The Humane Society’s Battle With Farmers Began Right Here in Florida
By Kristen Hinman
published: April 15, 2010
Around about the lunch hour in Vale, South Dakota, on February 5, a 33-year-old cattle rancher finished a morning of blogging, then stepped outside with a bottle of wine and a Flip video camera.
“Hello, my name is Troy Hadrick. I’m a fifth-generation United States rancher in South Dakota,” the man ad-libbed to the camera while standing amid a small clutch of cattle. “I recently found out that Yellow Tail wines is going to be donating $100,000 to the wealthiest animal-rights organization in the world, the Humane Society of the United States — a group who is actively trying to put farmers and ranchers out of business in this country. That being said, I cannot and will not support a company who is doing such a thing. This is the only thing I know to do now with this last bottle of Yellow Tail wine that was in our house.”
In his cowboy hat and Carhartt jacket, Hadrick paused to cock the bottle of white at shoulder height, flick his wrist, and send the contents pouring to the snow-covered earth like a stream of piss.
“I hope you will do the same,” he concluded. “Thank you for supporting American agriculture and the family farmers and ranchers in this country.”
Five minutes later, his 54-second “Yellow Tail Fail” clip posted to YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, Hadrick finished his chores and skedaddled with his family to the Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo. Back online that night, he was shocked at the viewing stats for his maiden voyage on Internet video.
First it was 500. Then several thousand. The tally kept climbing until, as Jim Klinker, the Arizona Farm Bureau’s chief administrative officer, terms it, “Yellow Tail done turned its tail and run!”
Within two weeks the Australia-based wine giant announced it was rescinding the remainder of its $300,000 pledge to the Washington, D.C.-based Humane Society.
The frustration shared by Hadrick and others had been bottled up for some time, but not in recent memory had a Humane Society donor buckled under such public pressure. Only a week later, Tennessee-based Pilot Travel Centers announced it would stop collecting Humane Society donations at its chain of roadway rest stops. Then the Dallas-based Mary Kay cosmetics company publicly clarified that a personal donation by an employee’s wife to the Humane Society had been misconstrued by the group as a corporate sponsorship.
Hadrick’s social-media sensation seemed to represent a tipping point in a battle that has had modern food producers playing defense for nearly a decade. It’s farmers vs. activists.
Agriculture vs. animal rights. Read More
Here’s a pretty good run down of what’s happened in the last decade. I’ve never seen anyone involved in animal agriculture be able to survive by abusing their livestock. The HSUS continues to make those claims, but it flies in the face of common sense. Farmers and ranchers are the true caretakers of these animals. Working with them everyday makes you very aware of what it takes make them thrive. It also makes you very aware of what happens when they aren’t taken care of. The HSUS is in the business of raising money and passing laws. Who’s the expert in the discussion of animal welfare? The answer seems simple to me.
Showing posts with label Yellow Fail. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yellow Fail. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
HSUS Loses Another Corporate Sponsor
The Tale of Yellow Tail Gets Longer
02/28/2010
By Gary Truitt
Two weeks ago I wrote a column about Yellow Tail wine, the Australian wine that became public enemy No. 1 overnight after donating $100,000.00 to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). After a few lame efforts to defend themselves and to ignore the overwhelming criticism the company was receiving, it finally did the right thing and admitted its mistake. The company promised not to make future donations to the radical animal rights organization. What was especially interesting is that much of the condemnation came from the public and from people outside of agriculture. While farmers and farm groups were a part of the chorus, the depth of dislike for HSUS to - say nothing of the sheer numbers of people enraged by the action - was a major factor in the decision by Yellow Tail to tuck its tail between its legs and run. As I write, history looks to be repeating itself as yet another corporation seems to be committing suicide by donating to HSUS.
For the second time in as many weeks, shining the spotlight of publicity on who gives money to HSUS has resulted in a change in policy by supporters of this anti-animal agriculture group. Again, the rapid dissemination of information via the social media networks has played a role.
These small victories are not going to put HSUS out of business, but it has shown how HSUS can be hurt and how individuals can have an imnpact. I truly hope this becomes a trend and that people, both inside and outside of agriculture, will take an interest in who supports radical activist groups. I cannot say it enough: stay informed and get involved. You can make a difference. Read More
In case you haven’t heard, February was a pretty good month for American agriculture and quite embarrassing for Wayne Pacelle and the Humane Society of the United States. The HSUS lost two corporate sponsors because individual farmers, ranchers, pet owners, outdoorsmen and others informed Pilot and Casella Wines that they would not support companies who support animal rights groups that inaccurately portray, and try to eliminate animal agriculture. As much as HSUS has tried to counter this movement by falsely claiming the Center for Consumer Freedom is responsible for starting this movement, it’s been a failure. They claim to have 11 million members, yet they couldn’t even get a handful of them to publicly support HSUS on Facebook. Many of those leaving pro-HSUS comments online have actually been HSUS employees who are paid to do it.
