In the Hometown News

In Missouri there has been a lot of rallying against puppy mills these days.  Fellow Missourian Lisa, at Show Me Vegan, recently posted about the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act.  In the midst of it, some livestock owners have become concerned over how far regulations might go.
On March 25 an article titled Proposal: No government intrusion in livestock was published in the Springfield News-Leader.  The end of the article really struck me,

"Loehner, a Republican and farmer from Osage County in central Missouri, said there are methods in raising livestock that the general public doesn't understand.

For example, Loehner said, lambs are born with an eight-inch tail that is cut off after birth. If the tail is left on, it can affect the lamb's growth and development, making the animal less productive and profitable, Loehner said.

"It seems awfully cruel that you have to do that, but that's the only way it can survive" and farmers can make a profit, Loehner said."

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I agree on one point, that there are a lot of methods that the public doesn't understand.  And I would go as far to say, a lot of methods that the public would rather not know about.  Ignorance is bliss, after all.