Serious question for SF

[bruce MN]

Just looked at the pig stories segment on the home page.  Coverage of the California proposal. 

At the top is a photo of a sow with an obviously 3 or more way cross litter on a bed of straw on a solid floor.

So why do these farm publications and websites (surely not only SF) persist in doing that when 90 or probably considerably more percent of litters in this country are farrowed on wire, plastic, slats (not so much anymore) or other unbedded surfaces?

As a side, I recall sitting in a transit stop in Boston where a milk supplier had a billboard up of a few Holstein cows grazing in lush grass with a classic red barn in the background. A couple was sitting near me and she was going on about how lovely and rustic it looked and that her grandpa had a farm like that and such.  Held my restless tongue until they got up to leave and then mentioned to them that they should know that there probably weren’t  20 gallons of milk consumed in the greater Boston area in a day that came from cows living and producing in an environment like that.

You’d have thought I’d shot her dog in her front yard. 

[BA Deere]

I didn`t realize anyone posted on the hog page anymore, just stumbled on this.   Probably SF had a stock photo of pigs that happened to come from one of their many articles on niche markets.  I don`t think those articles are geared towards the farrowing superintendent at Iowa Select or Christensen.   But, a photo (if you`d be allowed in the barn) with a sow nursing 21 piglets on tenderfoot pads in a farrowing crate could be as impressive (propaganda some would say).   

Scandinavian systems are really impressive on sow care all the while meeting California standards (hopefully).   I can`t save pigs per litter without crates, but that is the trade off that California voters probably aren`t considering in the whole package of humane animal care.