If you didn’t believe in the power of grassroots efforts before, you certainly should now.
02/28/2010
By Gary Truitt
Two weeks ago I wrote a column about Yellow Tail wine, the Australian wine that became public enemy No. 1 overnight after donating $100,000.00 to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). After a few lame efforts to defend themselves and to ignore the overwhelming criticism the company was receiving, it finally did the right thing and admitted its mistake. The company promised not to make future donations to the radical animal rights organization. What was especially interesting is that much of the condemnation came from the public and from people outside of agriculture. While farmers and farm groups were a part of the chorus, the depth of dislike for HSUS to - say nothing of the sheer numbers of people enraged by the action - was a major factor in the decision by Yellow Tail to tuck its tail between its legs and run. As I write, history looks to be repeating itself as yet another corporation seems to be committing suicide by donating to HSUS.
For the second time in as many weeks, shining the spotlight of publicity on who gives money to HSUS has resulted in a change in policy by supporters of this anti-animal agriculture group. Again, the rapid dissemination of information via the social media networks has played a role.
These small victories are not going to put HSUS out of business, but it has shown how HSUS can be hurt and how individuals can have an imnpact. I truly hope this becomes a trend and that people, both inside and outside of agriculture, will take an interest in who supports radical activist groups. I cannot say it enough: stay informed and get involved. You can make a difference. Read More
In case you haven’t heard, February was a pretty good month for American agriculture and quite embarrassing for Wayne Pacelle and the Humane Society of the United States. The HSUS lost two corporate sponsors because individual farmers, ranchers, pet owners, outdoorsmen and others informed Pilot and Casella Wines that they would not support companies who support animal rights groups that inaccurately portray, and try to eliminate animal agriculture. As much as HSUS has tried to counter this movement by falsely claiming the Center for Consumer Freedom is responsible for starting this movement, it’s been a failure. They claim to have 11 million members, yet they couldn’t even get a handful of them to publicly support HSUS on Facebook. Many of those leaving pro-HSUS comments online have actually been HSUS employees who are paid to do it.
If you didn’t believe in the power of grassroots efforts before, you certainly should now.
Friday, February 26, 2010
OK Farm Report Interview About Yellow Tail
Over the last week I have done several interviews about my efforts to encourage Yellow Tail wines to redirect their donations away from the wealthiest vegan, animal rights group in the world, the Humane Society of the United States. Not only has this story and my YouTube video been noticed in this country, but in Australia as well. All of our efforts have led to Yellow Tail saying they will never donate money to the HSUS again.
Rancher Troy Hadrick Tells Us His Yellowtail Story
Fri, 19 Feb 2010 6:30:34 CST
Oklahoma Farm Report
About 750 Young Farmers and Ranchers from around the United States are gathering this weekend in Tulsa for the American Farm Bureau Federation's Young Farmer and Rancher Leadership Conference. One of the members of the national committee that guides this program this year is Troy Hadrick of South Dakota, and you might remember that Hadrick is one of those leading the outrage against Yellowtail Wine for their decision to make a corporate gift of $100,000 to HSUS. To refresh your memory about the YouTube Video that Troy produced to show his displeasure with Yellowtail, click here.
We talked with Hadrick about his efforts in the Yellowfail campaign via Youtube, Twitter and Facebook- and also talked about why he is convinced that HSUS means him economic harm, as he contends they want to put him and other ranchers across the United States out of business with their vegan based agenda. One earlier story on the Yellowtail controversy that we did here on our website sums up the issue pretty well- click here to jump back to that earlier report.
Hadrick is our guest for a special long form version of the Beef Buzz here on the OklahomaFarmReport.Com. We talked with Troy on Thursday evening at the Flying G ranch, owned by Mike and Lotsee Spradling of Tulsa county as they hosted the Oklahoma YF&R Committee as well as the National YF&R Committee in a prelude to the national conference this weekend.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the state on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the listen bar below for today's show- and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
Ron Hays Beef Buzzes with Troy Hadrick of South Dakota on Yellowtail and HSUS.
right-click to download mp3
Rancher Troy Hadrick Tells Us His Yellowtail Story
Fri, 19 Feb 2010 6:30:34 CST
Oklahoma Farm Report
About 750 Young Farmers and Ranchers from around the United States are gathering this weekend in Tulsa for the American Farm Bureau Federation's Young Farmer and Rancher Leadership Conference. One of the members of the national committee that guides this program this year is Troy Hadrick of South Dakota, and you might remember that Hadrick is one of those leading the outrage against Yellowtail Wine for their decision to make a corporate gift of $100,000 to HSUS. To refresh your memory about the YouTube Video that Troy produced to show his displeasure with Yellowtail, click here.
