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Truly horrific video shows ranchers’ vile attacks on cattle at remote ranch

Nypost · · 625 words · By Katie Jerkovich
Animal Welfare Corporate accountability
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What to know about Animal Welfare

Truly horrific video shows ranchers’ vile attacks on cattle at remote ranch Warning: what you are about to see is truly horrific as workers at a calf ranch near the Central California town of Modesto are caught on camera punching an kicking animals.

Claims checked 15
Techniques found 2
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Truly horrific video shows ranchers’ vile attacks on cattle at remote ranch Warning: what you are about to see is truly horrific as workers at a calf ranch near the Central California town of Modesto are caught on camera punching an kicking animals.

Why it matters

In the drone video posted by the animal rights activists group Direct Action Everywhere, cattle at Agresti Calf Ranch in Ceres are attacked by workers who kick the animals in the face and head over and over again.

Common ground

The workers are also seen in the footage grabbing onto the calf’s tail and yanking them and using pliers to pull on a calf’s nose, per the group.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/12/us-news/california-ranchers-seen-punching-and-kick…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 100% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Exaggeration / Hyperbole 80% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 15 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 5
check_circle Corroborated 4
info Single Source 2
verified Verified By Reference 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
info
Claim 1: “Temple Grandin-an industry expert-told the group that the calves’ “reaction indicates pain medication was not applied before the procedure.””
SINGLE SOURCE
Search results mention Temple Grandin issuing statements on other undercover videos (e.g., Central Valley Meats), but no specific evidence was found in the provided results confirming her statement regarding the Agresti Calf Ranch video specifically.
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web search NEUTRAL — Temple Grandin, Ph.D., professor of animal science at Colorado State University, has issued a statement in regards to the undercover video shot by animal rights group Compassion Over Killing at Centra…
https://www.provisioneronline.com/articles/98248-temple-gran…
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web search NEUTRAL — Behavioral Principles of Livestock Handling To request reprints, include title, author, and complete reference when writing to: Dr. Temple Grandin Department of Animal Science Colorado State Universit…
https://grandin.com/references/cattle.html
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web search NEUTRAL — Temple Grandin revolutionized livestock handling in the 1970s by designing curved chute systems that reduced animal stress, using her autism to understand an...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PZq4u87uGOI
schedule
Claim 2: “Agresti Calf Ranch, which began operations in May 2025, has NEVER been part of the Clover Sonoma milk supply and does not supply cows to Double D Dairy that we contract with”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 3: “Clover also told the Times that it “suspended” business with the dairy once it learned of the footage and the dairy underwent an audit.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 4: “Corrections have been made, including the termination of the employee in the video.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 5: “the workers used hot-irons to burn off horn buds from the young calf”
CORROBORATED
Footage reviewed by The Times specifically describes two workers removing budding horns with a hot iron, causing the calf to react in pain.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — It shows two workers removing the budding horns of a calf with a hot iron. While one held the frightened animal’s head, the other — wearing a sweatshirt with an image of the Virgin Mary — applied the …
https://dnyuz.com/2026/05/12/footage-shows-central-valley-da…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Calves disbudded using hot-iron+lidocaine had the smallest scar diameter at 3 weeks post-treatment (mean ± SD = 1.2 ± 0.67 cm), significantly smaller than caustic paste (1.8 cm) and caustic stick (2.6…
https://www.academia.edu/94940715/Comparing_caustic_paste_vs…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dehorning paste is applied to very small horn buds (calves 1 day- 3 weeks of age). It is caustic and causes local inflammation.Hot iron dehorners. top of goat head with copper rings showing. Special h…
https://open.lib.umn.edu/largeanimalsurgery/chapter/disbuddi…
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Claim 6: “In the drone video posted by the animal rights activists group Direct Action Everywhere, cattle at Agresti Calf Ranch in Ceres are attacked by workers who kick the animals in the face and head over and over again.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources confirm that Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) obtained drone footage of Agresti Calf Ranch in Ceres showing workers kicking cattle in the face.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) is an international grassroots network of animal rights activists founded in 2013 in the San Francisco Bay Area. [1] DxE uses disruptive protests and non-violent direct …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_Action_Everywhere
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In late February, animal rights activists flew a drone over a calf ranch in the Central Valley and watched as workers kicked and punched the animals. Footage reviewed by The Times shows a worker ...
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-05-12/footage…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — New footage showing illegal animal cruelty at a Clover Sonoma-supplying calf ranch was published today at FactoryFarmWatch.org. The footage, which was obtained via drone at Agresti Calf Ranch in Stani…
https://www.directactioneverywhere.com/dxe-in-the-news/calve…
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Claim 7: “workers at a calf ranch near the Central California town of Modesto are caught on camera punching an kicking animals”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that drone footage showed workers at a calf ranch in the Central Valley (near Modesto/Ceres) punching and kicking animals.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In late February, animal rights activists flew a drone over a calf ranch in the Central Valley and watched as workers kicked and punched the animals. Footage reviewed by The Times shows a worker pulli…
