Business Notes AGRICULTURE

Country singer k.d. lang may sound like a cowgal, but she doesn't think like one. In a series of TV spots to be aired in the fall, the Grammy winner takes aim at the very lifeblood of cattle country. "If you knew how meat was made, you'd probably lose your lunch," says lang as part of a "Meat Stinks" campaign launched by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a group that opposes most uses of animals other than for companionship.

Word of lang's message is causing indigestion in the beef belt. Some radio stations in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska have struck her songs from their playlists. "This is agriculture country," says Ken Kujawa, program director at KRES-FM in Moberly, Mo. "We don't care if k.d. lang is a vegetarian, but when she says 'Meat stinks,' that hurts everyone who lives in this area." Other singing vegetarians, notably Paul McCartney, have spoken out in lang's defense.