We talked with Hadrick about his efforts in the Yellowfail campaign via Youtube, Twitter and Facebook- and also talked about why he is convinced that HSUS means him economic harm, as he contends they want to put him and other ranchers across the United States out of business with their vegan based agenda. One earlier story on the Yellowtail controversy that we did here on our website sums up the issue pretty well- click here to jump back to that earlier report.
Hadrick is our guest for a special long form version of the Beef Buzz here on the OklahomaFarmReport.Com. We talked with Troy on Thursday evening at the Flying G ranch, owned by Mike and Lotsee Spradling of Tulsa county as they hosted the Oklahoma YF&R Committee as well as the National YF&R Committee in a prelude to the national conference this weekend.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the state on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the listen bar below for today's show- and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
Ron Hays Beef Buzzes with Troy Hadrick of South Dakota on Yellowtail and HSUS.
right-click to download mp3
Sioux Falls Argus Leader Interview About Yellow Tail
South Dakota rancher's wine-dumping online video faults Humane Society
Effort protests donation from Yellow Tail
Thom Gabrukiewicz • tgabrukiew@argusleader.com • February 19, 2010
In a tan, worn Carhartt jacket and black cowboy hat, South Dakota rancher Troy Hadrick is an unlikely digital folk hero, a viral warrior.
But there he is on YouTube, pouring out a bottle of Yellow Tail wine - by the looks of it, a nice sparkling white - onto the snowy, hoof-trampled ground with his winter-coated cattle looking on. The act is in protest of the company's $100,000 donation to the Humane Society of the United States.
"My concern is with the Humane Society of the United States, which isn't connected at all with the dog and cat shelters in our local communities," the fifth-generation Vale rancher said Thursday. "This is an organization that's pushing a vegan agenda in this country, and that concerns me. That donation is going to go to efforts to try and put me out of business, and I'm just not going to support a company that does that."
And viral efforts such as this one can be disastrous for companies, especially in the age of instant information, said Maggie Holben, a public relations expert from Lakewood, Colo.
"That's what we fondly call a crisis," she said of YouTube protests such as Hadrick's. "You have to circle the wagons, you have to respond and you have to tell people who you are. Is there a trick remedy? No. It's honesty." Read More
Effort protests donation from Yellow Tail
Thom Gabrukiewicz • tgabrukiew@argusleader.com • February 19, 2010
In a tan, worn Carhartt jacket and black cowboy hat, South Dakota rancher Troy Hadrick is an unlikely digital folk hero, a viral warrior.
But there he is on YouTube, pouring out a bottle of Yellow Tail wine - by the looks of it, a nice sparkling white - onto the snowy, hoof-trampled ground with his winter-coated cattle looking on. The act is in protest of the company's $100,000 donation to the Humane Society of the United States.
"My concern is with the Humane Society of the United States, which isn't connected at all with the dog and cat shelters in our local communities," the fifth-generation Vale rancher said Thursday. "This is an organization that's pushing a vegan agenda in this country, and that concerns me. That donation is going to go to efforts to try and put me out of business, and I'm just not going to support a company that does that."
And viral efforts such as this one can be disastrous for companies, especially in the age of instant information, said Maggie Holben, a public relations expert from Lakewood, Colo.
"That's what we fondly call a crisis," she said of YouTube protests such as Hadrick's. "You have to circle the wagons, you have to respond and you have to tell people who you are. Is there a trick remedy? No. It's honesty." Read More
My Interview With The Australian Broadcasting Corp. about Yellow Tail
Facebook campaign forces policy change by wine company
Friday, 26/02/2010
An online campaign by American farmers has forced Australian wine company Yellow Tail to stop supporting animal welfare groups.
The farmers called for a boycott on a Facebook page called Yellow Fail, after the company donated $100,000 to the Humane Society.
Yellow Tail has now agreed it will not donate to animal welfare campaigners in the future, after more than 3000 people joined the online site.
Cattle rancher and internet campaigner Troy Hadrick says it's the first time farmers have used social media to win an animal welfare debate.
"Sometimes there's been questions about is it worth our time to be involved in social media and are we wasting our time?" he says.
"But this is the first time we finally all got on the same page.
"We were selling the same message, and we basically, in just a few weeks' time, forced a multi-national company to change the future course of its donations."
