Robin Ganzert: Celebrate farmers who treat animals humanely

National Agriculture Day on March 18 is a good opportunity to reflect and give thanks to those who raise our food and do it right. Today U.S. farmers provide us with perhaps the most abundant, safe and affordable food supply in the world – raising 262 percent more food than in 1950, while using less fertilizer, seed and labor. Consumers are grateful, but they also increasingly say they care that animals used in agriculture are well-treated – 95 percent according to a recent poll we conducted.

Farmers have always been the front-line stewards of animal welfare. But to demonstrate humane treatment to consumers, many of whom have no experience on farms, more and more farmers are turning to independent, third-party certification programs such as the American Humane Certified program which now ensures the welfare of more than 1 billion U.S. farm animals under more than 200 scientifically based standards covering everything from adequate space to food and water, lighting, warmth, clean air and the ability for animals to be animals.

This National Agriculture Day, let’s celebrate by looking for humane labeling and supporting California farmers who not only put food on our tables, but do it in a humane way.

This story was originally published March 16, 2015 at 5:08 PM with the headline "Robin Ganzert: Celebrate farmers who treat animals humanely."