Dairy month 2015

Dairy Month 2015

File photo Cows wait in the milking barn to get milked on Rajen Dairy in Curry County.

Dairy: Economic driver across region

“Even the editor (of the Portales newspaper) was clamoring, ‘You need cows and horses, not plows and horses,’” - Lowell O’Hare author.

By Joshua Lucero Staff writer jlucero@pntonline.com Dairy cows have been in Clovis and Portales as long as people have been here.

And as early as 1910, the residents of Roosevelt County realized that milk cows might be a key to economic prosperity.

“In fact, many experts believed that the survival of the county depended on the dairy cow.”

So wrote Lowell O’Hare in an essay titled, “Making a Living in Roosevelt County,” chapter 10 in the book, “Roosevelt County History and Heritage,” published in 1975.

“Even the editor (of the Portales newspaper) was clamoring, ‘You need cows and horses, not plows and horses,’” O’Hare reported.

By 1915, most every farmer in the Portales region had a few cows and a cream separator, supplementing their income from grain crops by selling dairy products to local grocery stores.

“Roosevelt County was called ‘the dairy county of the state’ and Elida bought and shipped more cream than any other place in New Mexico,” O’Hare wrote.

By the 1940s, Price’s Creamery in Portales processed 2,000 pounds of milk per day. The butter production was at 5,000 pounds annually, O’Hare wrote.

In 1950, Portales was home to 450 “major dairy farms,” O’Hare wrote, with the largest dairy milking 400 cows and producing 20,000 gallons of milk each day.

Clovis, too, had at least one dairy in its early days.

At least G.A. Campbell named his business Campbell Dairy and Ice Cream Co. Historian Don McAlavy reported Campbell had a single milk cow when he moved to Clovis in 1909.

At first, Campbell operated a confectionary store in the 200 block of Main Street.

In 1916, he built the first solid concrete, two-story building in Clovis, on the “edge of town at 500 Main,” according to the Clovis News-Journal obituary reporting Campbell’s death in 1971.

The building at 500 Main was known as Campbell Dairy and Ice Cream Co. It later became Clovis’ first Coca-Cola bottling plant, also operated by Campbell.

The dairy industry has, of course, evolved into the economic driver those farmers of Roosevelt County first dreamed about more than 100 years ago.

Today, New Mexico has more than 150 dairies — many considerably larger than those from 65 years ago. Dairy industry officials say the state has approximately 322,000 head of milk cows. New Mexico is the ninth-largest milk producer in the United States, according to the New Mexico State University Dairy Extension office.

The industry generates about 8,632 jobs in dairy production and about 9,427 jobs in dairy processing across the state.

NMSU Dairy Extension’s Robert Hagevoort said Roosevelt and Curry County dairies have about 146,000 cows that require approximately 1,500 workers to provide care, milking, and feeding.

Hagevoort said the dairy industry in the

Roosevelt and Curry County area also employs about 4,000 indirectly.

New Mexico statistics from 2012 show that dairy production paid about $335 million in salaries across the state, and about $425 million in paid salaries for dairy processing.

According to the NMSU Dairy Extension website, the dairy industry produced 8.1 billion pounds of milk in 2014, with production being split into two zones.

The zones include central New Mexico and eastern New Mexico.

Statistics from 2005-2006 show the eastern zone produces more than 75 percent of New Mexico’s milk volume.

NMSU dairy statistics from 2012 show the top three milk producing counties in New Mexico were Chaves, Curry, and Roosevelt.

Those three counties produced two thirds of New Mexico’s milk.

The New Mexico dairy industry is ranked No. 1 in the United States for herd size, coming in at an average of 2,175 cows per dairy.

The dairy industry also supports other industries that have developed in the area, including cheese plants, milk powder plants, and milk processing facilities.

In addition to milk processing plants, the dairy industry needs plants that produce cattle feed, silage harvesters, and producers of hay products.

Hagevoort said the dairy industry also produces a need for trucking companies to transport milk from the dairies, trucking

companies to bring in feed, service companies for dairy equipment, seed companies, veterinarians, and nutritionists.

According to the NMSU Dairy Extension webpage, the average New Mexico dairy contributes about $10 million annually to the state’s economy.