This is the video that took Troy Hadrick less than five minutes to make but made him the face of the campaign against Yellow Tail.
Related Audio:
An online win for farmersListen to this report by Cameron Wilson on the social media pressure that forced Yellow Tail to rethink its animal welfare donations. MP3
The online opportunitiesListen to this extended interview with South Dakota rancher and internet campaigner Troy Hadrick on the effectiveness of social media. MP3
Link To Article
Friday, 26/02/2010
An online campaign by American farmers has forced Australian wine company Yellow Tail to stop supporting animal welfare groups.
The farmers called for a boycott on a Facebook page called Yellow Fail, after the company donated $100,000 to the Humane Society.
Yellow Tail has now agreed it will not donate to animal welfare campaigners in the future, after more than 3000 people joined the online site.
Cattle rancher and internet campaigner Troy Hadrick says it's the first time farmers have used social media to win an animal welfare debate.
"Sometimes there's been questions about is it worth our time to be involved in social media and are we wasting our time?" he says.
"But this is the first time we finally all got on the same page.
"We were selling the same message, and we basically, in just a few weeks' time, forced a multi-national company to change the future course of its donations."
This is the video that took Troy Hadrick less than five minutes to make but made him the face of the campaign against Yellow Tail.
Related Audio:
An online win for farmersListen to this report by Cameron Wilson on the social media pressure that forced Yellow Tail to rethink its animal welfare donations. MP3
The online opportunitiesListen to this extended interview with South Dakota rancher and internet campaigner Troy Hadrick on the effectiveness of social media. MP3
Link To Article
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Growers Add SM To their Chore List
Here's great article that talks about social media use by farmers and rancher. In the last couple of months we have seen an incredibly growing presence of farmers and ranchers participating in online advocacy. I truly believe that radical groups working to put American agriculture out of business never thought it would grow like it has. We can be an incredible force when we work together. Never has that been on public display like it was during the Yellow Tail incident. Our unified voice caused a multi-national company to publicly state they will never donate to the HSUS or any other animal rights groups like them ever again.
Follow the link and read the article on page 4.
Follow the link and read the article on page 4.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Yellow Tail Says No To Future HSUS Donations
Yellow Tail shows support for farmers and ranchers
By Drovers news source Friday, February 19, 2010
The Animal Agriculture Alliance commends Casella Wines, the Australian producers of [yellow tail] on their commitment to support farmers and ranchers around the world.
"The people at [yellow tail] have worked with us over the past few days in what we believe is a genuine effort to repair ill feeling caused by the sponsorship of the Humane Society of the United States. We are satisfied the controversy and anxiety it caused was unintentional," said Kay Johnson Smith, Executive Vice President. "They have committed to in the future only supporting welfare organizations with a sole commitment to animal care. As farmers themselves, theyre committed to supporting agriculture, as evidenced by their annual upcoming barbeque promotion. "
The Alliance received the following letter from [yellow tail] on February 19:
Dear Kay Johnson Smith, Animal Agriculture Alliance:
I am writing to thank you for your feedback regarding our [tails] for tails program.The spirit and intention of our donation to the Humane Society of the United States was for the celebration of animals. Being farmers ourselves we support those who care for their land and their environment, just as we do. We are proud of our rural heritage and value a solid relationship with agricultural communities around the world.
[yellow tail] is committed to the plight of animals in need, and we know that animal welfare groups work in different ways to advance their cause. We are interested in the welfare of animals, and in financially supporting animal welfare causes that provide direct care services to help animals, not on taking positions on any animal lobbying issues. We pledge to you that any future support for animal welfare will go to organizations specifically devoted to hands-on care, such as rescue, sterilization, feeding, or disaster assistance.
Like the wines we produce, we are friendly Australians who enjoy bringing people together, and look forward to doing so through our annual spring and summer promotional campaign "[tails] around the barbecue" and our "holiday enter[tail]ing" campaign. We very much value your opinion and wish to thank-you for your honesty.
Sincerely,
[yellow tail] customer Service Team
"We have invited the people at [yellow tail] to work closely with the Alliance, an offer that is open to wine makers around the world. As we all know, meat, cheeses and wine are natural partners." Johnson Smith said. "We are happy to put this unfortunate incident behind us."
The Alliance is impressed with the agriculture community's use of social media and encourages farmers and ranchers to use the momentum to continue to educate the public about the importance of American agriculture on Facebook and Twitter. Producers who are interested in learning more about using social media tools to advocate for agriculture should contact the Alliance's Communications Coordinator, Sarah Hubbart, at shubbart@animalagalliance.org.
