(HARTINGTON, NE) - Ed Lammers started farming with his dad about 30 years ago. He grows corn, soybeans and alfalfa and raises cattle in Hartington, Nebraska.
When KMEG 14 went to Ed's farm, he had a lot to say about animal rights groups and how they use a few bad apples to paint a false picture of the entire ag industry.
Ed Lammers grows his feed for his cows and sells it to other farms too. He knows farming today takes more than hard work.
"You can work really, really hard every day and you can still lose your butt if you don't market it right," said Ed Lammers.
Marketing has been tough for him lately. He said he's felt harsh criticism as a farmer from one the nation's largest animal protection organizations: The Humane Society of the United States.
The society wants to end the use of gestation crates on hog farms. Restaurants like Burger King, McDonald's, and Denny's are on board. On the other hand, Lammers said there's a good reason to keep pregnant sows separate.
"When you put a large group of animals together, they will go through a pecking order. And when they, to arrive that pecking order, some of them will get abused. They will pick on one animal or know, two or three animals. Whoever they decide to pick on. A whole herd will decide to do that and will eventually kill that animal if it gets out of hand," Lammers described.
Ed said it's not just about the animals. It's also about the animal ag production.For example: the food they eat and the professional services that are all involved in farming.
"I don't know if the public knows there's a capital investment in everything we do out here. So when rules change, that means the producer has to change his way of producing things and that's a capital investment to make that change," explained Lammers.
However, he is not excusing farmers who abuse animals and give the industry a black eye.
"There's always bad eggs in every group. There's no doubt. And I'm not going to stand here and defend them because it's wrong. It's wrong. If they're doing it wrong, it's wrong. And eventually they will weed out," said Lammers.
Bottom line: he wants everyone to do their research before picking a side.
"I'm asking the public to check the facts out. I mean really do some fact finding. Don't take what some people's word are. Do some research on your own," said Lammers. "I invite anyone from the HSUS to my farm and debate this. They're more than welcome to come here."
