The swine flu and you

Actually, should this post be called the "North-American influenza and you"? That would be more appropriate, of course (as noted here), but that ship has sailed.

In the mean time we get to watch hog markets fall, grain markets react and some countries ban shipments of perfectly safe U.S. pork. Yes, of course countries know that U.S. pork does not harbor any sort of virus. This is just a convenient excuse to prop up trade barriers.

Toss in all the anti-meat and anti-animal agriculture folks harping on modern livestock production and things go south real fast.

Meanwhile, the CDC and other organizations have repeatedly said eating pork is perfectly safe. That's the most important voice through all of this: for CDC updates, just click here.

Watching the live stream on Twitter has been fascinating - folks posting a lot of rumors and theories. Yet there is also a lot of positive information, especially from people involved in agriculture. Getting the word out is important. Twitter and social media sites are another way to do just that.

That's where you come in. Re-posting the truth time and again is helpful, as is setting the record straight with neighbors, the person in town or a buddy in the city. The more it is out there, the better.

For real "Swine Influenza and You" information, visit this CDC faq web page.

In the mean time, maybe some pork producers will have an opportunity to get out in front of the media to tell their stories and build some relationships.

As we learn more about the flu over the next few days, hopefully it will all come into a bit better perspective for those who are fanning the flames. From the media to those who carry their own soap box everywhere they go.