Article Link
After being bombarded with negative comments from thousands of people for their donation to the HSUS, the Casella family and owners of the Yellow Tail brand, have said they will not support HSUS in the future. Not only that, but they will not be supporting any other animal rights organization that doesn’t do hands-on work with animals. This is certainly good news for our local shelters that suffer from the work of the HSUS. Even more important in this issue though is that every other company in the world has been put on notice that a donation to the world’s wealthiest vegan animal rights organization will come with consequences. I want to thank Yellow Tail for making this statement. I look forward to seeing their future donations actually going to helping animals. Who knows, maybe I will even celebrate their upcoming donations with a glass of Yellow Tail wine.
By Drovers news source Friday, February 19, 2010
The Animal Agriculture Alliance commends Casella Wines, the Australian producers of [yellow tail] on their commitment to support farmers and ranchers around the world.
"The people at [yellow tail] have worked with us over the past few days in what we believe is a genuine effort to repair ill feeling caused by the sponsorship of the Humane Society of the United States. We are satisfied the controversy and anxiety it caused was unintentional," said Kay Johnson Smith, Executive Vice President. "They have committed to in the future only supporting welfare organizations with a sole commitment to animal care. As farmers themselves, theyre committed to supporting agriculture, as evidenced by their annual upcoming barbeque promotion. "
The Alliance received the following letter from [yellow tail] on February 19:
Dear Kay Johnson Smith, Animal Agriculture Alliance:
I am writing to thank you for your feedback regarding our [tails] for tails program.The spirit and intention of our donation to the Humane Society of the United States was for the celebration of animals. Being farmers ourselves we support those who care for their land and their environment, just as we do. We are proud of our rural heritage and value a solid relationship with agricultural communities around the world.
[yellow tail] is committed to the plight of animals in need, and we know that animal welfare groups work in different ways to advance their cause. We are interested in the welfare of animals, and in financially supporting animal welfare causes that provide direct care services to help animals, not on taking positions on any animal lobbying issues. We pledge to you that any future support for animal welfare will go to organizations specifically devoted to hands-on care, such as rescue, sterilization, feeding, or disaster assistance.
Like the wines we produce, we are friendly Australians who enjoy bringing people together, and look forward to doing so through our annual spring and summer promotional campaign "[tails] around the barbecue" and our "holiday enter[tail]ing" campaign. We very much value your opinion and wish to thank-you for your honesty.
Sincerely,
[yellow tail] customer Service Team
"We have invited the people at [yellow tail] to work closely with the Alliance, an offer that is open to wine makers around the world. As we all know, meat, cheeses and wine are natural partners." Johnson Smith said. "We are happy to put this unfortunate incident behind us."
The Alliance is impressed with the agriculture community's use of social media and encourages farmers and ranchers to use the momentum to continue to educate the public about the importance of American agriculture on Facebook and Twitter. Producers who are interested in learning more about using social media tools to advocate for agriculture should contact the Alliance's Communications Coordinator, Sarah Hubbart, at shubbart@animalagalliance.org.
Article Link
After being bombarded with negative comments from thousands of people for their donation to the HSUS, the Casella family and owners of the Yellow Tail brand, have said they will not support HSUS in the future. Not only that, but they will not be supporting any other animal rights organization that doesn’t do hands-on work with animals. This is certainly good news for our local shelters that suffer from the work of the HSUS. Even more important in this issue though is that every other company in the world has been put on notice that a donation to the world’s wealthiest vegan animal rights organization will come with consequences. I want to thank Yellow Tail for making this statement. I look forward to seeing their future donations actually going to helping animals. Who knows, maybe I will even celebrate their upcoming donations with a glass of Yellow Tail wine.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Aussie Media Reporting On Yellow Tail Donation
Yellow Tail donation gets website wagging
BY LUCY MARTIN
15 Feb, 2010 10:41 AM
(This is from an Aussie new site, AreaNews.com)
IT SEEMS Casella Wines' American honeymoon is over, with the Yenda-based company finding itself at the centre of a bizarre backlash after a donation program went horribly wrong.
The saga began with good intentions when the US branch of Yellow Tail announced it would donate $100,000 to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
The problem is, HSUS is widely regarded to be a militant vegan organisation that, rather than actually helping animals with the donation, would spend it on lobbying the government, violent raids and attempts to eradicate agriculture.
The response was explosive.
The Animal Agriculture Alliance released a statement claiming only $4000 of the donation would go to animal aid, while Dallas web commentator Caleb Schultz took aim on his popular agriculture blog.
