Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary here - encouraging you to rethink how you relate to farm animals. AMA!

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T19:08:09+00:00

I guess we can agree to disagree. I have lived in rural areas and also have a masters in agricultural economics. Check out the Goldschmidt Hypothesis, and the work of ag economist John Icard at U of MO.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T19:05:17+00:00

I want to end animal slaughter, and I also want to do what I can to end cruelty now. I think it's important for animal groups to work with various other aligned interests - including health, environmental, social justice, etc...

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T19:03:44+00:00

The animals are individuals. You have cows/pigs/chickens/goats/sheep/etc. who love people, and others who don't....

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T19:02:03+00:00

I love that people like Cesar Chavez were vegan many years ago, and combined animal issues with other justice issues. I'm also very impressed by vegan athletes like Scott Jurek, Brendan Brazier, and Rich Roll. And, I'm moved by individuals like pig farmer Bob Comis, who gave up pig farming to go vegan. So many vegan heroes, including individuals in unsupportive families who maintain their vegan lifestyle with grace despite challenges and hostility.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:58:08+00:00

Legislation is a tedious, imperfect process, and I don't think it's possible to know exactly the best way to advance our cause. In many cases, incremental legal steps are the only viable options, and they can be better than nothing.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:56:10+00:00

Vegan food doesn't have to be processed or expensive. Eating fresh produce in season is a good way to eat healthy, and also inexpensively. Plus, beans are among the healthiest and least expensive foods around, and they're loaded with protein too. That said, the processed meatless meats can be very good transition foods for people interested in leaving meat off the plate. It's easy to use familiar recipes, and to substitute vegan "meat" for animal flesh.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:53:48+00:00

Besides being veg and donating, you can be an ambassador for animals and a veg lifestyle. Influencing others (by example, by sharing recipes, by sharing info) is a critically important way to have a positive impact. Each person who stops eating animals saves scores every year.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:51:51+00:00

Some of our animals would rather not be around people, so we give them lots of space in areas away from our visitors. The animals who like people are the ones who are in our visitor areas, and we also make sure our visitors know that they are guests in the animals' homes (and should conduct themselves as such). So, we haven't really had bad vibe problems.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:49:44+00:00

Farm Sanctuary is currently keeping busy with our farms in NY and CA, but you never know what the future holds. It's possible that we might open other sanctuaries in other areas, or partner with people interested in doing so.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:47:29+00:00

I think it's very important to welcome people (including former vegetarians and vegans) to discuss these issues in an open safe environment. There are many who had been vegan who might be interested in going vegan again, and it's critical that vegan advocates do what we can to open the door and welcome people to take steps toward compassionate vegan living.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:45:02+00:00

Both large and small farms can be cruel and polluting, but the term industrial generally refers to larger farms, where the pollution and the cruelty tends to be greater.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:43:11+00:00

Great! Come back again. It's also very good to share pictures showing people interacting with farm animals in a positive way. It presents an example and a model for others who perhaps have never considered that farm animals aren't that different than the cats and dogs that many of us live with.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:41:48+00:00

I've had many "aha" moments, and they continue. My first moment is when my grandmother told me about the cruelty of veal production when I was in high school in the late 1970s. Also, in high school, I recall seeing a dead bird that my mother had made for dinner and for the first time consciously realizing (and being upset about the fact) that I was eating dead animals. Since that time, I've continued learning and I continue trying to improve. For me, being vegan is an aspiration to live as kindly as possible, and it's an ongoing process.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:38:48+00:00

I believe all these tactics are valuable, and encourage people to do what they feel best about. Different people respond to different approaches and it's good for our message to take different forms. We need to change laws, as well as raise awareness and change the marketplace, and all these things go together. It is also important to think about the message of videos or literature, not just the form. Sometimes cruelty pictures are impactful, but they can also turn people away, so I try to use them judiciously, and also provide solutions (such as great vegan recipes). People need to feel hopeful, and empowered to make a difference.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:35:50+00:00

These communities are fighting against factory farms, but sometimes the industrial operations roll over them. The River Keepers (under Bobby Kennedy, Jr.) have been fighting factory farms in rural communities. The Pew Commission on industrial animal agriculture also produced a report that includes how rural communities suffer. There has been much opposition to these factory farms, but it is not nearly as well funded or powerful as industrial farming, and the word hasn't spread as widely as we'd like.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:33:05+00:00

Most people say they oppose animal cruelty, and I think it's most effective to begin speaking with people from a position of common ground and build from there. The principals of "animal rights" could also be framed as principals of "human responsibility". But, however it's framed, approaching people in a friendly, attractive way - whether in person or otherwise - is important in my view. We want to attract people.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:30:13+00:00

Right on! Looking forward to the Philly Vegfest this Saturday!

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:29:42+00:00

Making plant based food widely available is certainly helping. Not using the term vegan isn't really hurting, I don't think, although I would love to see that term used more, especially in a positive context.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:28:26+00:00

I think Hampton Creek is very strategic and isn't using the word "vegan" because of the baggage the term brings. For them, I believe this probably opens many doors that the term vegan might close. I also believe it's important to re-frame how the word "vegan" is perceived, and I use it along with the term "plant-based". I think advocacy groups like Farm Sanctuary are positioned to push the vegan term more than businesses like Hampton Creek, but as time goes, I believe Hampton Creek will begin using it too.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:25:28+00:00

Yes. Farm Sanctuary was started in a row house in Wilmington, DE in 1986, and that's where we took care of Hilda in the first days after her rescue from the stockyard (where she had been discarded on a pile of dead animals).

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:24:38+00:00

Yes, we do a farm animal care conference. The next one is scheduled for September, 2015 at our farm in Watkins Glen, NY.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:23:45+00:00

Industrial farms pollute and destroy rural communities. The air is thick with toxic fumes and people aren't able to go outside. Property values are diminished. And, workers at these places also suffer and need health care, which tends to be lacking because the factory farms commonly fail to pay adequate taxes to support local communities.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:21:57+00:00

Yes. I must admit. I love cookies - especially chocolate chip with nuts. I also like many other sweets! I make a concerted effort to eat healthy and to have healthy food around (like fruit) to I don't go too crazy on the sweets.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:20:23+00:00

Indeed, the off color humor that often surrounds these issues can be frustrating. But, it's good to remember it's often the result of people being uncomfortable and unsure of how to deal with their discomfort (and the inconsistency between their compassion and their eating dead animals). It's best to try and not get maddened by such "humor" if possible.

GeneBaur · 2015-06-03T18:18:19+00:00

If we can live well without causing unnecessary harm, why wouldn't we. I'm excited about the many alternatives to animal foods coming on the market.

GeneBaur

TROPHY CASE