Beyond Meat, that company that makes fake meat, is in need of some serious veterinarian care.

The stock price has gone from $181 a share to less than $3, and they are hemorrhaging cash faster than a dairy with $13 milk and $400 corn.

The company was started in 2009 by a fellow by the name of Ethan Brown. He wanted to create a healthier meat alternative and received early backing by many investors, most notably Bill Gates. The company was a key tent of Gates’ desire to reduce or eliminate animal agriculture based on his perception that cows are responsible for much of the methane emissions and climate change. The company found early success by partnering with many national brands and can still be found on the shelves of most retailers and has a presence at Burger King.

As farmers, it’s important to be open to what consumers are looking for and be willing to provide products that consumers want. So this story was one on all our collective consciousness. There was some consternation on the part of animal agriculture, as we were vilified in order to sell as much prepackaged pea protein and soy as they could. There is some irony in the fact that the same sludge is formed into all different shapes and sold as chicken nuggets, beef jerky, burgers and steaks.

The big breakthrough was when Beyond Meat found a way to make their burgers appear more real when grilling by having them “bleed” while cooking through the addition of beet juice.

The consumers have shifted back again, and it’s safe to say there is a resurgence in many communities of going back to what we have eaten for thousands of years in real, natural meat. There is recognition that Beyond Meat products are highly processed foods that are ironically engaged in literal factory farming. There has been a resurgence in prioritizing protein in the American diet, which has resulted in animal agriculture and dairy heavily benefiting. We are seeing more consumption of high-protein milk, Greek yogurt and even cottage cheese as a substitute for carbohydrates in cooking.

I wouldn’t be one to disparage anyone for their food choices, as everyone’s needs and health concerns are different and personal. At a friend’s suggestion, I did try the Beyond Meat burger and immediately went into cardiac arrest while feeling the desire to dye my hair purple and put in a nose ring. I’m also one to always eat a second hamburger just to spite a person who thinks they are making a difference by eating a fake burger.

It's always interesting to see how ideas move through society and what is considered fringe becomes mainstream and them moves back out to fringe again. There are literal billions of dollars being poured into research on how to take away market share from the dairy and meat aisles. The other threat we face is cultivated meat, which is taking actual animal cells – like muscle stem cells – and growing them in a lab. This product is the same on a DNA level as actual steak and burgers. There is also a similar path for recreating cows' milk. The real question everyone has is, “How close to the real thing will this look, taste and feel?” So far, there have not been any breakthroughs, and it’s all our hope that this isn’t achieved.

We as an industry have been challenged in the past. Margarine sales overtook butter in the '60s and exploded in popularity, only to peak in the '80s and begin a slow decline until they were recently passed up again by butter.

The good news is that we produce products that have been consumed for thousands of years and are closer to real food than anything produced in a lab or factory. Beyond Meat has now shifted and said in their corporate rebrand that they don’t want to be known as a meat company but as a company that celebrates plant-based protein.

Keep up the good work, and don’t let your friends eat margarine and fake meat.