"The problem is, HSUS simply don't do much to help animals - they continually push their extreme vegetarian views on the American public and basically want to see animal agriculture cease to exist. The bottom line is, they want you out of business if you're a livestock producer," Mr Schultz wrote. Read More
On a daily basis more and more media outlets are reporting on Yellow Tail wines disastrous decision to donate to the HSUS. Because of the grassroots effort by farmers, ranchers, pet owners, outdoorsmen and many others, the HSUS is being exposed for who they really are. While it may be easier for the Casella family to ignore what is being said in the US, this latest article in an Australian newspaper will harder to look past. We need to keep these efforts moving forward. Please visit with your local businesses that sell wine to let them know what is happening and contact your local media as well. It’s probably too late to stop HSUS from getting this donation but the bigger story here, and the one HSUS is most worried about, is how this will affect future corporate donations. You efforts up to this point have them running scared, let’s make them pick up the pace even more.
BY LUCY MARTIN
15 Feb, 2010 10:41 AM
(This is from an Aussie new site, AreaNews.com)
IT SEEMS Casella Wines' American honeymoon is over, with the Yenda-based company finding itself at the centre of a bizarre backlash after a donation program went horribly wrong.
The saga began with good intentions when the US branch of Yellow Tail announced it would donate $100,000 to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
The problem is, HSUS is widely regarded to be a militant vegan organisation that, rather than actually helping animals with the donation, would spend it on lobbying the government, violent raids and attempts to eradicate agriculture.
The response was explosive.
The Animal Agriculture Alliance released a statement claiming only $4000 of the donation would go to animal aid, while Dallas web commentator Caleb Schultz took aim on his popular agriculture blog.
"The problem is, HSUS simply don't do much to help animals - they continually push their extreme vegetarian views on the American public and basically want to see animal agriculture cease to exist. The bottom line is, they want you out of business if you're a livestock producer," Mr Schultz wrote. Read More
On a daily basis more and more media outlets are reporting on Yellow Tail wines disastrous decision to donate to the HSUS. Because of the grassroots effort by farmers, ranchers, pet owners, outdoorsmen and many others, the HSUS is being exposed for who they really are. While it may be easier for the Casella family to ignore what is being said in the US, this latest article in an Australian newspaper will harder to look past. We need to keep these efforts moving forward. Please visit with your local businesses that sell wine to let them know what is happening and contact your local media as well. It’s probably too late to stop HSUS from getting this donation but the bigger story here, and the one HSUS is most worried about, is how this will affect future corporate donations. You efforts up to this point have them running scared, let’s make them pick up the pace even more.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Farmers & Ranchers Being Heard Online
Social Media: The New Battleground For American Agriculture
02/14/2010
By Gary Truitt
There is a new battleground in the fight against the anti-animal forces that are bent on destroying the American livestock industry. What makes this significant is that is battleground is not controlled by the mass media, special interest groups, PR companies, HSUS, or PETA. This new battleground is controlled by consumers, individuals from a variety of backgrounds taking on the radical fringe and their efforts to control what we eat. This new battleground is the world of social media: Facebook, Twitter, and the myriad of other web-based networks that link people together in cyberspace and transmit information around the world at the speed of light. Unlike the wacko-friendly mass media, this social media has a decidedly anti-nutcase slant, and these social networkers do not suffer fools for more than a few milliseconds. HSUS, PETA, and some large US corporations are learning some painful lessons in this new social world.
Yellow Tail wine is a brand owned by Casella Wines, a family owned and operated winery with winemaking links going back six generations. Until last week, they were the Cinderella story of the wine world having gone from a small family owned winery to international distributor of Yellow Tail wine. Then they made a mistake that has certainly cost them their reputation and could end up costing them their business. The Australian-based winery climbed into bed with the Humane Society of the United States. The effort included an agreement for the winery to contribute $100,000 to HSUS. This was not totally out of character for the company which has had strong ties with the vegan community. But the backlash from US consumers was quick and vehement. Within hours of the announcement, Yellow Tail was hit with a blizzard of e-mails and the Yellow Tail fan page on Facebook quickly filled with strong statements of condemnation. Hundreds of Yellow Tail drinkers said they were pouring the wine down the drain and would never buy the product again.
The social media atmosphere lets individuals express their thoughts without reservation. The dislike and disgust for HSUS was overwhelming. Those few who expressed sympathy for HSUS were quickly shouted down by a chorus of cynical barbs and insults. A special anti-Yellow Tail page quickly appeared on Facebook called “Yellow Fail.” Numerous blogs took up the chant decrying Yellow Tail’s decision to give money to an organization where less than one-half of 1% of the funds raised actually went to helping animals. Several national animal organizations condemned the wine company, and even some farmers and ranchers posted You Tube videos on the topic. Read More
For the last several years, we have traveled across the country sharing with farmers and ranchers on how effective they can be when they work together to make themselves heard. I was astounded when I had a “so-called” friend of agriculture attack my message of working together in front of 500 cattlemen. If all aspects of agriculture, along with pet owners and outdoorsmen, hadn’t worked together to spread the message that Yellow Tail was donating to HSUS, it wouldn’t have worked out like it did. I get a lot of people that thank me for my work in advocating for agriculture and I appreciate it very much. But the biggest thank you I got was when people responded when I encouraged everyone to make their voices heard on this project.
