What Motivates Me to Do This Work

Harry on a farm tour in Oregon

FACT’S Executive Director finds inspiration in Dolly Parton and purpose in repairing a broken world.

By: Harry Rhodes, FACT’s Executive Director

I’ve been thinking a lot about Dolly Parton lately, and how she is such a voice for good and positivity in a world that often focuses on the negative.

That got me thinking about my work and why I do what I do. I grew up with the values of “tikkun olam,” a Hebrew phrase that translates to “repairing a broken world,” and have done my best to live up to those values.

Before coming to FACT, I worked at Growing Home in Chicago for many years. Growing Home believes every person, regardless of background, deserves a good job at a living wage and access to healthy, organic food. I devoted myself to those goals and am proud that Growing Home continues that work, transforming individual lives and the Englewood community on Chicago’s South Side.

When I moved on to FACT in 2019, I saw another side of our food system. I learned how animal agriculture is, in many cases, controlled by greed. Large industrial corporations control most of the livestock and poultry operations in the U.S., prioritizing short-term profits over long-term good. I learned that most farmers are drastically underpaid and rely on outside income to make a living. Most USDA funding does not reach small, independent farmers or go toward making healthy food affordable and available to everyone.

But I also learned there are ways of embracing a different relationship with animals and food. Some Indigenous peoples view buffalo as their ancestors and say a prayer before processing their animals. That sense of connection and reverence stayed with me. It helped me understand why FACT’s work matters. We believe that all animals should be raised in a healthy and humane manner and treated with respect. And we strive to make it possible for farmers to do just that.

For 44 years, FACT has supported farmers who raise animals for food in a humane, regenerative manner. It began slowly, as most organizations do, but has made its mark on the animal agriculture system. Working one farmer at a time, we have grown. Today, we work with more than 12,000 farmers and have been instrumental in launching a new national network of farmers, the FACE Ag Network. This network is truly giving a face to humane, regenerative farming.

FACT also works to ensure that the food coming from these animals is safe and healthy to eat. When animals are raised humanely, there is no need to pump them with antibiotics to keep them healthy. They are already healthy, and so is the food coming from them.

I long for the day when all USDA-certified meat comes from animals raised outdoors on pasture, not in confinement. Meat from animals raised in confinement should be clearly labeled, with information about what the animals were fed, if they were allowed outside, and whether antibiotics were used. People deserve to know how their food was raised.

I believe that every farmer should be able to make a living doing the work they love, and that our food system and government should reward farmers who raise healthy food. With that transformation, everyone will have access to good, healthy food without having to search the labels to make sure they are buying it.

By working to transform this broken food system, I am doing my best to help heal this broken world. Despite her many challenges, Dolly remained an optimist who believed people want to live good lives. I share that belief. Despite all of the negativity I see around me, I still believe that we can do better and leave a better world for our children and grandchildren.