Humane Society of United States doesn't care about animals the way farmers do

PETA AND HSUS (Humane Society of United States, which is not affiliated in any way with the local humane society).
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These two words need to concern you if you live in Ohio and you eat. These are two separate groups of people who have their sights set on Ohio. They are well-financed and determined. They have done their homework and know that Ohio is one state that they can likely win. They know agriculture is the No. 1 industry in the state. They also know a hand full of people (farmers) feed the masses of population. They know the vast majority of the people never heard of Issue 2. They know and are counting on complacency, apathy and ignorance of the general public to enable them to ram these laws into place.

There are groups of people whose long-ranges goals may be to eliminate meat, milk and eggs from the food chain. If we do not become self-informed, we will surely be the sore losers. Like it or not, if you eat and live in Ohio, it's your fight. The consequences of these actions will be devastating. Agriculture as we know it today will cease to exist. The majority of all farmers from mom-and-pop operations up to and including the mega farms try to run their operation to the best of their abilities.

These uninformed people have no idea what it takes to operate a farm. I doubt if any of them ever lived on a farm. They want to do away with sow farrowing crates and chicken confinement. They feel cows should calve in a dry heated barn. They don't have a clue how it is in the real world on the farm.

First, these measures taken by the farmer are not meant to be mean to the animals, just the opposite. A farrowing crate is a cage that a sow is put into before giving birth to her litter, so she will not lie down on and kill the new babies. The chicken confinement is done to segregate the chickens to a certain extent, which cuts down on the cannibalization (chickens pecking other chickens) and so they can't get to the eggs. Chickens will sometimes eat their own eggs even if the ration (feed) is in order. Bovines are meant to be an outside animal, not a barn pet.

We have been doing the cow-calf thing for a good many years, and believe me, it is a whole lot healthier for that momma cow to have a calf out in a clean, relatively germ-free pasture than in a dirty-barn environment. The exception is when it's freezing cold or a brutal cold rain. Some free choice shelter is recommended for the safety and well-being of the calf and cow. That's all just common sense and good business.

These people don't really care about the animals as the farmers do. These people only care about only their own agenda. If the HSUS has its way, it won't stop just in Ohio. If the majority of farms are forced to cease operations, can you imagine the ripple effect this will have on a already-strained economy? It may be the deal breaker financially in our state. Think of all other entities that are tied to agriculture, such as the by-products derived from animals. There's more than 1,100 from cattle alone.

If we do not stop these people and this becomes law, you will be forced to comply. When you get good and hungry and your backbone is rubbing your belly button, you'll go grocery shopping and get spinach and broccoli for breakfast instead of steak and eggs. Congratulations vegetarians: They won.

Do not sit back and do nothing, read every article you can get your hands on and become an educated, informed voter. It's to your advantage to say "yes" to Issue 2 on Nov. 3. Contact your farm bureau to see what you can do to help. Write to all your elected officials and let them know that you are not in favor of these people and you want their help. Remember the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Do nothing, and you will get the shaft.

Animal regulation is inevitable, and it's better to self-regulate than to be regulated by HSUS.