For generations, hard-working mothers have been committed to making smart food choices for their families. Fifty years ago, those choices were made after consultations with the family doctor, age-old “wives tales” and advice from grandmothers or great-grandmothers. Today, we live in a very different world. Modern mothers are booting up their laptops and typing questions into search engines like Google and Bing. Those search engines are churning out results – in the forms of blogs from other seasoned mothers.

A funny thing happened on the way to the Super Bowl – well, actually, during the Super Bowl last week. In between the blackout and the final catch a hush came over our party when Dodge Ram aired its nearly two-minute “So God Made a Farmer” commercial. In the days since the commercial aired, I have re-watched it many times, and each time I am struck with a different thought.

There’s no doubt about it, our industry is under attack. When there’s not an undercover video being released to the media by an animal activist group, there’s an article about how animal agriculture is ruining the environment or increasing global warming. There are those that attack us on the grounds that a vegan diet is healthier – that meat and cheese are making Americans overweight, and those that say that the industry doesn’t do enough to provide “high-quality meat products” to underprivileged populations.