This blog is going to be a bit of a departure for the typical "Ren reads a current event and spouts off about it." I think it's important to occasionally immerse one's self in a positive environment and focus on the good being done by the movement rather than the bad being done by the opposition. So, I'd like to reflect on Farm Sanctuary's Hoe Down, which I just came home from after a truly fabulous weekend.
I admit I was a bit reticent to attend; I've interned, volunteered, and stayed at farm sanctuary numerous times in the past but never really felt inspired to get involved in what seemed like more 'hokey' elements of their fundraising. However, this year being my tenth "veganiversary," I felt it only appropriate to do a little celebrating. With the state of the economy, nothing is much cheaper than camping out at an inexpensive event with free food and entertainment, so I purchased tickets not really knowing what the Hoe Down entailed (aside from tales of drunken dance parties, of course).
Yes, there was an element of drunken vegan dancing in a barn on Saturday night, but more importantly, Saturday and Sunday were packed with magnificent educational presentations with reputable guest speakers. Gene Baur, Paul Watson, and Sue Coe were among some of the big names, with other groups representing everything from the infamous PETA to smaller grass roots organizations. The topics were equally variable, ranging from nutrition to contemporary environmental issues to the challenge of fighting factory farming and promoting veganism in the face of the "happy meat" craze without sending mixed messages. The theme of this year's hoe down was activism, so there was also a great wealth of empowering information on everything from grass roots to federal lobbying. It was pleasant to see a consistent message of "be an activist in a way that works for you" rather than some of the cookie cutter tactics pushed by other groups.
Paul Watson's discussion was truly magnificent; he is well reputed as a powerful speaker but seeing him in action was quite grand. He is one of very few people in the animal advocacy sector willing to speak passionately about issues pertaining to fish, and so long as they are to have so few advocates, I'm glad that he's the one doing it. Aquaculture is truly the rapidly emerging face of the new wave of factory farming, yet virtually no one cares about fish issues - including groups that advocate strongly for other farmed animals. I was dually pleased to see him draw the parallel between industrial fishing a bushmeat, for people who express outrage over the killing of terrestrial wildlife for food (in countries in desperate need of the sustenance and money no less) seem to express no concern about the massive, unsustainable, and inhumane slaughter of billions of wild fish every year. Even in a crowd of vegans, I saw shocked faces when Watson mentioned some of the figures on fish exploitation.
I am embarrassed to say that I can't recall his name, but there was a fantastic and sadly overlooked speaker discussing nutrition and foraging who was quite magnificent. It is rare for me to learn anything at a vegan outreach program, but the information he presented on the link between dairy and reproductive cancers was much more in depth and better articulated than anything I'd previously read. He also was unafraid to call out vegans on poor nutrition practices like a predominantly soy based diet, which is often taboo in the vegan community with its love affair with the much over-rated bean. And his foraging lesson was very simple, basic, but based on the audience response eye opening and effective. With the price of food rising and quality of store bought leafy greens increasingly inferior due to the use of chemical fertilizers, being able to obtain extremely nutrient dense meals for free from common, easily available sources is an invaluable resource.
Suzie was, of course, magnificent as always. Farm Sanctuary took on some extremely lofty rescue ambitions this year, and despite working around the clock to save emaciated, pregnant sheep and sun burned, pneumoniatic sows, she was just as spirited and positive as ever. I am consistently impressed by the fact that she is able to maintain personally connected to each and every animal in the sanctuary; she knows each animal by name, is in touch with their needs and personalities, and seems to have an endless abundance of love. Her energy more than anything else seems to help connect people to the animals; though we as vegans always talk about seeing animals as individuals, I find that the rescues are sometimes transformed into mere symbols. Suzie makes sure that they go from being "pig rescued from Iowa" or "cow that jumped a fence" to "[name], a great mother who loves playing with her piglets and getting belly rubs." One of the most powerful moments of the whole Hoe Down, IMO, was when Suzie was talking about one of the pigs at rescue where a vet was encouraging her to euthanize due to the animal's hoof infection since pigs are, to most livestock vets, simply production units. She said something very simple to the tune of "But she's not a product, she's Rosebud."
I could prattle on and on about each speaker, the fantastic food, the great cuddle time with the animals, and the social networking opportunities, but this is getting awfully verbose as it is. So, I'd just like to say in closing that I strongly suggest anyone and everyone to consider taking in next year's Hoe Down if time and funding permits; it is a great way for old activists to rejuvenate, newcomers to familiarize with the movement, and anyone to have a great time. In the mean time, do consider donating to Farm Sanctuary's emergency fund; virtually every sow rescued from Iowa (that's sixty nine of 'em!) was pregnant and/or suffering from costly health conditions. They could really use a helping hand for the huge expenses of this one of a kind rescue effort.
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