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A little goes a long wayI am quite sure all of you remember the spinach recall in December of 2006. I happen to remember it so vividly because, during that very same week, we were working cattle at our house. When we work cattle, our girls are right there with us. I remember thinking, how is it that our 1-year-old, in the proximity of flying feces from cattle work, never gets sick with such things as E. coli O157:H7. In fact, of the 100,000 farm families I know in the nation, I can only think of one family who has ever had a kid with an E. coli problem. Yet, if other kids eat one little bit of bacteria in their food, they can suffer huge health problems. I believe those of us who understand animal agriculture know that exposing our kids to these organisms creates a level of immunity similar to vaccinating them. Others in our society don't seem to get that and, instead, they attempt to create a sterile environment, thereby setting their kids up for disaster. No longer do we need to rely on the hunches of farmers and ranchers. Scientists have verified what we believe and it is even more resounding than we could have ever imagined. Last week, New Scientist magazine reported that dairy farmers are five times less likely than the general population to develop lung cancer. It says farmers typically breathe in a lot of dust consisting largely of dried manure, including all of the bacteria that grows in it. "As strange as it sounds, epidemiologists are starting to uncover unexpected links between our exposure to dirt and germs and our risk of cancer later in life." The article argued that, just as children who are exposed to germs from a young age are less likely to develop leukemia, adults who have a greater exposure to germs than usual might build up a greater resistance to bugs and even to cancer. According to New Scientist, "Some researchers are starting to wonder whether the higher incidence of certain cancers in affluent populations--including breast cancer, lymphoma and melanoma--might also have something to do with sanitized, infection-free living," New Scientist reports. Earlier, we reported the results of Dr. Thomas Platts-Mills who found that kids who live with pets develop immunity to such things as asthma, but these latest findings go far beyond what anyone in the research community had previously looked into. It is certainly a reminder to us that any time we introduce new animals into our herd and diseases occur it tends to be the new arrivals that fall victim to it. We are quick to want to blame them but, in fact, we learn that they were naïve to existing bugs in the operation and, as a result, it takes time to acclimate them and to get their immune systems all revved up. Why should we expect humans to be any different? The great irony of this story is that, as I travel the country, one of the most common myths is that human health dangers loom if an animal feeding operation comes into your neighborhood. This study documents through science that the exact opposite is true. In fact, this means that every single person in the country could benefit from having a livestock facility in the neighborhood. The presence of a little dust and its accompanying bacteria in the air may just prevent your children from suffering from cancer later in life. The most important aspect of this report is one that I hope all parents will take to heart. As we now have almost 1,000 household items that contain anti-bacterial agents and we continue to restrict our kids from anything that may be considered dirty, the truth of the matter is that we are setting them up for a train wreck. With that said, let's keep in mind that the report did not state that farm exposure will prevent disease but people who are not exposed will have a five times greater risk of developing the disease. The moral of the story is that dirt and dung are neither one four-letter words. A little of each will go a long way in protecting human health. 2/11/08 Date: 2/7/08
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