Cattle producers have made substantial progress in rethinking how to use antibiotics in animal care and a short video is now available to share their news.
Farmers and ranchers understand the need for careful stewardship of antibiotics, and work hard to use them judiciously and responsibly so we all will have them when we need them. Many believe there is a disconnect between what they are doing every day and what the public hears.
Members of the Kentucky Beef Council, along with others, attended a recent Symposium on Antibiotic Use and a large part of the program dealt with how producers can better communicate their own stories. It may help offset some of the misinformation which seems to bombard consumers from other sources.
Andy Bishop, a producer from Kentucky, talks about his animals, his day to day life and his kids, using Facebook, so people can better understand what it is he does on his farm. It’s a way of sharing his life and his values. “What I’d like to address with consumers,” says Bishop, “is we take care of our cattle like we take care of our family and when they are sick, we treat. When they’re are not sick, we don’t treat. We do the very best we can to take care of those cattle.”
Kentucky State Beef Council’s Anna Hawkins deals with Consumer Affairs for the organization. “When we’re able to share the story of cattle producers to others where animal care is not part of their everyday life,” she says, “it brings a whole new perspective.”
The video series, “Telling Your Antibiotic Story,” is brought to you by the Beef Checkoff and the Kentucky Beef Council. The National Livestock Producers Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, has developed the series and, along with the Kentucky Beef Council, is committed to helping producers tell their great stories about their life, their animals and their part in fighting antibiotic resistance along with the human and environmental health professionals. The goal: Understanding one another.