https://dnyuz.com/2026/05/12/footage-shows-central-valley-da…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Discover videos related to Livestock Calf Ranch Portales Nm on TikTok. Last updated 2025-04-14.
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/livestock-calf-ranch-portale…
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web search NEUTRAL — These videos reveal the true reality behind the meat industry. The horrors that animals go through in farms and slaughterhouses should be common knowledge.
https://www.kinderworld.org/videos/meat-industry/
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Claim 8: “The workers are also seen in the footage grabbing onto the calf’s tail and yanking them and using pliers to pull on a calf’s nose, per the group.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results specifically mention footage showing a worker pulling a calf by the nose with pliers, corroborating the group's claims of violent handling.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) is an international grassroots network of animal rights activists founded in 2013 in the San Francisco Bay Area. DxE uses disruptive protests and non-violent direct acti…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_Action_Everywhere
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of films with live-action and animation, films that combine live-action and animation elements, typically interacting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_with_live_action…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Wayne Hsiung (born June 18, 1981) is an American lawyer and animal rights activist. He is a co-founder of The Simple Heart Initiative and previously led the animal rights group Direct Action Everywher…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Hsiung
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 9: “According to the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), when removing horns from calves the animals are to be “restrained for dehorning in a way that minimizes stress and the risk of injury to the animal and the operator.””
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The AABP dehorning guidelines explicitly state that calves should be restrained to minimize stress and risk of injury to the animal and operator.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists is a professional association for veterinary parasitology. Despite the name it primarily serves both the United States and Canada and to a lesser…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Association_of_Veteri…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) is a nonprofit association of veterinarians who specialize in the care and treatment of bovines such as cattle. AABP has 13 districts covering t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Association_of_Bovine…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — RESTRAINT Calves should be restrained for dehorning in a way that minimizes stress and the risk of injury to the animal and the operator.
https://aabp.org/Resources/AABP_Guidelines/Dehorning-2019.pd…
+ 2 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 10: “The owner of Double D Dairy, Dominic Assali, sent an email to the Los Angeles Times about having “zero tolerance” for any mistreatment of animals.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 11: ““Clover and the American Humane Society have concluded that the mistreatment was an isolated issue, not systemic or reflective of Agresti Calf Ranch’s personnel,””
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 12: “The group said in a press release that during the hour they watched the workers, at no time were the animals given any kind of anesthesia to deal with the procedure.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the event (the drone footage) is corroborated, the specific claim that no anesthesia was used during that specific hour is an assertion by Direct Action Everywhere and is not independently verified by a second source.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) is an international grassroots network of animal rights activists founded in 2013 in the San Francisco Bay Area. DxE uses disruptive protests and non-violent direct acti…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_Action_Everywhere
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; PEE-tə) is an American animal rights non-profit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and originally led by Ingrid Newkirk, its co-founder. Found…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People_for_the_Ethical_Treatme…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Wayne Hsiung (born June 18, 1981) is an American lawyer and animal rights activist. He is a co-founder of The Simple Heart Initiative and previously led the animal rights group Direct Action Everywher…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Hsiung
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 13: ““Chemical restraint (sedation) may be used to minimize stress and increase ease of handling.””
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The AABP guidelines document explicitly mentions that 'Chemical restraint (sedation) may be used to minimize stress and increase ease of handling.'
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — RESTRAINT Calves should be restrained for dehorning in a way that minimizes stress and the risk of injury to the animal and the operator. Chemical restraint. (sedation) may be used to minimize stress …
https://aabp.org/Resources/AABP_Guidelines/Dehorning-2019.pd…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Guidelines from the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) cover key considerations for the welfare of calves during the dehorning or disbudding process. These guidelines include age at w…
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/optimize_the_welfare_of_calves…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — AABP says it updated its dehorning guidelines to match the latest scientific data. Shutterstitch-iStock-GettyImagesPlus.
https://www.beefmagazine.com/cattle-health/aabp-updates-deho…
help
Claim 14: “Double D Dairy is a supplier of milk to Clover Sonoma.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to verify the business relationship between Double D Dairy and Clover Sonoma.
help
Claim 15: “The Stanislaus County ranch-which is certified by the American Humane Society-raises calves for Double D Dairy, both owned by the Agresti family, per the group.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to verify the ownership of Agresti Calf Ranch and Double D Dairy or the American Humane Society certification.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.