The webpage states that the dairy industry has an economic impact in New Mexico of $1.6 billion annually, with milk production creating an additional $2.8 billion annually.

Comparing 2005-2006 NMSU statistics to 2014 NMSU statistics shows that New Mexico has fallen from the seventh-largest milk producer in the nation to the ninth largest.

But the statistics also show that the number of dairy cows in New Mexico is down by about 40,000 from its peak in 2006. In August 2006 the number of dairy cows in New Mexico was about 362,000, dropping to 322,000 in 2014.

Despite the drop in dairy cows, the industry is up in milk production, producing 8.1 billion pounds of milk in 2014 over the 7.1 billion produced in 2006.

The Roosevelt County farmers of 1910 might be shocked to see what the dairy industry has become with its modern techniques, attention to detail and everincreasing production of milk.

But their vision of “cows and horses, not plows and horses,” was right on target for the economic growth of the region.

— Editor David Stevens contributed to this report

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Local Dairies

Roosevelt County • Amistad Dairy 465 S Roosevelt Road U Portales, NM • Back Nine Dairy 1051 S Roosevelt Road O Portales, NM • Bonestroo Dairy 326 New Mexico 467 Portales, NM 575-359-1530 • Brouwer Dairy 373 S Roosevelt Road X Portales, NM • Crosswinds Dairy 795 New Mexico 202 Portales, NM • Dairy Farmers of America 1705 S Industrial Dr Portales, NM 575-359-3566 • Double T Dairy 2873 S Roosevelt Road 7 Portales, NM • Greenfield Park Dairy 450 New Mexico 202 Portales, NM • Mariposa Farms 435 S Roosevelt Road 30 Causey, NM 575-273-4271 • Midway Dairy 43241 US 70 Portales, NM

Dairy Month 2015

• Rogers W Diamond Dairy 2875 S Roosevelt Road 7 Portales, NM • Salt Ridge Dairy 1437 New Mexico 88 Portales, NM 575-276-8526 • Schapp Dairy Office 450 New Mexico 88 Portales, NM 575-276-8306 • Nature’s Way Dairy 1299 S Roosevelt Road 4 Portales, NM 575-276-8594 over 3,000 cows

Curry County • Arrowhead Dairy 1763 Curry Road 6 Clovis, NM 575-683-5600 • Cooper Legacy Dairy 663 N Roosevelt Road 3 Clovis, NM 575-683-0040 • Cooper Legacy Dairy 293 N Roosevelt Road G Clovis, NM 575-683-0042 • Desert Star Dairy 12 N Roosevelt Road A Texico, NM 575-683-9983 • Desperado Dairy 1244 Curry Road D

Texico, NM 575-389-5261

• DO Rene Dairy 1461 Curry Road 6 Clovis, NM 575-683-5398 • Heritage Dairy 650 Curry Road F Clovis, NM 575-683-9603 • Highland Dairy 650 Curry Road O Clovis, NM 575-683-5155 2,800 cows • Mid Frisian Dairy 507 Curry Road 8 Clovis, NM 575-683-5110 2,100 cows • North Point Dairy 2049 State Road 209 Clovis, NM 575-389-6455 • Palla Wayne Offices 902 Colonial Pkwy Clovis, NM 575-762-3391 • Providence Dairy 353 Curry Road 19 Texico, NM 575-389-0011 • Rajen Dairy 938 Curry Road O Clovis, NM 575-791-3635 6,000 cows

June 2015

• Route 77 Dairy 197 State Road 77 Texico, NM 575-389-0091 • Sas Dairy 506 State Road 467 Clovis, NM 575-683-5344 • Southern Draw Dairy 949 Curry Road 23 Clovis, NM 575-985-2050

Bailey County • Caprock Diary 160 County Road 50 Muleshoe, TX 806-965-2630 • Dutch Road Dairy LLC 236 County Road 163 Muleshoe, TX 806-272-8997 • J & S Dairy Inc. 1260 County Road 1038 Muleshoe, TX 806-272-7706 • North Muleshoe Dairy 2208 County Road 1028 Muleshoe, TX 806-272-8997 — Compiled by Staff Writer Jackie Johnson

June 2015

Dairy Month 2015

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Dairy, enviroment can go together, producers say “New Mexico is at the top (of the list) when it comes to regulation of groundwater, Especially with dairy rule. - Beverly Idsinga, dairy producers spokesperson

By Brittney Cannon DEPUTY EDITOR bcannon@cnjonline.com The dairy industry’s relationship with environmental activists has long been a shaky one, but recent amendments to groundwater rules for dairies could lead to mutual trust.

