The billboards may be gone, and the lawsuits settled, but the fight for North Carolina pig farmers and our farming communities continues. Attacks continue, and now they are targeting your children.
It’s in college lectures, high school & elementary classrooms, and now even on major programming like Nickelodeon. As a part of an Earth Day segment, Nickelodeon highlighted the “environmental racism” and “pollution” that North Carolina hog farmers are inflicting. The network’s programming is primarily aimed at children 2-17, while some of its programs target the entire family.
When it came to their segment on the atrocities of NC pig farms, we weren’t surprised to see names like Rick Dove, Waterkeepers Alliance, and Cape Fear River Watch in the credits.
We say all this to bring awareness. Anti-agriculture activists are going beyond billboards, legislators, and lawsuits. They are targeting your kids.
As Parents, teachers and community members, we need to stay vigilant of the facts or “lack of facts” that are being fed to our children about agriculture.
The farm should not be portrayed as a place of pollution and mean-spirited, careless farmers. It should be highlighted as a place of innovation, career opportunities, and fellow families. Those who get to grow up on the farm, know just how many important lessons the farm can provide. That’s the message that should be shared to all kids—farms are good and important. They aren’t inherently bad.
We are not just fighting misconceptions of where food comes from and what a farmer looks like. We are fighting against misconceptions about the very character and value of farms and farmers.
The youth of today hold the future of tomorrow. What will tomorrow look like for our farmers and our communities? Will the future be a generation who has been taught that farmers are a danger to our health and environment, or will it be a generation who stands up and preserves farms?
We’ve seen what happens when there is a disconnect between farmers and the public. Activists want to make that disconnect even greater by targeting the next generation of leaders and consumers.
Stay vigilant, friends. The billboards may have faded, but the attacks haven’t. They’ve just switched gears. Keep sharing the true story of farmers, especially to our young people.
Reliable Sources for Youth & Parents/Teachers:
Visiting a Pig Farm with Chad Herring: https://youtu.be/LSF9hE6S3Zc
NC Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom: https://www.ncfb.org/ag-in-the-classroom/
USDA Agriculture Library: https://www.nal.usda.gov/topics/educational-resources-children-parents-and-teachers
National Ag Day: https://www.agday.org/helpful-websites
