Livestock Care Board Sails Through in Ohio

Family farmers and ranchers across American should have a little more spring in their step today in the wake of an overwhelming victory for the nation’s critical livestock industry with the passage of State Issue 2 in Ohio. Aggies in the Buckeye state, including Ohio Corn Growers Association,  went up against the lobbying muscle and war chest of the immensely powerful Humane Society of the United States and handed them a major smack-down in state elections last night.

HSUS’s goal was new “confinement standards” for breeding pigs, egg-laying hens and veal calves “ which many considered costly and unnecessary.  Instead of rolling over farmers and agribusiness leaders moved quickly to persuade the legislature to put the constitutional issue on the ballot and allow a board of in-state experts to decide the fate of their industry and consumer food prices. The roughly 70-30 victory was decisive.

The agenda driven HSUS has been selectively picking off states one by one like a wolf pack stalking lambs but in this case the sheep rallied and fought back in aggressive fashion that even HSUS’s millions and smoke and mirrors PR campaign couldn’t overcome.

Nearly all of the state’s farmer/producers groups and key political leaders got behind the cause because of the realization of how intertwined all of their fates had become on Issue 2. They won with good old fashioned hard work by educating consumers and using the voice of Ohio farmers to tell their story. Ohio corn grower Mark Thomas played a key role in the victory as one of the faces of Ohio farmers in high profile television ads.

Stay tuned because with his best Arnold Swartzenegger voice HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle said: “I’ll Be Back.” Well if you do, my guess is that Ohio agriculture will be waiting at the boarder to kick your carpetbagging rear-end back to where it belongs…and that’s not telling the people of Ohio how to lives their lives or do their jobs.