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They are weeds, not a flowerFrom time to time, people make little statements that prompt a whole line of thinking. That happened to me at the World Pork Expo in Des Moines two weeks ago. Someone was discussing how the Humane Society of the United States, an animal rights organization, seems to be so successful at camouflaging themselves as something else. They want to abolish hunting and animal agriculture; yet, most Americans seem to believe they want nothing more than better treatment for animals. They are an invasive species that will only stop when they have been eliminated or when they accomplish their goal. I know that because, the day after the World Pork Expo, I was chopping thistles in my pasture. Now, I am sure most of you are wondering how chopping thistles could be related to an animal rights organization. There is actually no difference whatsoever. For those of you who have never had the great pleasure of ranching in the plains of America, you might not understand pasture management and the control or elimination of invasive species. This time of year, a land steward doesn't go anywhere in his or her pasture without a shovel at hand. Thistles grow with a deep root. So, if you don't dig up a good bit of the root, all you have done is kill one and create several in its place. I can only imagine that if someone were driving past my place while I was out there digging up thistles, the uninformed person might think poorly of me. Thistles have a beautiful purple flower from which the seeds are spread. And from the road, a good patch of thistles might look awesome to the untrained eye, with their purple flower heads gently blowing in the breeze. The truth of the matter is that a thistle multiplies with more acceleration than rabbits. The musk thistles in my pasture contain up to 20,000 seeds in each flower. They continue to spread seeds in the wind hoping that some will take root and grow. As thistles continue to reproduce in a given area, they will prevent ALL other vegetation as they grow quickly and shade all other grasses. Consequently, as the thistle population grows, the chance for productive forages to prosper is eliminated. Animals, for the most part, do not eat thistles. They pretty much stop the food chain. The bottom line is that, left unmanaged, this invasive species will take over any area and the worst part of the scenario is that from the road that may look like a great thing. The animal rights groups that we deal with are exactly like a thistle. They spew thousands of seeds in the wind hoping a few will take root and grow. From the road, it appears they are doing good work helping the animals but, if their seeds take root, the animals will disappear. If we don't grab a shovel and take them out at their roots, they will spring back in several different forms. The pasture management plan for animal agriculture is two-fold. One: determine the food of the animal rights movement and eliminate its funding. Two: shed light on the true darkness of the invader to the species that had hoped to co-exist with it, in order that we may get the sunshine we need to prosper. Another aspect of dispelling the myths perpetuated by the thistle of food production had assistance this past week. Consumers have been led down this path of "humane" treatment of animals because the animals are sentient beings and "They are aware of their surroundings and we should not eat something that shows emotion." The New York Times recently reported results of the work carried out by Susan A. Dudley, an evolutionary plant ecologist at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. She said plants have a secret social life. In fact, she indicated that plants have a greater sense of their surroundings than animals. Her research proves that individual plants have the ability to detect other plants in the general area and actually respond differently to unrelated plants than plants they are akin to. They actually attack other non-related plants and more aggressively seek available nutrients, if a neighboring plant is not a cousin or brother. Dr. Dudley's work actually goes a long way in explaining why invasive species, such as thistles, have the ability to dominate a habitat. The most important point that we must never forget is that each of us interested in maintaining domestic food production is absolutely required to be stewards of the land. Don't complain about the thistles taking over and eliminating other species unless you are prepared to pack a shovel around to rid our ecosystem of those weeds pretending to be a flower. So sharpen your shovels! 6/23/08 Date: 6/19/08
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