Thanks for making MK pretty again

Mary Kay heard a bit of an outcry over the past couple days due to their involvement with the HSUS. They acted quickly and listened to what their customers had to say. They recently released this statement on their facebook page:

"Some fans of Mary Kay® products and independent beauty consultants have expressed concerns over a recent sponsorship of a Dallas-area event. Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. We have heard you and want to clarify any confusion.

First and foremost, Mary Kay is not a sponsor of this event. Mary Kay’s owner’s wife was approached to make a personal contribution towards a local event here in Dallas sponsored by the Dallas chapter of the Humane Society. This event specifically supports efforts to stop puppy mills and the organization’s stop puppy mills campaign. Out of caring and compassion for addressing puppy mills, our owner’s wife agreed to make a personal contribution. Mary Kay has contacted the Humane Society to clarify that we are not sponsors of this event and the company logo is being removed from the website.

As a company, we sincerely apologize for any confusion or causing any offense to members of the Mary Kay community."

This is great news for all involved -- agriculturalists know their voice has been heard, and we can all go on loving Mary Kay! If that's what you're in to and stuff. If not, then I guess you can go about your day as usual. Don't mind me.
 
An now, on a completely unrelated note... Happy birthday Bobcat! We had a little birthday celebration at 3 Amigos (where else?!) tonight, complete with a pile of fried ice cream and a nice, long chat with Cheryl about how we think the weekend crowd could be improved.

Mary Kay's not-so-pretty partnership

The word's out: the agriculture industry is watching the Humane Society of the United States and making sure those who send them money know where it is really going. Mary Kay cosmetics recently tied itself to HSUS, and we need to let them know that's not OK. Read more about it on the BeefDaily blog.

Here's a copy of the note I sent Mary Kay. Please take a couple minutes today and do the same -- instructions are on the BeefDaily site.

I recently learned Mary Kay is planning to be a corporate sponsor at a Dallas, Texas gala with the Humane Society of the United States. What a slap in the face to the hardworking women who use and sell your products. HSUS is an extremist animal rights group that has made it clear they want to put animal agriculture out of business. I know dozens of female farmers and ranchers who supplement their income by selling your product. It will be awful hard for them to make a sale knowing their hard-earned money is going to an organization so set on destroying agriculturalists’ way of life.

I can only hope your partnership with HSUS is by mistake -- they are not the organization most people think. Less than half of 1% of their multi-million dollar budget actually goes to hands-on pet shelters. They hide behind the name "humane society," making people believe they are affiliated with local humane societies (the ones who actually do help animals). Learn more here. 

I noticed the gala you are sponsoring together is working to stop puppy mills and abuse. However, the HSUS sends some mixed messages on where they really stand on that issue, too.

Please, learn more about the HSUS and reconsider your sponsorship of this event. Support local shelters that will actually put your money to use helping animals, not paying fat salaries and lobbying bills. I have used your product for years, and will not pay another dime to your company until you reconsider. I will ask all my friends and Mary Kay consultants to do the same.

Respectfully,
Laura Nelson

Who's the expert here?

When I was little, going to the doctor's office meant going to Dr. Plate's office. It didn't matter what ailed me, whether it was an ear infection or a tummy ache or a broken bone -- Dr. Plate fixed it all.

Do those kinds of family physicians exist anymore? It seems like there is an expert and a specialist for everything. You go to an Otolaryngologist for ear, nose and throat problems, a Gastroenterologist for your tummy and an orthopedic surgeon for broken lower limbs. Same holds true for everything else in life – if you have a problem, you go to the specialist or expert in that field.

So why is it that the Humane Society of the United States seems to think they deserve to be the experts in agriculture and animal husbandry? When I think of experts in animal husbandry, I think of people like veterinarians, ranchers and animal scientists. Last November, Ohio passed a ballot initiative that would create the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board to oversee livestock care in the Buckeye State. Ohians spoke – let the experts on animal husbandry make the laws that govern animal husbandry.

But the HSUS can’t leave well enough alone. This extremist animal rights group still thinks they are somehow qualified to be the experts. They’re gathering signatures to put on a referendum that would require the Board to adopt standards they’ve dreamed up, implying they know more about the matter than veterinarians, animal scientists, food safety experts and ranchers. This is just another example of the HSUS showing its true colors and once again pushing for its private agenda.

I still think Dr. Plate is the best doctor to ever grace the Nebraska panhandle where I grew up, and he cured a lot of different things that ailed me as a youngster. But when it comes to something more serious than a tummy ache, I’m sure even he would have looked to a more specialized expert on the matter.

