Agricultural News
Some Animal Rights Extremists Care More About Money Than Animals, Pate Says
Thu, 04 Oct 2012 11:06:44 CDT
South Dakota cattle rancher Curt Pate believes handling cattle the low-stress way is right thing to do, but he's not sure about the best way to handle animal rights extremists like the Humane Society of the United States.
"I don't know if we can reason with everybody in the world. All I know is the only thing I can do is change myself. And, so, the more I learn how to better treat animals, not only for profit, but just because when I do it I feel really good. Like they say, 'It's the right thing to do.'
"I have spent so much time worrying about HSUS, PETA, and all these folks-and I've really lost quite a bit of sleep about it-I'm not so sure they really care as much about animals as they do money. I know there's a lot of them that really do. And if they care about animals as much as they say they do, and if I care about animals as much as I think I do, then we should be able to come together and come to some agreement. Because I know I've seen a lot of cattle in feedyards that are a lot happier in that feedyard than they would be out in the dry desert that we're experiencing in South Dakota, because it's a droughty bugger. And those cattle in that feedyard, they've got a lot better deal than some of those cattle out on the range right now. So, if we all would work together for the betterment of the animal like we all truly say we should, I'm all for it. But, if we're just doing it for political reasons or monetary reasons, I can't do anything about that."
Pate, obviously believes that treating cattle right with low stress management is the right thing to do and it adds to the cattleman's bottom line. He has worked closely with leaders in the Beef Quality Assurance program to this end.
"We feel that cattle handling is a big part of BQA. It's not just where you place the shots and everything, it's how you get that animal into the chute to place the shots and all the things we do. And it's all kind of a holistic model where everything works together. And if we can teach these animals from birth clear on through the feedlot 'til the last time they go over the scale, BQA and cattle handling they go hand in hand."
Click in the LISTEN BAR below to hear the current Beef Buzz with Curt Pate. You can also find the extended interview of which this Beef Buzz is just a small portion by clicking here.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Be sure to check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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