Bullying the farm kid won’t work

By Laurie Johns

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When your child is targeted or ridiculed by another child for standing up for his lifestyle or beliefs, you see it as an opportunity to teach appropriate behavior so each child comes to appreciate their differences and become more respectful.

But what do you do if your child is bullied by an adult in the same way? That's what happened to Jamie Pudenz at the recent FFA convention in Ames.

Jamie, a shy farm kid from Carroll, is a teenager who works hard, doesn't complain and speaks glowingly about his parents, teachers and fellow students. His passion for the land and livestock is the quality you hope all future farmers possess.

It was quite a challenge for Jamie to enter the FFA Public Speaking contest. His entry, “Unveiling the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) and the Need for Animal Agriculture,” was written with passion. He spent months preparing, his FFA Advisor Kolby Burch said. He sailed through preliminary contests, then took the stage at state, knowing it was a controversial subject for a wider audience.

The purpose of the FFA event is “to develop agricultural leadership, communication skills and promote interest in leadership and citizenship by providing member participation in agricultural public speaking activities.” The rules state that judges don't need an ag background, but should be “competent and impartial.” Judges are chosen in advance, but because of a scheduling snag, a last-minute FFA alumni from Illinois became the third judge.

As soon as Jamie finished his speech, the volunteer judge asked, “Is feeding cattle 100 percent efficient?”

He then berated the student on how animals are meant to be raised on pasture and raising them indoors is a perversion of nature, horrible for the environment and cause society's ills.

Jamie isn't interested in a career as a public speaker. He wants to be a farmer, just like his dad. “We need livestock production around. If I don't start talking about the threats against us now, it's myself, my friends, my neighbors who will pay. If HSUS shuts us down, I'm out of a job. So are so many other kids like me.”

I believe, as most farmers do, that consumers should have a choice when it comes to their food and Iowa's diverse farmers do their best to provide them. And, choosing one type of food production over another shouldn't involve “shooting the messenger.”

It seems to me Jamie can already teach a valuable lesson: He won't give up. His quest to tell the diverse story of ag is even bolder because of the resistance he met.

Laurie Johns is Public Relations Manager for the Iowa Farm Bureau. Comments: kfirebaugh@ifbf.org