In the wake of another animal mistreatment video reaching the media waves, we are reminded that nothing is immune from the public eye. In his opening address at the 47th annual American Association of Bovine Practitioners conference last week, Lowell Catlett touched on just that.
"Get ready, folks," Catlett said. "Get ready for a transparent world."
The New Mexico State University professor of economics did not focus on the negative, but rather the positive, and the opportunity that lies ahead for agriculture.
What is making the world more transparent? One reason is the tremendous and continuous growth of technology. Catlett often referenced the smartphone and the way it has changed how people live, how they do their jobs and how they think.
He also pointed to growing wealth as another reason people want and need more information. The Baby Boomers, the world's largest age demographic, hold about two-thirds of the nation's wealth. As these individuals continue to age, we will experience the greatest intergenerational transition of wealth we have ever seen, Catlett said.
"The world is getting wealthier, and money changes people," he explained. "In a world that has wealth, people have more demands."
One such demand is consumer interest in how animals are cared for. Catlett shared some statistics highlighting the progress production agriculture has made to become more efficient in producing food; now, he says that people want to know "how animals live and how they are happy. We (as livestock producers) need to understand some of those things because they matter (to consumers)."
Another demand is a desire for more protein in the diet, which Catlett highlighted as another positive for agriculturalists. "This is a great time to be in agriculture," he said. "There is an opportunity for many products and production methods."
Catlett encouraged the audience of veterinarians and other industry representatives to embrace technology and this desire for transparency in their daily lives and jobs, which is great advice for anyone working in agriculture.