Tell the HSUS to leave animal husbandry decisions up to the experts.Learn more here.

Catch up on how Ohio’s Issue 2 has evolved here:
Ohio’s Issue 2 passes; HSUS vows a rematch
HSUS back at it in Ohio: pushing animal handling ballot initiative
HSUS cleared to circulate petitions for Ohio animal handling initiative

I'm getting my MBA

One evening at Bob Evans at a time.

No, sitting at Bob Evens eating chicken and noodles by myself while using their free wi-fi will not earn me my Major BadAss certification any time soon. The good news is, I already got that. In case you didn't know, I was a dual major during my time as an undergrad at UW. COJO and MBA. But mostly MBA.

Yes. I seriously just wrote that.

You know it's true.

But today, I am working to earn a different type of MBA. It's one that might actually improve my lot in life. I started working on my Masters of Beef Advocacy program yesterday, and it's long overdue. It's a program put together by the Beef Checkoff that is working to empower agriculturalists to have a voice on the issues that affect them most -- consumer's perceptions of the beef industry. 

From Katie Couric's recent barrage against animal agriculture's use of antibiotics (twice) to [yellow tail]'s fall to [yellow fail] to the fact that well, everything the HSUS touches turns to muck, it is clear that agriculturalist need to have an educated, united voice to share our story.  

The program consists of six, 1-hour core courses on topics like beef safety, beef nutrition, animal care, environmental stewardship, modern beef production and the beef checkoff. They are interesting, easy to complete and forces folks in beef production to think like a typical beef consumer. It's all about equipping beef producers across the country to tell their story in presentations to schools and church/civic groups, through local media and in the “virtual” world of the Internet.

Some of the smartest, most incredible people I know are cattlemen and women. But it doesn't matter how smart you are or how great of a rancher you are or how right we know our way of life is if our story is told by groups like the HSUS and PeTA. So educate yourself on how to tell our story. Learn more about the MBA program here: http://www.beefboard.org/news/08_1010News_MBApressRelease.asp or by e-mailing Daren Williams at dwilliams@beef.org.

If you're reading this blog, I can only assume you are already a Major BA. Now go prove it with your MBA.

Some thing are better left untouched...

...like this commentary by Mike Barnett of the Texas Farm Bureau. I've got nothing to add or further commentary to make on it. That doesn't happen very often. I always have something to say. Not today.

Here's an excerpt:

"Hope for agriculture, I’m here to tell you, is not lost. The bad news is these activist groups are strong, well funded, very vocal and successful in promoting their agenda. The good news is they're ultimately doomed to fail."

He addresses the strengths and weaknesses of the animal rights movement, "industrial ag" nay-sayers, GMO protestors and climate changers. And here's the bottom line we've all known since before those folks started developing thier anti-ag agruments: the facts are on our side.

Read his blog at "Texas Agriculture Talks" for the full story.

*And that's all I have to say about that*

Props to my new home state

I've always been told a good writer is a good reader. That is a fact. So, I spend a lot of time reading. Reading for my job, reading for my entertainment, reading to pass the time and reading for research. If I were to re-hash my life pie chart, I would in all actuality give at least 60 percent of my time to reading.

When I was a little kid, I trained my stomach to be OK with reading on the hour-long rickety bus ride to school. Sometimes I read during recess (You should see pictures of me when I was little... you would understand). I can remember riding in the back of my dad's pickup during the summer months, reading while my older brother and sister fixed fence. They loved that.

You're getting the picture, right? My point is -- I spend a lot of time reading very interesting things that I think you should read, too. From time to time, I will take a break from writing here and let you make your own judgments on some of my favorite reading subjects, namely topics surrounding the beef industry.

One of my favorite things to read each day is the BeefDaily blog. Amanda Nolz is the editor, and she does an outstanding job of picking up three-four interesting beef industry news tidbits to share with her followers.

The headliner for her blog today was "Farm Bureau Discusses Ohio’s Stand Against HSUS." The people of the state of Ohio did a great thing when they passed The Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board last November. What they did and how they did it makes me proud to now call Ohio my home state (or at least the stateI now reside).

Folks took a stand against the Humane Society of the United States. Ohioans made it clear the HSUS was NOT who they thought deserved to make decisions and influence opinions on livestock husbandry. Right on, Buckeyes!

Read Amanda's blog to learn more: http://blog.beefmagazine.com/beef_daily/2010/01/20/farm-bureau-discusses-ohios-stand-against-hsus/. I also highly recommend subscribing to receive BeefDaily's e-mail updates. It is truly a great resource!