At a recent rally for State Issue 2, I was confronted by a young farmer who wanted to know who and what brought this (Issue 2) on. He said he was frustrated with the constant invasion into farming by those who generally have little or no farm experience but claim to know what is best for farm animals, farmers and society in general. Ironically, this was my initial reaction before my research began.
The answers are; who was the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and what was the meeting they initiated in February with agricultural leaders of Ohio. HSUS presented their list of demands for Ohio’s farmers and made it clear that if the agricultural leaders rejected their demands they would use their money and power to force farmers to submit. Some states, a recent example being Michigan, have caved after deciding that they could not compete with HSUS’s money and powerful political clout.
Ohio’s agricultural leaders did not cave. They chose to stand up to the powerful Washington D.C. based group with an annual budget of well over 100 million dollars plus a net worth nearly three times that figure. Also, HSUS has a staff and board of nearly fifty professionals to assist with their attacks on animal agriculture. Sound intimidating? It is. Just wait until you witness their massive onslaught, assisted by other like-minded groups with multimillions, via the media and internet. The plan (State Issue 2) began with the support of nearly all agricultural organizations, and overwhelmingly by both political parties.
I find it ironic that HSUS’s staff and supporters, in written letters, claim to only be against select practices used by big agriculture. Modern animal practices are primarily the result of research done by Land Grant Universities and animal scientists. In California once HSUS passed their first issue, focusing on the biggest producers, they immediately began their next attack affecting smaller enterprises – it never ends. On their website the offspring of cattle are referred to as children. Also, you will see their ultimate goal of eliminating meat, milk, eggs and cheese from American diets – do you know of any family farms that produce meat, milk, eggs or cheese? They are countless. It also seems nonsensical that supporters of HSUS’s campaign do not recognize the fact that the better care that farmers take of their animals, the healthier and more productive their animals will become. Therefore, there will be an increase in income for farmers and the quantity of food they produce. If HSUS genuinely cares about rescuing animals, you have to wonder why they share less than five percent of their annual budget with grass roots, hardworking and underfunded local humane societies. I encourage you to call your local humane society and ask how much money they receive from HSUS – the likely answer is zero dollars.
HSUS certainly addresses some worthy cases, however, this attack on our hardworking food producing farmers is not one of them. HSUS is always questioning farmer’s societal contribution – what could be more socially redeemable than working hard, creating jobs and producing food for a starving world?
If HSUS gets their way you can be assured that we will have more imported food that will be less safe, and more expensive! Remember who and what started all of this. The fact is that we currently have two choices on this issue; support the Washington D.C. based HSUS, or an Ohio agricultural board created by State Issue 2.
See www.ohiolivestockcare.org or http://theagriculturalview.blogspot.com for detailed information. Farmers are so few in numbers that I ask you to not approach this issue with an apathetic mindset. I encourage you to Vote Yes on State Issue 2.