Ohio Issue 2

[Throttle]

I just want to encourage everyone from Ohio (and in all the agricultural states of the Midwest and beyond who can hopefully learn as much as possible and follow suit here) to get educated and get out there and stump for Issue 2 in Ohio. Ohio is seeking to amend the state constitution by starting a sort of Animal Standards Board to oversee the state's animal agriculture industry. The board would be made up of producers and reps from producer groups, ag university reps, ODA reps, veterinarians, etc. Yes, it is increased government regulation, but it is saying that our livestock industry will be regulated by the right people, and not by HSUS, PETA, or any other out of touch, uneducated entity that is virtually guaranteed to be throwing billions of dollars into ballot issues, like the one that they passed in California last year, all over the Midwest as soon as next November. So, increased regulation is coming here folks. Let's vote yes on Issue 2 in Ohio and give the regulatory control to representatives of the animal agriculture industry, instead of letting radical political activists force it on us next year.

I'm adding a link to an article that ran a couple of weeks ago in the Columbus Dispatch:
http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/09/06/copy/LIVESTOCK_ISSUE.ART_ART_09-06-09_A1_UUEVV9K.html?sid=101

There is some lively discussion going on there. I'll paste a few excerpts that I copied from that forum, but first I want to add how important I think it is that those of us in ag are able to educate the opposition without alienating them. It will not do the industry good or get these important initiatives passed to sit here and say "come on you idiot bleeding heart liberals, pull your head out of your butt and vote how we tell you." People need to be educated on two major issues here: First and foremost people must feel confident that EVERYONE involved in producing their food supply is committed to safe, humane practice and is willing to police their own industry. People need to be educated to the fact that we don't need animal welfare regulation because the current industry standards in animal agriculture are not inhumane. They are proven and time tested by generations of farm families who love and care for animals more deeply and in a way that these folks will never understand. We don't need regulations to bring animal welfare to the livestock business. We need the livestock business to make sure that each of us follows the best animal husbandry possible everyday. Secondly, we have got to get the word out that HSUS and the Humane Society are two completely unaffliated and vastly different things. Your local Humane Society is a super thing to be supported, and in turn, in Ohio they are supporting Issue 2, but the HSUS is a radical political activist group who seeks to convert society to a vegan lifestyle and eliminate animal agriculture as a whole.

Here are some good excerpts from the Dispatch site:

"On the other side, Wayne Pacelle, chief executive director of the national Humane Society"...The way the media and the Humane Society of the United States speak about HSUS is misleading to the public and damaging to local humane societies. Please stop referring to them as the Humane Society. HSUS is a political activist group. Your local Humane Society has NOTHING to do with these battles, their job is to find homes for abandoned DOMESTIC animals and the misleading way these stories are written hurt their very noble cause. They are also local, nonprofit organizations that rely on private donations. If you donate to HSUS it does not go to support your local Humane Society. Also, your local Humane Society is not involved in these activist issues.

Just trying to set this straight wherever I see it. So those checks you or your wife has with cute little puppies and kittens on them that they got from HSUS, it pays for attack ads and things like what you read about in the article above. If you truly love dogs and cats, just donate directly to your local humane society or animal shelter and remember that HSUS is not affiliated with them.




The Humane Society of the United States has admitted that it conducts little to no scientific research when writing its anti-livestock agriculture legislation and purposefully writes ballot initiatives to be emotionally appealing and vague. California egg producers are still arguing the language in Prop 2 because it offers no actual guidelines for caging laying hens.

Issue 2 is not being pushed by "bleeding-heart liberals." It's being encouraged by Ohio farmers who want an IN-STATE governing body keeping watch on animal care practices instead of anti-ag animal rights lobbies like HSUS. It's important that farms be held to standards for animal care - a code of ethics, if you will - but those standards need to be set by those who work with animals and understand agriculture and be based on science and expertise, not heartstring-tugging emotional campaigning.

Treating animals with respect is priority number one for the vast majority of farmers, whether because they are emotionally invested in their livestock or because they understand that healthy, well-cared-for animals generate more profit. My family raises dairy cattle, and I can assure you that I will be voting for Issue 2 in November.


GET OUT AND DO YOUR PART IN OHIO! <party>

 

[Nasc]

bump

 

[P-F]

I am voting for Issue 2 but I feel that more thought could have gone into this, I am still really conserned that the board will be hijack,Who is appointing the people to the board?

