4-H misfires on HSUS speaking invite on animal welfare

May 17th, 2010 |

Author: Horses // Pets, Livestock, and Wildlife // ArticlePros.com

Mike and I have been writing about the Humane Society of the United States a bunch lately. Frankly, there are many other things I’d like to write about, but the giant animal rights group can’t seem to keep out of the news.

I was a 4-H kid in Newton County, Texas, 40-some-odd-years ago. A great organization, then and now, the 4-H focus on “Head, Hands, Heart and Health” is still a blueprint for youngsters seeking focus and meaning in their lives.

4-H is also, undeniably, an organization with agrarian roots. The projects I remember had to do with my hogs and cattle on the farm. I was also a participant in a contest that involved backing a tractor and trailer through a challenging obstacle course. 4-H still honors its agricultural heritage, though it has quite admirably expanded far beyond that.

Even so, many in the agricultural community considered 4-H’s invitation to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to speak at the organization’s national conference a slap in the face to U.S. animal agriculture. HSUS did indeed appear on the conference program on March 23. The firestorm that resulted as farmers, ranchers and agricultural groups reacted to what some called an outrage was predictable.

I have no wish to pile on 4-H. However, this invite was an affront to agriculture. It’s not unforgivable, but it is an outrage. This has nothing to do with the kids of 4-H, but everything to do with the adult 4-H leaders that planned the program. It is also apparent that the adult leadership of the Texas 4-H program disagreed with the national decision to invite HSUS. Hopefully, this invitation is an aberration and not a change in direction.

The national 4-H organization released a statement that fell far short of an apology, part of which stated, “For the 2010 National 4-H Conference, a proposal titled ‘Animal Instincts: Service Learning and Animal Welfare’ was submitted by the Humane Society of the United States. It was reviewed by the planning committee and found acceptable. The proposal addressed the National Conference central theme of citizenship and showed alignment with programming areas for community service, youth volunteerism, service learning, and youth voice.”

Fair enough. However, it was also an opportunity for HSUS to distribute propaganda. Many have cried foul and I’m happy to add my name to the list.

To be clear, HSUS is a bully of an organization, very well funded and lavishly “lawyered up.” They use thin and emotional arguments in legislative and ballot initiatives to make the practice of animal agriculture as expensive and difficult as possible. They collect funds with emotional appeals of animal welfare and neglected pets. The lion’s share of those funds is spent to collect more money and lobby against animal agriculture. Just this week, the charity watchdog group Charity Navigator downgraded the HSUS rating.

4H’s embrace of HSUS is unacceptable. That said, 4-H is an outstanding organization that does much to prepare young people for productive lives as good citizens. The support of agricultural organizations will not likely diminish and it should not. However, a mistake of this magnitude should not be repeated.

Gene Hall is the Public Relations Director for the <a href="http://www.txfb.org/">Texas Farm Bureau</a>, the voice for Texas ranchers and farmers. The TFB is committed to improving the lives of America's farmers through advocacy, education and awareness. Read about the latest issues important to Texas livestock producers including <a href="http://www.txfb.org/TxAgTalks/post/2010/05/11/Texas-livestock-owners-face-possibility-of-animal-cruelty-laws.aspx">animal welfare</a> on Texas Ag Talks blog.