside, and realize that we're all humans, who need to eat and survive together on this earth, maybe we'd make a dent in this argument.

I'm not the person to sit on the panel. I am not an expert. I cannot tell you the complete technical explanation why everything's safe around here, other than in general terms. However, I implore you to be like Katie. Text your farmer friends. Watch shows like this with a critical eye, and ask questions. Ask me questions...fortunately, I'm well connected with experts who are in the industry, not just on the production end, but in the seed, chemical, and animal industry.

Don't freak out thanks to Oz.

Hey! That's six words again!

Linking up with Holly here.



15 comments:

  1. Dr Oz makes me cringe!! About a year ago I got an e-mail from one of their producers, who found me via my blog, asking me questions like how much (if any) milk does our family drink? do we have digestive issues? unexplained stomach pains? I wrote back and told her that we do drink & consume dairy, no digestive unexplained or otherwise, and I never heard back again. Clearly they are able to narrow their focus as much as they like. I would not have been able to maintain my composure and would probably have been escorted from the studio, anyway. Thanks for this post, love it!

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    1. Ha! That's why I said I shouldn't be on the show...I wouldn't have been able to be "nice." And, yes, they put out there what they want, and, evidently, most of the time, it's not true!

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  2. THANK YOU! What a great post, and a good reminder that we need to be better stewards of our product, as well as educated consumers. I'm hoping the new documentary sponsored by the US Farm and Ranch Alliance (coming out next Spring), can help provide a platform to take our messaging to the global marketing level.

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    1. I agree, I'm hoping that this movie will break through whatever we can't seem to get through with just our blogs and our voices. USFRA is doing a great job, for sure. Thanks for reading!

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  3. A very good friend of mine, who is a nurse, is forever calling me to tell me what Dr. Oz said on his show. She records his show to keep for sharing with others, and for reference herself. She believes everything this guy says, and shares it with so many others, who trust the accuracy because she is a nurse. It makes me crazy! He has some good points, but I have also heard many things that I questioned the validity of myself, and I am a nurse as well. I personally am a fan of locally grown foods, and I am wondering, when Dr. Oz blamed the farmers and the pesticides, did he also mention anything about the plane trails that fill our sky in the midwest every Sunday morning? I have read alot about them and I am honestly not sure what they may have to do with polluting our gardens, but I get a bad feeling, I have seen more dead birds on our property this year than ever before. And we dont use pesticides on our property. (We have only a personal garden, we are not farmers by trade). I mean, if Dr. Oz is going to lecture about pesticides, shouldnt he be looking into all of the chemicals that are reaching our foods? Just saying.

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    1. I completely agree, Anne. What Dr. Oz has not mentioned in that piece was that he only looked at one side of the argument. There was no representation of production agriculture whatsoever, and that is what is infuriating, and unfortunately, seems to be the case with folks like him. Keep questioning, though, and keep asking us questions! We're happy to be transparent!

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    2. You're right about the "plane trails", as you called them. They are more commonly referred to as chem-trails, which you can google and watch youtube videos like "What in the World are they Spraying?" The nay sayers will call it a conspiracy, but I have had several of my own experiences that make me KNOW this is real. On one occasion, driving to work, I saw a jet flying back and forth across a large section of the sky over me releasing a thick cloud of gray substance that spread out eventually covering what had been a clear, blue sky. The next 3 weeks I had a horrible cough, none of the plants I had on my front porch were bearing fruit, (tomatoes, broccoli, etc...). My son, who thinks it's a "conspiracy theory", also had developed a horrible cough, but still thinks I'm nuts and since that day, over a year ago, I have seen several more of those same scenes, in different locations, and none of my family or friends believe me! So what are they spraying and why? I did my research, and so should everyone. It IS killing the birds, plants and the latest discovery was that a company charged with the task of spraying the dangerous chemicals is owned by the CIA. Do your homework for your sake and the sake of our children...please.

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    3. Jet trails are actually water vapor, nothing more or less. As a wife for over 2 decades to a commercial grain farmer (on our FAMILY owned farm) we used the latest technology to produce safe and abundant crops. Pesticide & herbicide use has decreased, it is now applied using GPS only to the exact areas it is needed, not broadcast over an entire field as in the past. The products themselves has been improved to where instead of using gallons it is applied by the ounce in selected areas. Do folks honestly believe we would be poisoning ourselves and our families who live on that land and consume the end products? My husband was the 4 or 5th generation farmer there, my daughter is engaged to a 6th generation farmer/rancher in the panhandle of Texas, my family has farmed in the US since before it was the US! We care for and love our land - it's not just a business asset but our livelihood. We get a deep fulfillment knowing we are caring for it and it returns that care with abundance. Please don't believe the fearmongers out there - talk to a farmer who lives the life and is educated and knowledgable about what really happens on farms and ranches. We are not ignorant, uneducated, peasants and we can help you understand modern ag practices and introduce you to the people who live this life.

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  4. Well thought out, well written. I thouroughly enjoyed your assertiveness without raising your voice. Wonderful prose!

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    1. Thanks so much! I am trying to be more like my 99 year old grandmother who is "kind, but firm!" Thanks for reading!

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  6. Thanks so much for shedding light on another side of the hot button issue. Your knowledge and the expertise you employ in responding to these issues truly makes you an advocate in agriculture...if only Dr.Oz were wise enough to bring the Webels on his show!

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  7. There WAS a farmer filmed for this show on pesticides... I think he got about 3 seconds of air time. Some of this episode was filmed at the farm I work at... They spent all day filming our farm and talking with the farmer who owns it (I'm the asst manager).

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    1. WOW! I must have missed those three seconds. I'll have to watch again, I guess! How about the interview process? Did it seem one sided? Were they asking questions that were pointed? I'm just curious. Thanks for commenting, and I'll watch it again...for your farmer's three seconds of fame.

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