As a kid, I never thought about where my food came from. I knew that animals died, and somehow it ended up on my plate. I always tried to suppress the thought of how animals died and never wanted to think too hard about what I was eating.  

I have always loved animals, cows being a favorite for a long time, but I never thought about changing my diet to cut meat out. Friends would joke when I told them my favorite animal was a cow, then laugh when I said I ate beef. But I figured there could still be a level of respect and care for the animal even though they may be produced for human consumption.

When I left my liberal arts college, I decided to pursue a career in the field of agriculture. My love for animals and nature in general drove a desire in me to learn more about how food goes from farm to table. 

It’s safe to say that many Americans have little knowledge regarding how their food is produced because it’s become so easy to forget about it when you get it from a shelf. You’d think it’d be a cornerstone of the education system, however, it is estimated only 22% of high school teachers incorporate agriculture into their lesson plans, according to a collaborative study done by Bayer and the National 4-H Council. 

With a growing climate and food crisis, learning where our food comes from matters now more than ever, yet with urbanization, fewer are valuing agriculture.

Our world today allows people to form their own views on how food ends up on the table.

I recently learned that my horse riding instructor is a vegetarian and the daughter of a cattle farmer. She said that her dad raises many cows to sell, but doesn’t butcher or eat animals that he raises. This left me wondering about the farmer-animal relationship and what it might tell about our society.

I understand raising animals to be pets, however, I lose understanding when people say they wouldn’t eat an animal they raised for meat. I think when an animal is raised morally and ethically, it’s hard for people to shake that instinct to think of them as a pet. 

The majority of our society has become so detached from our food system, that when you aren’t raised knowing about, recognizing, and appreciating the natural processes of an animal’s life, most can’t see animals other than cuddly. 

It’s not that we’re shutting ourselves off to empathy towards animals. You can still have a relationship, provide, and care for an animal raised for meat, and in fact, you should.

In a study funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine of Ireland, they found that “Fear of humans has been negatively correlated with productivity in dairy, poultry and pig industries… In addition, dairy farmers who regarded their cows as intelligent beings, capable of experiencing emotions, knew and named their individual animals had higher milk yields”. 

Farmer’s attitudes, behaviors, and actions towards the animals that they raise all impact the productivity and welfare of such animals. On the other hand, the way non-farmers view animals also impacts how we interact with our food system. It is imperative that both farmers and our society as a whole understand those facts, and consider how their actions can positively contribute to a more sustainable future.

Anna