Livestock leaders: Fight back with social media

The nation's ranchers are coming increasingly under attack from animal rights activists, leaders of the Kansas Livestock Association told their members at their convention Thursday. And one of the main ways to fight back? Blogging, tweeting and writing on Facebook. It may not have been welcome news for many in the room. "You may not think you're cut out for that," KLA vice president Todd Domer told them, "but you better get cut out for it. It's the future of the business." He and other industry leaders see the industry and the rancher lifestyle as under attack from Internet-savvy activists who are playing on the public's ignorance with biased or incorrect information. Fighting back means getting the message out that ranchers produce beef and other meats in a safe and humane fashion. Ranchers start with a big advantage: more than 97 percent of Americans eat meat and prefer beef, said Dan Thompson, director of Kansas State University's Beef Cattle Institute. "We're the home team," he said. But questions have been raised in the minds of many Americans by animal rights activists. People wonder whether the food is safe and the animals are well treated...read more