Sort of.

“Those amendments were approved by dairy industries, water quality protection advocates, individual organizations and by the environment department,” said Dan Lorimer, a lobbyist and conservation coordinator for the Sierra Club, Rio Grande Chapter.

But Lorimer still says it’s difficult to keep groundwater from becoming contaminated with high amounts of nitrogen from “discharge from the animals” when there are a high number of dairy cows in a concentrated area.

“Dairies, especially confined animal feeding operations like most dairies in New Mexico, are at a potentially high risk for groundwater to be polluted from the concentrated number of animals,” Lorimer said. “Dairies contribute higher levels of nitrogen than the law allows — 10 parts per million.

Dairy’s record in New Mexico in terms of preventing groundwater pollution is more than disturbing, and it’s difficult to keep it from happening when you have that number.

It’s a problem to do it right; it’s not easy at all to do it right.”

Beverly Idsinga, spokesperson for Curry County-based Rajan Dairy and the director of Dairy Producers of New Mexico, feels like New Mexico dairy farms are the most highly regulated farms in America.

“New Mexico is at the top (of the list) when it comes to regulation of groundwater,” Idsinga said. “Especially with dairy rule.

“Misinformation was put out there that we weren’t regulated at all. They just wanted to know what regulations looked like, wanted to make sure they were based on sound science. I don’t think they were asking to be deregulated, just (asking for) sane regulations while protecting the environment.”

The new guidelines are intended to limit concerns from both sides.

“It’s a milestone because we have agreed basically to let dairies run their operations … as long as they don’t pollute groundwater,” Lorimer said. “This is also going to be a cleanup effort, an effort to go back and make remediation plans and make them real.”

The new amendments are “proactive

between the department and the (dairy) industry,” because it gives dairy farms more options in how they run their daily operations on the farm, Lorimer said.

Farmers must monitor the groundwater closely and remediate any pollution, he said, as part of the new rule.

downturn in 2009. Our producers were losing $100 a cow a day.

producers in New Mexico “step up to the challenge.”

“Things have gotten better, but we’re still digging out of the hole they’re in, and have to pay for attorneys and consultants and trying to decide whether to hang on or not.”

“The new rule irons out a few problems with that, and basically puts it in the hands of the (dairy) industry to protect the groundwater,” Lorimer said.

Despite the constant challenges dairies face each day, Idsinga said regulations to protect the groundwater supply do need to exist, and she’s always impressed with how dairy

“There does need to be safeguards in place,” Idsigna said. “I think our producers are constantly tasked with doing more with less, and they constantly step up. New Mexico has the best milk in the nation, always number one in efficiency. I’m always proud of our producers to step up to these challenges on a daily basis.”

Idsinga, who has extensive experience with dairy farms — she’s related to the owners of Rajan Dairy — said families who own and operate dairy farms want to pass down something to future generations that isn’t polluted and won’t “harm their own families.”

“These are families that just want to get out and milk cows and make a living,” Idsinga said. “They don’t want to do things that would harm their own families. It’s very much family-owned, passed down from generations. This has been evolved sometimes for over 100 years. Why would you pass something down to the next generation and leave it worse than when you got it?”

Lorimer said dairy farmers may be required to install a synthetic liner in lagoons to help stop the source of pollution.

“Oftentimes, they monitor the pollution and hope like hell it goes away,” Lorimer said.

So to combat groundwater contamination, Idsinga said dairy farmers will line lagoons according to regulation with either soil or synthetic liner. Idsinga said dairy farmers also recycle the water they use “five times over.”

“The cows do drink water, and they’re picky,” Idsinga said. “We use recycled water to wash down the parlors, that goes to the lagoon. The average dairy does recycle water at least five times over.”

But it’s not just groundwater contamination that dairy farmers have to consider when it comes to government regulation — Idsinga said each dairy farm has to have a whole team of people just to operate every day.

