Continued from Home page:

"It wasn't agribusiness that was scared of PETA/HSUS. The ones who stood their ground were the generations of farmers who did not want to be driven off their land. My grandparents raised cattle. My parents raised cattle. And now I am blessed to be doing the same. We farmers consider it a high calling, a gift from God that requires great acumen and hard work. We will continue to fight for our right to farm, and we hope you voters will continue to support us."     - Butler County Cattle Farmer, Bev Roe

Letter to the Editor (of many newspapers in Ohio)

Dear Editor:

Voting NO on Issue 2 in November will tell Ohio farmers that consumers want to import and buy food from other countries. Voting YES for Issue 2 will keep Ohio livestock farmers on their land and establish animal care standards. It will therefore assure and protect our future supply of animal protein food, especially necessary for the health of young and elderly people.

Issue 2 will establish a science-based Livestock Care Board to set animal farming standards. This is the only way to stop HSUS and PETA from forcing their vegan agenda upon Ohioans. HSUS portrays a story line image of ending animal exploitation. But, if you look at previous statements, you see their real agenda -- to remove all meat from your diet, to outlaw hunting, and to free animals from zoos and animal laboratories. Activists will accomplish their goals by legislating so many restrictions that Ohio livestock farmers will cease to exist.

If a majority votes yes for Issue 2, you will keep Ohio livestock farmers in business. Agriculture is Ohio's number one business, providing $93 billion and 924,000 vital jobs for Ohio's hurting economy. Passage of Issue 2 will assure Ohioans of a safe, locally grown food supply. It will bring together the best experts to establish standards for animal care.
The Livestock Care Board will not prevent extreme activists from exploiting opportunities, but neither will it end meat production, dairy farms, hunting or pet ownership. Voting YES on Issue 2 is the best path to for our future food supply.

 Beverly Roe, Cattle Farmer

About the Cattlemen Care Theme of the Summer 2009 Roundup 

Cattlemen and their families care!
Our theme for the Roundup emerged from thinking about how we cattlemen operate. To us, caring for our cattle is a natural instinct. It’s important for two reasons: First, they are God’s creatures and deserve humane, kind treatment. Second, our management of them affects their health and, in turn, how their meat will affect the health of those who buy it.
    To some it seems contradictory. How can we be affectionate with animals we know will be slaughtered to feed people, ourselves included? To us, cattle serve many important purposes in the total scheme of life. Beef and cattle by-products have sustained people throughout the world for thousands of years.
    At the Roundup on the Farm Tours, farmers and their guests observed many ways that Cattlemen Care.