One of the common complaints bogus “environmental” marketers make against U.S. agriculture is that it’s full of “Factory Farms” which are seen and then defined by ag-tivists as environmentally and even morally flawed.

In fact, the vast majority of U.S. farms — more than 97 percent — are family owned.

Consider A February 2011 Consumer Reports article: “Your Bank, Now Better.” It states that the “12 largest credit card issuers hold almost 90 percent of all credit card debt.” Further, the nine largest national bank mortgage servicers handled 40 percent of all U.S. home mortgages between 2007 and 2008. This article wasn’t complaining about “factory financiers,” it was applauding new financial regulations.

So why is it that nobody complains if the nation’s credit card debt is held by 12 credit issuers, but media continues to publish misinformation about U.S. Agriculture? Because manufacturing outrage about U.S. agriculture is trendier? Easier to do? I’m stumped. What is it about the world’s safest, least expensive supply of nutritious food that makes it such a juicy target? Why the increasing manufactured outrage about U.S. agriculture?

Theory — Some of the deepest cultural, emotional and spiritual connections we have are with our food. Our personal relationships with food make it easier to raise activist cash around food. By being penitent about our food choices in response to activist criticism (and paying more for nutritionally identical yet masterfully marketed organic foods) do we purchase cheap cultural redemption for “food sins” that are manufactured by ag-tivists?