We all know the massive sway that celebrities can have on industries, and food production is a favorite platform for many of them. Unfortunately, for every positive voice from Ashton Kutcher or Chris Pratt, there are dozens more celebrities who speak ill of agricultural technologies such as GMOs or of livestock producers. Recently on Instagram, talk-show superstar Ellen Degeneres told her 77 million followers: “Be neat. Eat less meat. It’s good for the planet, for the animals, and you.”
Queue the eye roll.
The problem here is that there’s no way anyone in agriculture has near the audience that Degeneres does, so like it or not, her remarks are amplified more than mine or yours or the farmer down the road. More of the general public will listen to her, no matter what the facts are in terms of how cattle are raised or their impact on the environment.
But it’s worth trying, right?
One Montana rancher (and a fan of Degeneres’), Annabel Morgan, has opted to take to Instagram in the same way the celebrity did and speak from the heart about how she raises her animals and how the industry impacts the environment. Here’s Morgan’s video:
It’s really no surprise to have heard Degeneres make these comments — she spent eight years as a vegan before reportedly bringing foods like fish and eggs back into her diet last year.
