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Thanksgiving Gratitude from Isolation
by Laura Matanah, Executive Director
As the Executive Director of Minnesota’s largest farmed animal advocacy organization, I can’t help but reflect on the ways my experience of isolation following a positive COVID test is similar and different to the life of a turkey raised for the Thanksgiving table. To help us picture an individual, I’ll use the name Big Tom. I got this name from the name of the giant sculpted turkey outside of Frazee, MN. (Why is the sculpture there? Minnesota produces 45 million turkeys a year, more than any other state). Here I’ll describe the life of the Big Tom who lives in one of the sheds just off Minnesota Highway 10.
Big Tom and I are both closed off from the rest of the world. I have to be alone, but I’m in my comfortable room. My isolation lasts only ten days. My family helps from beyond the door. Big Tom has been in the same windowless shed since he was a young poult. Rather than being alone, he’s with thousands of other birds.The only light he gets is artificial, turned on to encourage him to eat, but kept low to discourage fighting with the stressed males around him. Droppings aren’t cleaned until after the turkeys leave for slaughter, so after four months, it reeks of ammonia despite the ventilation.
Big Tom gets disease protection from the antibiotics in his feed, a practice which also weakens the protection humans get from antibiotics. (In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) released guidelines calling for the elimination of routine use of antibiotics in food-producing animals, including for disease prevention purposes, but the U.S. has taken no action.)
But those antibiotics won’t protect him from the virus stalking him: bird flu. Bird Flu is now starting to outbreak in Europe and Asia. (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/15/bird-flu-europe-asia) Frighteningly, it could become our next pandemic as well. The CDC is already preparing. (https://www.precisionvaccinations.com/us-cdc-prepares-potential-bird-flu-outbreak)
Many of us here in Minnesota get to see turkeys in the wild, and know they generally live in groups. Mothers and their young band together, living communally. This is a bit like my multi-generational household: all of us get more adults to share the responsibility of raising the young. Turkeys like Big Tom don’t get maternal care, however, just an incubator replaced by a shed filled with other un-mothered young like themselves.
Big Tom’s food and water wouldn’t vary, but would be steady. Because, of course, the point is for Big Tom to grow, and grow fast. If a human baby grew at the same rate as Big Tom, it would weigh 1,500 pounds by the age of 18 weeks!
Due to this high rate of growth, Big Tom is at high risk for abnormal gait, hip lesions, and skeletal disease. And if these issues eventually make it hard for him to get to his food and drink? Well, vet care for these issues isn’t cost effective, and losses are part of the business model.
Penny, who lived at Spring Farm Sanctuary, in Long Lake, got to live a very different life. There, his cognition, emotions, personality, and sociality were valued. His caregivers knew how to read her emotions by looking at his snood (the piece of flesh that dangles a bit over and alongside the beak). He could be with other birds and humans when he wished or retreat to his own private space of his own choosing, just like I can when not in isolation.
Due to antibiotics, bird flu, and the damage being done to human health by the overconsumption of animal products, our well being and that of Minnesota 45 million turkeys are intertwined. Processed turkey (cold cuts) have been determined to be a carcinogen by the World Health Organization (https://www.iarc.who.int/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pr240_E.pdf). Research shows that leaving Big Tom off our plate is likely to improve our personal health– now, not just in a future in which we are able to count on antibiotics and don’t suffer a bird flu pandemic.
According to the American Dietetic Association, shifting plant-based can help slow or reverse issues like heart disease and diabetes. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19562864/). Many consumers are making the change, with the Hartman group reporting that nearly half of consumers look for foods labeled “plant-based” when shopping. (https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technology-magazine/issues/2021/august/columns/consumer-trends-plant-based-food-market)
As we approach this Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for my returning health, my family, and wealth of delicious plant-based dishes that can help us to spare Big Tom from a lifetime of suffering by leaving him off our plates.
Read the comments: 2021 Twin Cities Veg Fest
We surveyed people who attended the 2021 Twin Cities Veg Fest in September. We asked for feedback from everyone including members of the public, volunteers and exhibitors. Read on to find out what they had to say about this year’s big event.