From veterinarians to nutritionists to lawyers, dairy farmers have to inspect every step that goes into producing milk.

“Every single load of milk is tested, and that’s the Department of Agriculture. Then the environment would do inspections but not schedule them,” Idsinga said. “A majority of producers don’t do it themselves.

“You have to have an attorney, a nutritionist and consultants to keep up with environmental regulations. It’s not easy, especially when we had the economic

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File photo Andres Chavez of Clovis attaches a milking machine to dairy cows at SAS dairy.

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June 2015

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Dairy Month

June 2015

Rain not always a friend to dairies Anna George Staff Writer ageorge@pntonline.com

Bradley said he uses the rain to find improvements for the farms such as leaks or flooding areas that can be repaired.

The rain across eastern New Mexico — a near-record 10-plus inches across much of the region in May — may be welcome on many fronts, but not all.

But Bradley said repeated rainfall can lead to depression in cows.

It’s had a negative impact on the cows at area dairies, contributing to disease and even depression, officials say.

Alan Anderson, owner of Anderson dairies in Portales, said the excessive amounts of water in the corrals is causing udder diseases among his cows.

The most common disease seen by Anderson is called mastitis. According to dairyco.org, mastitis causes inflammation of the cow’s udder and comes from a bacterial invasion.

Anderson said sick cows has led to a slight decline in milk production, but that mastitis is easily cured medicinally.

Workers also must “strip out” the cow’s udder by emptying it of infected milk, Anderson said.

But overall, Anderson said, the rain produces positive results, especially in terms of growing feed much more swiftly.

Walter Bradley, director of government and industry relations for Dairy Farmers of America, said the rain is a good safety check for dairy farms.

“It stops us from repeating mistakes,” Bradley said.

Bradley said depressed cows produce less milk and, on top of disease caused by the wet weather, this can cause a decrease in milk production.

“There’s truth to the saying a happy cow gives lots of milk,” Bradley said.

The production of the milk is not the only part of the process being impacted by the rain.

Jimmy Black, chief financial officer at Boehning Dairy in Earth, said his dairy has had to dump milk because trucks were unable to get there because of flooding.

This does not directly affect dairies, because the cost of the milk must be paid by the transport companies, but could lead to rising transportation costs in the long run, Black said.

Bradley said he has seen similar problems in which country roads were undrivable and trucks were unable to make their deliveries.

The rain has made delivery inconvenient and the cows’ behavior less than desirable but any rain in this part of the country is welcome, Bradley said.

* Rain in May 2015 total: 10.56 inches Record: 11.87 inches (1941) Month’s average: 2.02 inches — * National Weather Service reports for Clovis

“We will never turn down rain,” he said.

File photo A dairy cow eats feed at a Roosevelt County farm.

June 2015

Dairy Month

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Hungry? The National Dairy Council has some ideas: Cottage Cheesecake

Directions:

• 8 oz graham crackers, crushed • 8 oz almond meal • 1/4 c brown sugar • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice • 4 tbsp butter, melted • 32 oz lactose-free, low-fat cottage cheese • 1/2 c Greek yogurt, reduced fat • 1 1/4 c sugar • 4 ea eggs • 1 tbsp vanilla • 1/2 c flour • 1 ea lemon, juiced (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2. For crust, combine graham crackers, almond meal, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and melted butter in food processor. Press desired thickness into bottom of cheesecake pan; bake for 10-15 minutes until set.

Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.

3. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. 4. Combine cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, sugar, eggs, vanilla and flour in food processor; puree until very smooth. If desired, lemon juice can then be added to the mixture.

5. Bake approximately 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6. Let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours, then remove from pan and serve.

Twice-Baked Baby Potatoes Greenhouse Market Salad • 1 (10 oz.) package romaine lettuce blend • 1 small cucumber, peeled, sliced • 4 slices deli honey roast turkey breast, cut into strips (6 oz.)

• 1 1/2 cups tomatoes, diced • 1 1/4 cups garden blend shredded cheese, seasoned according to package directions • 1/4 cup prepared reduced-fat buttermilk ranch dressing • 1/2 avocado, cubed • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, shelled Directions: 1. Arrange salad greens on serving platter or four plates.