 

[knabe]

the board should have more than token membership of small to medium size producers and not be overrepresented by corporate farm officers or organic farming advocates who don't really feed anyone of consequence.  since i've been involved with these boards, they usually deconstruct to membership of a bunch of dogooders as farmers farm and don't have much time.

 

[DL]

I am voting for Issue 2 but I feel that more thought could have gone into this, I am still really conserned that the board will be hijack,Who is appointing the people to the board?

www.safelocalohiofood.org/

www.ohiolivestockcare.com

Who will Serve on the Board

The Board will establish guidelines for food animal care under the expertise of Ohio-based experts and will be made up of Ohioans, including farmers, veterinarians, scientists, consumers and food safety experts, who will use their best knowledge in making decisions affecting animal agriculture.

Thirteen members will be appointed to the Board, including 10 by the Governor and one each by the House and Senate. The director of the state department regulating agriculture will serve as the 13th member and as chair of the Board.

Specifically, the Board will include 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 from statewide farm organizations, the dean of an Ohio agriculture college and two members representing Ohio consumers.

 

[ROAD WARRIOR]

THis type of thing scares the hell out of me. It is sold on the idea that the people that it directly effects will have an influence on the board when in fact it is an appointed board of hand picked people that either are or can be bought or strong armed. Anytime a governing body has the ability to mandate the practices of the general population there will be political ramifications that are not neccessarily for the good of the people that it directly effects. The swine industry has already felt the effects. A local proccessing plant has stringent rules for unloading at their facility. Basically if you can't get the hogs off of your trailer on their own free will, you will set there until they do. Yes you can try to scare them off but you cannot physically touch one of them to unload them or you will be banned from the plant. And yes as soon as these rules went into effect there were people standing at the chute to make sure you didn't violate their rules. The odds aren't good on this board either - assuming the three "family farm reps" are looking out for your best interest, three out of thirteen is not a good average. I have no doubt that this board will be stacked against the producer as well - sure hope they prove me wrong but I doubt it. RW

 

[RAShower]

In ten years you will wish this thing would go away. It will be a lawsuit magnet that will allow the courts to have more say than farmers and ranchers. Then there will be a scandal like in California, and the politicians will change the law allowing for more input from the groups you wish to avoid.

Who would have ever thought the USDA would be in the business of "site" registration?

 

[CJB]

In ten years you will wish this thing would go away.

While you may in fact be exactly right, Ohio is just trying to take an active stance against the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).  HSUS has told OH organizations, such as Ohio Farm Bureau, that they are coming to fight Ohio Agriculture, by trying to get all cage free chickens, and eliminate gestation crates for the hog producers, along with other ideas I'm sure.  I'm with P-F in that there could have been more thought go into this, but time has been a major factor.  Getting this issue on the November ballot, prior to HSUS getting anything on a ballot or into the legislature, seemed to be a large task for all parties involved.  After watching HSUS's ballot initiative pass in California, it is hard to not fight for Issue 2 passing in Ohio, since it is being backed by a great majority of the state level organizations, such as Farm Bureau, and the Ohio Cattleman's Association.

I'm not sure that passing Issue 2 is the be-all, end-all solution, but it is a lot better than sitting on our butts and doing nothing.

 

[Nasc]

ttt

 

[Throttle]

I'm not saying that it is the perfect answer or the end all solution either, but I do think it is better than the alternative for now, and with OCA and OFB behind it, it seems like the thing to do. It's too bad that it is something that we have to worry about

 

[JAG]

I believe this is necessary, but can't help thinking that it's the lesser of the two evils! Am I wrong to think that we'll never see the days of "Big Brother" and "The Do Gooders" minding their own business again?! 

 

[hart]

Its much like committing suicide to evade the fear of death.
Fast train or Slow Train.
either way you will bleed to death. one just gets you there faster.

My feelings as of 3am (cant sleep) is that we should wait, EDUCATE, attack (much like Ohio dove 'hunting' of 98), make it about science labs (testing cages/practices will not make the grade you know)(again much like Ohio Dove hunting Issue back in the day).
and MOST important connect people such as cass suntein and the like to the bill/admen. when it comes up.

Issue 2 is kinda what they want!
"NUDGE" - read it.
go look at peter singer, hes people, who they are, where they are now and what they have been saying.
"nudge them"

As for the FB; sadly they seem to backtrack on their lobbying more than any group out there. 

 

[Nasc]

We really need to work on spreading this information to Ohio voters.
On our local papers forum some people thought issue two was about gambling. 

 

[hart]

Maybe so.
I really look for it to pass either way though.
I am taken back at how many yard signs I see on issue 2.