When we were getting ready to write this, Kathy read Jessica Toothman’s piece called “10 Completely False Facts Everyone Knows.” In her conclusion she wrote:
“…many of these “facts” are just things we take for granted without giving them much thought. But if we did give them more thought, we could probably reach most of these conclusions on our own. “
She could be concluding her story, or she could be writing about our current series courtesy of the Stockmanship Journal. In this series, authors Whit Hibbard and Dr. Lynn Locatelli are analyzing the difference between what some common knowledge “facts” tell us about animal handling facilities and what they’ve actually observed. After comparing what they saw in action to what they’d read, Hibbard and Locatelli reached different conclusions. They’re sharing them with On Pasture readers in a 7 part series. Part 2 runs today, describing why solid-sided handling facilities don’t help animals move more easily to the end point, and what we should be doing instead.
What we like most about this series is that it reminds us that science is a learning and growing effort. We learn one thing, and we share it. Then, using that knowledge another scientist comes along, looks at it, runs some additional experiments, and shares the results. Sometimes the knew knowledge supports the old ideas, but adds additional information. Sometimes it breaks down what we had believed, and then gives us something new and better. Either way, we’re advancing and improving, and that’s always a good thing.
Thanks for reading!
Kathy and Rachel
P.S. Don’t forget to check out Jessica’s article. Among other things, you’ll learn about the tallest mountain in the world (not necessarily Mt. Everest), when it’s ok to touch a baby bird and when to leave it be, and why a chameleon actually changes colors. Enjoy!