Volunteer Shout-Out: Meet Joscelyn Sturm
Joscelyn Sturm is a volunteer for CAA’s University of Minnesota chapter, helping out with social media for this active group. Read on to find out what inspired Joscelyn to get involved with CAA, and what motivates her to take action for animals.
Volunteer Shout-Out: Meet Stefanie Flasch
If you’re familiar with CAA’s Instagram, then you’ve probably seen something shared by Stefanie Flasch, social media volunteer for CAA. We’re thankful for Stefanie’s social media savvy and great eye for catchy graphics and attention-getting photos. Read on to learn more about Stefanie and what she loves about doing work that helps make a difference for animals.
Minneapolis community gardening activist Michael Chaney honored with Million Gardens Award
Michael Chaney of Project Sweetie Pie recently received national recognition with the Million Gardens Award. The award is part of the Million Gardens Movement, a nationwide project founded by Kimbal Musk (brother of Elon) as a way to educate and support millions of new gardeners to grow their own food.
Michael Chaney’s Project Sweetie Pie teaches north Minneapolis youth about gardening. The project also brings people together to help revitalize neighborhoods and provide healthy food for low-income communities.
The aim of this award is to inspire community gardens while empowering communities on practices of urban agriculture, healthy eating and the necessity of fresh foods in “food deserts.”
To honor this award and the work of Michael Chaney and Project Sweetie Pie, a community celebration was held in north Minneapolis on September 25 with artists, vendors and family in attendance. This event was held at one of the many gardens that are managed and cared for by Project Sweetie Pie — gardens that have been cultivated in vacant lots owned by the City of Minneapolis.
In attendance also was City Of Minneapolis Director of Sustainability, Kim Havey, who on behalf of Mayor Frey and his office created a proclamation declaring September 25, 2021, as the Million Gardens Movement ultimate garden party day in the city of Minneapolis.
Volunteer Shout-Out: Meet David Feldmann
Volunteer David Feldmann originally got involved with CAA during our Postcards for Animals mailing initiative earlier this year. Lately, he’s been helping to distribute rewards cards for the Explore Veg Challenge. Read on to find out what inspires David to take action on behalf of animals and why he chooses a plant-based diet.
Slideshow: 2021 Twin Cities Veg Fest
Wonderful memories were made at Twin Cities Veg Fest on September 19, 2021. Thanks to everyone who came to Harriet Island Park in St. Paul or logged online to attend this major annual event.
Volunteer Shout-Out: Yosan, Pallavi and Karla — the Macalester CAA leadership team
CAA is going strong at Macalester College in St. Paul, thanks to the drive and leadership of passionate student volunteers. Mac CAA works to encourage fellow students, the campus community and the larger community to make plant-based food a priority. Yosan Worota, Pallavi Shoroff, and Karla Moreno Polanco head up this group, which is just shy of its first-year anniversary. Read on to find out more about them.
Terrell Woods, aka Carnage The Executioner, is the 2021 Kenny Feldman Animal Advocate Award Winner
We’re pleased to announce the winner of the 2021 Kenny Feldman Animal Advocate Award. We’ve created this award to recognize a person, organization, or business in our community whose amazing work is pushing the ball forward for animals. This year we’re giving the award to Terrell Woods, aka Carnage The Executioner.
Sterling Davis to speak at Twin Cities Veg Fest
Sterling “TrapKing” Davis is a well-traveled, ex-military, music and cat enthusiast who has always loved entertaining and interacting with people. In 2017, he started his own nonprofit, Trapking Humane Cat Solutions, where he focuses on educating, assisting, and doing trap-neuter-return (TNR) and community cat management. Davis’ mission is to change the stereotypes of not only men in cat rescue, but also bridge the gap between Black communities and predominantly white animal welfare organizations. He’s a featured speaker at Twin Cities Veg Fest where he’ll present his talk, “From Rapper to Trapper: you don’t lose cool points for compassion.”