2. Top with cucumber, turkey, tomatoes, seasoned cheese and dressing.

3. Garnish with avocado and sunflower seeds

• 36 baby yukon gold or red potatoes • 3 tablespoons olive oil • 1-2 teaspoons fresh thyme • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper • 6 slices bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled • 1/3 cup chopped fresh chives • 1/3 cup lactose-free sour cream of full-fat yogurt • 1/2 cup lactose-free milk • 1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Directions: 1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the potatoes on a large baking sheet and toss with the olive oil. Season liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper; toss until coated. Roast potatoes until tender, about 30 minutes depending on size. Remove from the oven and let cool.

2. Carefully hollow out each potato: Begin by slicing off the top; use a small spoon to scoop out most of the flesh inside, transferring it to a large bowl. Discard the tops. Mash the potato flesh with a masher or a fork, then add in the bacon, thyme, chives, lactose-free sour cream, lactose-free milk, Parmigiano-Reggiano, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

3. Fill the hollowed potatoes with potato mixture, forming a mound on the top.

4. Return the potatoes to the oven and bake until the filling heats through, about 10 to 12 minutes. If you are barbecuing, try heating the potatoes on the grill for a smoky flavor. Sprinkle with the remaining chives and serve warm.

Banana Breakfast Smoothie

Cheesy Guacamole

• 1 large fully-ripened banana, peeled and sliced • 1 cup puffed rice cereal • 3/4 cup fat-free milk • 1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt • 2 tsp honey • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract Directions: 1. In a single layer on a plate, freeze the banana slices for at least one hour (or overnight).

2. Add the frozen banana, cereal, milk, yogurt, honey and vanilla to a blender container.

3. Cover and puree until smooth. Pour into two chilled glasses.

• 16 oz cottage cheese, low fat, lactose-free • 1 c avocado, diced • 1/2 c red onion, peeled, diced • 1 tbsp cilantro, chopped • 2 tbsp lime juice, fresh squeezed • 1 tsp salt • 1 tsp cumin, ground • 1 tsp coriander, ground • 1/2 tsp garlic powder • 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, reduced-fat, finely shredded Directions: 1. Puree cottage cheese until smooth in food processor.

2. In a small bowl combine avocado, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt, cumin, coriander and garlic powder; mash with a fork until chunky.

3. Stir together cottage cheese, guacamole mixture and cheddar, reserving some cheddar to use as garnish.

Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

Quiche Cups • 4 hash browns, frozen • 4 tbsp olive oil • 12 eggs, large • 3 Southwest vegetable blends, frozen • 12 oz Greek yogurt, fat-free • 10 oz + 2 oz cheddar cheese, salt and pepper, to taste Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Apply non-stick spray to all wells of a 12-cup muffin tin.

3. Toss hash browns and olive oil; evenly distribute the mixture using a 12-cup muffin tin. Bake approximately 20 minutes until hash browns are golden brown. Let cool slightly and apply more non-stick spray to the exposed sides of each cup.

4. Combine eggs, Southwest vegetable blend (or 3 cups of your favorite diced vegetables), fat-free Greek yogurt, 10 ounces shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.

5. Divide egg mixture evenly over hash browns to fill all 12 wells of the muffin tin.

6. Bake for 10 minutes; top with 2 remaining ounces cheddar cheese and bake approximately 10 additional minutes until the center of each quiche is cooked through.

• 1 3/4 cups pancake mix • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1 cup milk • 1 egg, lightly beaten or 2 egg whites • 1/2 cup no-sugar-added applesauce • 1/2 cup green apples, peeled and diced • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped Directions: 1. Spray griddle or large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat to medium heat.

2. Combine pancake mix and cinnamon in large mixing bowl. Make a well in center of mixture. Add milk, egg, applesauce, apples and walnuts. Stir with wire whisk just until blended.

3. Using 1/4-cup measure or 2-ounce ladle, pour batter onto griddle. Cook pancakes on griddle until golden brown on each side, turning once.

