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Saunders Farm is Better Than Feed Lots
Dear Editor,
I feel compelled to write about the recent press Saunder's Farm. The history of this 100 year farm is rich and complex, but when I think of Saunder's Farm, I think of music. Every year for the past 36 years, the Saunder family has sponsored one of the best party's of the year... an annual barn dance during the full moon in June. Sandy clears out the hay and generously opens his barn and land to the community. Musicians jam together around the bonfire, as little kids and dogs run around free. Musical traditions like this are priceless and some day they will be gone. At a time when small family farms are endangered we should be supporting them rather than attacking them.
I do not know first hand how Sandy takes care of his animals. In the eight years that I have been his neighbor, I have walked by his barn many times on my morning walk and have never personally seen anything that looked like neglect. I have only seen animals grazing in the open fields with lots of open space all around them. Occasionally I have heard Sandy say good morning to the horses in his big booming voice.
On the issue of animal neglect, I think we need to look at the bigger picture before rushing to pass judgment. I think some of the people who reported him or took his animals away ought to take a look at the food on their own plates and contemplate where that commercially grown beef came from. Factory farming and feedlot practices are 10 times worse than the practices of this farm. In the feedlot, it's considered "natural" for cattle to be sick.
The pasture-based farming that Sandy Saunders practices enhances animal welfare. If we truly care about animal welfare I strongly encourage everyone to choose meat, eggs, and dairy products from organic and grass-based farms and quit picking on the little guys. Learn the facts at: http:// www.eatwild.com.
Nancy Bauch
Philipstown
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