Niman Ranch Farmer Joins Pew Trusts in Washington to Raise Awareness of Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotics are critical tools for modern medicine, essential for saving human and animal lives. But the more antibiotics are used—in both livestock and people—the more likely the bacteria will build resistance.

That’s why all Niman Ranch farmers raise their animals without antibiotics. In the infrequent event an animal gets sick and requires antibiotics, the animal will be treated, isolated and sold to a different market.

Niman Ranch and its strict no antibiotics-ever protocol is an outlier in the meat sector. In fact, antibiotic sales for food animal production account for 70 percent of total medically important antibiotic sales by volume. To help address the troubling rise of antibiotic resistance, Niman Ranch farmers have joined The Pew Charitable Trusts for their annual Stand Up to Superbugs policymaker education event in Washington, DC for the past nine years.

Niman Ranch farmers prove every day that routine antibiotic use isn’t necessary to raise healthy livestock. We hope that by leading by example and educating consumers and policymakers on this important topic that antibiotics will remain effective for future generations.

This year, Niman Ranch hog farmer Ron Mardesen made the trip to Washington, DC to speak with policymakers about antibiotic resistance. Here he shares his experience:

My Stand Up to Superbugs Washington, DC Experience

– Ron Mardesen, fifth generation hog farmer from Iowa, Niman Ranch partner since 2002

Last week, I was given the opportunity to travel to Washington, DC to be a participant in The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Stand Up to Superbugs 2020 Advocacy Days. Along with 39 other folks, I got the chance to visit with U.S. Senators, Representatives and other policymakers to discuss antimicrobial resistance and the issues associated with it.

The 40 of us who visited with members of Congress came from different walks of life. Some are veterinarians, some physicians, some professors, some pharmacists, some are antimicrobial resistant bacteria survivors and some are farmers like me.  We come from different backgrounds, but we all share a common vision. We want to see antimicrobial resistance addressed so future generations can have these important tools available to them.

I learned some scary statistics, including that every 15 minutes, someone in the U.S. dies of an antibiotic-resistant infection. All of us have a part to play in fighting this public health crisis.

During my meetings with policymakers, I discussed the practices I had in place on my farm to raise healthy pigs, including room to roam, a healthy diet, fresh pasture or lots of deep straw bedding and more. I spend lots of time with my pigs so I can more easily notice when an animal might seem under the weather and can give them the extra attention and treatment they need so they don’t get sicker. Sometimes, antibiotics are necessary to treat a sick pig and when that happens I work with my veterinarian to ensure I treat the pig appropriately—it is then isolated and sold to a different market than Niman Ranch. 

The Pew Charitable Trusts did a great job of educating us newbies and reeducating the old timers on Capitol Hill etiquette. We were assigned to smaller groups of four to six people to meet with Congressional folks. My group consisted of John Barlow, D.V.M., PhD from Charlotte, VT., AJ Tarpoff, D.V.M., MS from Westmoreland, KS., Amelia Woolums, D.V.M., Ph.D., from Starkville, MI, Marshall Bartlett a farmer from Como, MI., and me. Over the course of a day and a half our group had 14 appointments with various senators, representatives and their staffs. Everyone was receptive to the information and experiences we shared.

In addition to good fellowship and good food, we were treated to a private tour of the Capitol Building Wednesday night. Former Congressman Charlie Dent gave us a tour filled with insights and colorful commentary not found on the daily public tour.

These two days in Washington, DC were something to remember. I’m proud to work with a network of over 750 farmers and ranchers who share a commitment to raising livestock humanely, sustainably and without unnecessary antibiotic use.

By purchasing Niman Ranch meat, eaters are helping fight antibiotic resistance at the dinner table and if they want to do more, I encourage them to join me in asking federal policymakers to act to fight superbugs.