Cream of Broccoli Soup • 1 1/2 cups water • 3 cups finely chopped fresh broccoli • 2 teaspoons canola oil • 1 cup chopped onion • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic • 1 tablespoon flour • 3 cups fat free (skim) milk • 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon pepper • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper • 3/4 cup parmesan cheese Directions: 1.Combine the water and the broccoli and boil over medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. In a large skillet, heat the oil and saute the onion and garlic until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the flour to the skillet, stirring constantly to mix. Add the liquid from the broccoli and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add the milk, broccoli and spices and stir well.

3. Cook until hot, but do not allow the milk to boil. Top each serving with 1 teaspoon parmesan cheese.

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Dairy Month

June 2015

Senator: Nobody wants animal abuse

By Kevin Wilson DEPUTY EDITOR kwilson@cnjonline.com

“Ag gag” rules are based on a philosophy that the Internet is like a tube of toothpaste — or, for dairy fans, a tube of yogurt.

Once something’s out of the tube, good luck getting it back in.

Once a video hits the Internet, the people it features have little recourse toward stopping its spread, and laws in other states are making it a criminal offense to film an animal on a farm or lie on a job application to record incriminating footage.

New Mexico legislators don’t feel like they need to go that far, but are pursuing a smaller-scale approach that would put responsibility on whistleblowers and give ag producers information to stop abuse before they’re dealing with national exposure.

Introduced last year

by Sen. Cliff Pirtle, R-Roswell, Senate Bill 221 intended to amend 30-18-12 to include: “A person who has made a video or digital recording shall submit the recording to a law enforcement agency within 24 hours of determining or having reason to believe that it depicts injury to livestock.

It is prohibited to splice, edit or otherwise alter a video or digital recording prior to its submission to a law enforcement agency.”

Currently, 30-18-12 calls for a fourth-degree felony to anybody who abuses livestock. The amended language would have

Staff photo: Tony Bullocks A bill that died during the 2015 New Mexico legislative session would make it a misdemeanor for anybody recording animal abuse who doesn’t submit the unedited video to law enforcement within 24 hours of the incident. The bill is expected to be introduced again in 2016.

created a misdemeanor for lack of proper video submission.

The bill died during the session, and Pirtle said the bill’s biggest stumbling block was a disagreement over the reporting time requirement. Pirtle said as soon as possible, with 24 hours as a reasonable requirement; opponents said four to five days.

“That’s something we can work through,” Pirtle said.

Walter Bradley, director of government relations for Dairy Farmers of America said such legislation gives owners of confined animal feeding operations some protection from being

blindsided by accusations of abuse. He noted that New Mexico State University offered animal handling certification seminars because producers requested them, and they were so well attended NMSU plans future seminars.

“Our producers cannot afford for people to abuse and injure their animals; they’re too expensive,” Bradley said. “What has happened is injuries occur and the producer doesn’t know about it because nobody told them. Next thing you know, pictures showed up.”

Sen. Pat Woods, R-Broadview, echoes

those sentiments. He said without knowing everything on a video, including the sound, it’s tough to tell if the person shooting the video is doing anything to stop animal abuse.

“That owner, I guarantee you, doesn’t want that animal abused,” Woods said. “To hold that video for several weeks before it comes out, it says to me, ‘We’re going to get the full benefit of this through shock value. We don’t really want to help the abused animal, we want the shock value to stop all animal agriculture.’

If that whistleblower is filming that incident, could we write a law

that says, ‘What are your responsibilities?’”

Woods said the people who run the dairies are the last people who want to see animals abused, because an abused animal is simply less likely to produce quality food.

“Nobody wants to abuse an animal,” Woods said.

“The general public doesn’t want an animal abused. Whether you eat that animal for food later, you still don’t want it to have a cruel life. You want it to have as good a life as possible.”

Pirtle said he’s had minor frustration from the idea that his bill is lumped

in with other “ag gag” legislation that makes it a crime to film anything taking place on a farm.

“Mine doesn’t limit anybody’s ability to film,” Pirtle said. “But if you do (film criminal activity), you need to report it.”

Pirtle’s bill is limited to agriculture, but he sees the issue as part of a much larger reality.

“It’s part of dealing with the fact there are video cameras on every cell phone,” Pirtle said. “It’s just one of those things where we need to take a long hard look at the idea our private lives are not going to be so private.”