02/14/2010
By Gary Truitt
There is a new battleground in the fight against the anti-animal forces that are bent on destroying the American livestock industry. What makes this significant is that is battleground is not controlled by the mass media, special interest groups, PR companies, HSUS, or PETA. This new battleground is controlled by consumers, individuals from a variety of backgrounds taking on the radical fringe and their efforts to control what we eat. This new battleground is the world of social media: Facebook, Twitter, and the myriad of other web-based networks that link people together in cyberspace and transmit information around the world at the speed of light. Unlike the wacko-friendly mass media, this social media has a decidedly anti-nutcase slant, and these social networkers do not suffer fools for more than a few milliseconds. HSUS, PETA, and some large US corporations are learning some painful lessons in this new social world.
Yellow Tail wine is a brand owned by Casella Wines, a family owned and operated winery with winemaking links going back six generations. Until last week, they were the Cinderella story of the wine world having gone from a small family owned winery to international distributor of Yellow Tail wine. Then they made a mistake that has certainly cost them their reputation and could end up costing them their business. The Australian-based winery climbed into bed with the Humane Society of the United States. The effort included an agreement for the winery to contribute $100,000 to HSUS. This was not totally out of character for the company which has had strong ties with the vegan community. But the backlash from US consumers was quick and vehement. Within hours of the announcement, Yellow Tail was hit with a blizzard of e-mails and the Yellow Tail fan page on Facebook quickly filled with strong statements of condemnation. Hundreds of Yellow Tail drinkers said they were pouring the wine down the drain and would never buy the product again.
The social media atmosphere lets individuals express their thoughts without reservation. The dislike and disgust for HSUS was overwhelming. Those few who expressed sympathy for HSUS were quickly shouted down by a chorus of cynical barbs and insults. A special anti-Yellow Tail page quickly appeared on Facebook called “Yellow Fail.” Numerous blogs took up the chant decrying Yellow Tail’s decision to give money to an organization where less than one-half of 1% of the funds raised actually went to helping animals. Several national animal organizations condemned the wine company, and even some farmers and ranchers posted You Tube videos on the topic. Read More
For the last several years, we have traveled across the country sharing with farmers and ranchers on how effective they can be when they work together to make themselves heard. I was astounded when I had a “so-called” friend of agriculture attack my message of working together in front of 500 cattlemen. If all aspects of agriculture, along with pet owners and outdoorsmen, hadn’t worked together to spread the message that Yellow Tail was donating to HSUS, it wouldn’t have worked out like it did. I get a lot of people that thank me for my work in advocating for agriculture and I appreciate it very much. But the biggest thank you I got was when people responded when I encouraged everyone to make their voices heard on this project.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Keep the Advocacy Going!
Read my comments below on how to keep sharing your thoughts on the Yellow Tail donation to HSUS.
Jolley: Five Minutes With The Yellow Tail Fiasco
02/05/2010 10:06AM
Chuck Jolley
Question: After their recent poorly considered donation of $100,000 to HSUS, will Yellow Tail have to high tail it out of the American wine market?
Answer: If the merciless beating they took on social media has any impact, yes.
For those of you who haven’t been following this amazing marketing miscue, Yellow Tail, an Australian winery that’s been very successful in bringing nicely priced, mid-level wines to American consumers, made the colossal mistake of donating 100 large to the Human Society of the United States as part of a “tails for tails” P.R. effort. The idea was Yellow Tails would donate money to help rescue puppies and kittens and such. (Yellow) Tails for (puppy) tails – get it? Clever, huh?
Well, the whole thing went viral in a way they never expected. The ag community, long a target of HSUS, was immediately up in arms. Good red wines, after all, are best enjoyed with a good steak, not a marinated and grilled piece of tofu. Hundreds of people in the ag community or closely affiliated with it, went to Yellow Tail’s Facebook page and becoming fans of the company. They became fans, not to pat them on the back but to kick them a little lower down their anatomy. Within 24 hours hundreds of people had used their ‘fan’ status to ask YT what the hell they were thinking.
