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AdvertisementIssuing sound decisionsAll livestock producers should mark Nov. 3 on their calendars. While that voting day may not be one of great importance in your state, it is in Ohio. Voters will go to the polls in Ohio to determine the fate of animal agriculture in the state. On the ballot is Issue 2, which creates the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board that will set standards for livestock and poultry care. The difference between this initiative and others that have passed in California and Florida is that it is a proactive move by the state's livestock industry. It assures that decisions will be made by local parties actually interested in providing quality care to animals in Ohio and not national special interest groups interested in pushing animal agriculture out of the United States. The Board will be made up of 13 Ohioans, including the director of Ohio Department of Agriculture, three family farmers, two veterinarians (one of whom is the state veterinarian), a food safety expert, a representative of a local humane society, two members representing statewide farm organizations, the dean of an Ohio agriculture college and two members representing Ohio consumers. When Proposition 2 passed in California, many livestock producers thought the regulations would only be passed in "radical" West Coast states. But agricultural groups and advocates for agriculture warned the legislation was a sign of what was to come. Animal rights groups like the Humane Society of the United States are determined to control livestock production, and ultimately drive animal agriculture out of this country. What never seems to sink in with the HSUS and other groups pushing for control is that animal comfort is key to livestock producers. I recently read an account of a woman who was concerned about learning where her food originated. She wanted to learn more, so she toured a local dairy. Eliz Greene wrote, "I had assumed 'confined' cows would be unhappy cows, dirty cows, sad--but I was wrong. Over the hour-long tour, our host constantly talked about cow comfort--from the different types of bedding to how the feed was presented. "As anyone who has breast-fed knows, if the mom is stressed or uncomfortable, the milk doesn't flow. I hadn't considered this concept in regard to dairy cows, but it makes sense. From that perspective, it seems ridiculous that a business person would set up a situation where conditions would limit production. No, indeed this farm was all about making the cows happy." This mother understands now--farmers and their team of experts (veterinarians, nutritionists and others) know best when it comes to taking care of animals. A multi-million dollar activist group that is bent on demolishing agriculture, regardless of the facts, does not. But sadly, these groups have managed to convince consumers they are the experts. What Ohio's Issue 2 does is take a proactive step in controlling animal care. Let's hope that the step is the first of many by the livestock industry to take its fate into its own hands. Holly Martin can be reached by phone at 620-227-1806, or by e-mail at hmartin@hpj.com.
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