Humane Farming and Sustainability
By Katherine Hoke, Humane Farming Program & Communications Assistant
The welfare of farm animals and the welfare of our environment go hand in hand. While our focus at FACT is the humane treatment of farm animals and ensuring a safe and healthy food supply, our mission isn’t possible if we don’t have clean air and water, land to graze, and people to feed.
FACT’s Position on Climate Change
In our Position Paper on Climate Change and Animal Agriculture, we state that, “Raising animals for food sustainably, as well as growing all of our food sustainably, will create an agricultural system that is regenerative and a partner in combating climate change. This is the agricultural transformation that we envision at FACT. This is the way forward toward a more humane, environmentally friendly food system that benefits the farmers, the farm animals, the consumers, and the planet.”
How FACT is Helping Farmers Be Better Environmental Stewards
Our current webinar season has highlighted this connection between humane farming and environmental stewardship. From The Wild Side of Farming: Managing Habitats for Farm-Friendly Wildlife with Danielle Crocker where she talks about how important and mutually beneficial it is to be a good member of your ecosystem. To Commercial Targeted Grazing with Goats 101 with Aaron Steele which explores the use of prescription grazing to tackle invasive species and clear out brush, while reducing the need for fossil fuel guzzling equipment.
The best farmers are those who see the full picture. They know that they don’t farm in a vacuum and that decisions like raising their animals on pasture rather than confinement, using antibiotics only when medically necessary, and encouraging their animals to engage in natural behaviors is not just about the welfare of their animals, it’s better for the planet.
Building Climate Resilience Among Humane Farmers
Legacy Lamb’s flock on silvopasture, a 2024 Fund-a-Farmer grant recipient.
Climate change and the extreme weather events which come with it have a huge impact on our farmers. We saw how hurricane Helene devastated farms in Western North Carolina where there has historically been no reason for farmers to have a hurricane plan for their farm. We know that wildfires on the West Coast are getting more and more dangerous especially as water has become more scarce. We at FACT are committed to supporting our farmers through these challenges and connecting them with resources that make their farms more resilient.
FACT’s recent webinar, Climate Loss and Grief: Building Understanding and Resilience with Maud Powell, addressed the emotional impact of extreme weather events. She discussed how addressing the emotional impact of these events is critical to being a resilient farmer. Lastly, we had Could it happen here? Preparing Your Farm, Family, and Livestock for Disaster with Dr. Sandra Matheson which is filled with information on how to prepare for intense weather events and how to cope and rebuild in the aftermath of destruction.
Our free webinar series is perhaps our most accessible program. It requires nothing but a farmer’s time and internet connection. In these one hour sessions we bring farmer’s from all over the country together to learn, ask questions and be in community with one another. In addition to the webinars mentioned here, we have a vast archive of webinars on our website, here.
Consider donating to FACT today to support our work to support and educate humane, climate-smart farmers so we can create a more humane, environmentally friendly food system.