I spent an hour browsing through the comments. They have two Facebook pages, by the way, with 2,442 people on one and 1,657 on the other. Although not everyone commented, I found 7 people risking “attaboys” for the donation with the rest offering swift kicks to their Aussie posteriors. Comments like “Don’t drink the yellow water” and “Yellow belly” popped up with some consistency. One creative rancher took his last bottle of Yellow Tail wine out to his pasture, sat it on a fence post and used it for target practice. I saw a few pictures of the familiar YT bottle poised over a toilet, an interesting way to decant a liter of wine. Read More
It’s been an exciting couple of days watching the relentless efforts of farmers, ranchers, hunters, restaurant owners, pet owners and others in telling Yellow Tail that they are not happy about their decision to donate to the vegan animal rights group HSUS. This has been an epic failure and text book example of how NOT to handle social media and an upset customer base. Their apparent strategy now is to hunker down and wait for it to blow over. What they fail to see is that this won’t just blow over. Already this morning, liquor stores and restaurants that serve their products are being asked to stop. The negative impression of Yellow Tail has certainly reached hundreds of thousands of people through the viral nature of social media. A quick Google search of all things Yellow Tail tells the story loud and clear.
So where do we go from here? This is where we take our advocacy to the next level. Like I mentioned before, if you have eating establishments or wine stores in your area that carry their product, go talk to the manager and share with them what has happened and how the HSUS agenda will affect you. What affects you, affects them. That needs to be your message. But don’t stop there. Share with everyone else what you are doing in your local area so we can see the progress that’s being made across the country. There’s a couple of ways I want you to do this. Please share anything you do on the Yellow Tail Facebook page, on the newly formed facebook page Yellow Fail, and on the Advocates for Ag fan page.
All of you have made a difference on this issue. Keep up the good work!
Jolley: Five Minutes With The Yellow Tail Fiasco
02/05/2010 10:06AM
Chuck Jolley
Question: After their recent poorly considered donation of $100,000 to HSUS, will Yellow Tail have to high tail it out of the American wine market?
Answer: If the merciless beating they took on social media has any impact, yes.
For those of you who haven’t been following this amazing marketing miscue, Yellow Tail, an Australian winery that’s been very successful in bringing nicely priced, mid-level wines to American consumers, made the colossal mistake of donating 100 large to the Human Society of the United States as part of a “tails for tails” P.R. effort. The idea was Yellow Tails would donate money to help rescue puppies and kittens and such. (Yellow) Tails for (puppy) tails – get it? Clever, huh?
Well, the whole thing went viral in a way they never expected. The ag community, long a target of HSUS, was immediately up in arms. Good red wines, after all, are best enjoyed with a good steak, not a marinated and grilled piece of tofu. Hundreds of people in the ag community or closely affiliated with it, went to Yellow Tail’s Facebook page and becoming fans of the company. They became fans, not to pat them on the back but to kick them a little lower down their anatomy. Within 24 hours hundreds of people had used their ‘fan’ status to ask YT what the hell they were thinking.
I spent an hour browsing through the comments. They have two Facebook pages, by the way, with 2,442 people on one and 1,657 on the other. Although not everyone commented, I found 7 people risking “attaboys” for the donation with the rest offering swift kicks to their Aussie posteriors. Comments like “Don’t drink the yellow water” and “Yellow belly” popped up with some consistency. One creative rancher took his last bottle of Yellow Tail wine out to his pasture, sat it on a fence post and used it for target practice. I saw a few pictures of the familiar YT bottle poised over a toilet, an interesting way to decant a liter of wine. Read More
It’s been an exciting couple of days watching the relentless efforts of farmers, ranchers, hunters, restaurant owners, pet owners and others in telling Yellow Tail that they are not happy about their decision to donate to the vegan animal rights group HSUS. This has been an epic failure and text book example of how NOT to handle social media and an upset customer base. Their apparent strategy now is to hunker down and wait for it to blow over. What they fail to see is that this won’t just blow over. Already this morning, liquor stores and restaurants that serve their products are being asked to stop. The negative impression of Yellow Tail has certainly reached hundreds of thousands of people through the viral nature of social media. A quick Google search of all things Yellow Tail tells the story loud and clear.
So where do we go from here? This is where we take our advocacy to the next level. Like I mentioned before, if you have eating establishments or wine stores in your area that carry their product, go talk to the manager and share with them what has happened and how the HSUS agenda will affect you. What affects you, affects them. That needs to be your message. But don’t stop there. Share with everyone else what you are doing in your local area so we can see the progress that’s being made across the country. There’s a couple of ways I want you to do this. Please share anything you do on the Yellow Tail Facebook page, on the newly formed facebook page Yellow Fail, and on the Advocates for Ag fan page.
All of you have made a difference on this issue. Keep up the good work!
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