I am writing in response to former columnist Amien Essif’s Nov. 22 column about vegetarianism. It is apparent that he has spent more time watching PETA and HSUS videos than doing his own research before writing about agriculture and America’s food production.

Writing as a product of a multi-generational east Tennessee beef cattle farm, I understand that many people in today’s convenience-first society may not have had the opportunities to even visit a working farm. Animals are our livelihood, and the farms that he labels are “factory farms” and are more than likely family-owned farms, seeing as how 98 percent of farms in America are owned by families.

Also, it is absurd to write that there is “mass suffering” happening on farms. Farmers and ranchers, just like you, expect every ounce of our food to be healthy, affordable and most importantly, safe. That is why we go to great lengths to care for our animals. Not only is it the right thing to do, but animals that are threatened or sick simply will not produce as well as healthy animals. It simply does not make economic sense to mistreat animals on a farm, just as it doesn’t make sense for a crop farmer to mistreat the land he farms.

Plain and simple, it is nobody’s decision but your own to eat the way you choose. But before you attempt to degrade the integrity of farmers and ranchers across the country, do some unbiased research either at a local farm or by talking to people that have been there firsthand.