Certification vs. Regulation
Dear Aggie, Why are certification programs necessary? Doesn’t USDA or anyone else have any general farm animal welfare guidelines for farms and slaughter plants? Thanks, Asking in Alaska Dear Alaska, The truth is that voluntary programs, such as those offered by AGW, offer the most detailed animal management and welfare standards. In the U.S., only three main pieces of federal legislation relate to animal welfare: 1. Humane Methods of Slaughter Act This act does not apply to poultry or other…
All in the Family
Dear Aggie, I heard you only certify family farms – what does that mean? Thanks, Mom in Maine Dear Mom, Thanks for asking. We all want to support our nation’s farmers and I’m sure you’ve seen the growth in the use of this term in the marketplace – especially as a way to imply wholesome practices without any further evidence. We define a family farm as follow (available in our definitions document here): “A farm rented or owned on which…
Dear Aggie
Confused by food labels? Want to know which farming practices are really sustainable? Dear Aggie is ready to answer your food and farming questions! Take a look below at the questions others have asked. To ask your own, click on the mail icon to the right, or email DearAggie@agreenerworld.org, and submit your question to Dear Aggie! Climate-Conscious in Cincinnati Posted on November 21, 2016 Will cutting meat from my diet help save the world? Read More Holiday Giving Season…
Can We Really Expect Consumers to Shake Every Farmer’s Hand?
“Eat meat from people whose hands you can shake and whose ranches you can visit.” This was the take away from a recent OpEd that has been making the rounds, written by Ariel Greenwood, grazing manager at Freestone Ranch in the San Francisco Bay area. Ariel is a rancher whose heart is clearly in the right place. In her beautifully written OpEd, she outlines all the hard work they put in to restoring the health of the local (and global) environment,…
Fit Or Fat?
Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW standards require farmers and ranchers to maintain all animals at a Body Condition Score of 2 or more, while breeding animals must not exceed a score of 4 (both on a scale of 1 to 5). But what does this mean—and how can Body Condition Scoring be used as a livestock management tool? What is Body Condition Scoring? Body Condition Score (BCS) is a measure of an animal’s energy reserves (or fat reserves) and…
