End Animal Agriculture Now

Dear President Barack Obama,

I am just a citizen, who is concerned about the state of our world. I am concerned for our planet's health, for the health of our lands and animals, and concerned about our healths as human beings: body, mind and spirit. I feel like our methods as people to help protect our world, for future generations, are failing. I really believe that if we are going to reverse the damage we have done to the health of everything in a short time it is going to take bold action and dramatic change. I believe I have now found a big part of the solution, and it is this I wish to share with you. I am confident that you will hear my words, and maybe even enact some legislation to help bring this solution to fruition. I don't completely understand how government works these days; I am personally a small organic vegetable farmer, but I have hope that you and other governmental leaders can work together to bring this change to our people. The solution I believe is relatively simple, it is a choice every individual can make, it is a choice that has now been proven to be marketedly better for the planet, for all the land and animals and for us, and that choice is this: To End All Animal Agriculture Now. By greatly limiting our consumption of animal products in the short term and then ending those eating habits completely in the not to distant future will have dramatic effects on many things: Oceans, lakes, rivers streams and groundwater If we stop producing animals for eating, then we stop producing manure from those animals that has no place to go. Right now it is being held in lagoons, spread way to thick on fields, or just let to run-off into our waterways and seep into our drinking water supply. When major storms pass across these lagoons, environmental damage can be widespread. There is no solution for manure management, animals deficate and since they are such big animals they deficate a lot. The manure run-off is creating algae blooms in our oceans because they become too warm, killing off vast quantities of fish and creating ocean dead zones. The impact of this is difficult to understand. But all life is in balance, and with the oceans warming from this manure, we wont' know what the impact will be until it is too late. The only solution is: Don't Raise Them Wildlands and wildlife As our population grows, we will continually be seeking more lands to grow food, if our current consumption of meat stays the same, we will have no choice but to graze on wildland prairie, grow corn or soy on these lands for livestock feed, or clearcut forests to gain more space. A cow/calf pair requires anywhere from 2 to 50 acres of land for grazing. Our current government allowed practice of corralling wildhorses off the prairie so that ranchers have more grassland to graze, and the government sponsored killing off of predators when ranchers feel they are impeding on their herd's is unjust. Where have the wolves, coyotes, bobcats and mountain lions gone? They have died by our rifle bullets so that grasslands can be grazed by a non-native species. The untold impact to the rest of wildlife and birdlife is unmeasureable. The more grazeland without the natural balance and the more lands that go to mono-cropping limits the type of diversity that could be sustained there. The animal agriculture industry is our biggest threat, going forward, to our natural landscape. The solution is: To End Animal Agriculture Now Our Health It is a fact that heart disease and cardiovascular disease are at some of there highest levels. We have seen a dramatic rise in prostate, colon and breast cancers. Obesity and diabetes are extremely prevalent among our population and sadly our children. Research has shown that one of the primary drivers of all of these conditions is saturated fat intake. All animal products are extremely high in saturated fat per serving: Cheese, butter, milk, red meat, and poultry. Even fish has saturated fat, not to mention the mercury contamniation of most wild caught species. On the contrary, whole plant foods like: beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, wheat, oats, vegetables and fruits, all can be eaten with very little saturated fat intake. When you eat these non-animal products you are just eating good stuff for your body. That really 'does a body good.' In the last 8 months I have converted to a completely plant-based diet and do not miss any of the animal products that I was told as a young boy; by my parents, by advertising, and by my teachers were necessary for my health. It is not necessary and may be greatly increasing our chance of being sick. The solution is:Greatly limit or eliminate all animal product consumption. The Livestock Animals I am a vegan activist. I became so 8 months ago, because I felt that it was the only way our future's on this earth could be sustained and grow. I think it was finally the understanding that the livestock animals were no different than my pet cats or my friend's pet dogs. I watched videos of rescue centers that showed truly happy goats, chickens, pigs and baby cows. I finally realized they were happy because they were not going to end up as meat. They were allowed to live like the dogs and cats we all share our homes with. The way we raise animals in buildings, in cages in their own excrement is immoral. And then we eat this food? Even if animals are raised outside, in a beautiful setting, the inevitable drive to the slaughterhouse always happens, ending brusquely that somewhat idylic life. The process of slaughtering animals in the United States is abhorrent, there is no other word for it. There is torture, there is suffering, there is sheer panic. There are videos. I know other vegan activists, who can not watch them, most people would not be able to either, yet this is how 99% of our meat ends up on our plate. The solution is: To End Animal Agriculture This is just a short list of reasons. I hope, in this breif letter I have convinced you as to why I think we should End Animal Agriculture Now, but as our President you may be thinking about the fates of American workers and families that are struggling. They would lose their jobs. It is true, in the very short term (most animals are raised to slaughter in less than a year, except beef cattle), but just like other archaic methods that were once seemingly necessary, like: the typewriter, the phonograph, candles, kerosene lamps, coal-burning trains, vhs machines, I-Phone 1,2,3, not to mention car phones; times change and businesses learn to adapt and this is how government can help. My Proposed Solution We already give quite a bit of money in subsidy, to the agriculture sector, for corn and soy growers for animal feed, cheap land to graze cattle, and more I am sure, you would know better than me. We could instead convert that corn and soy, immediately over to products directly used to feed us. More soy milk, tofu, tempeh and other amazing soy products could be made. More corn could be processed into meal and flour, for breads and tortillas. We could raise more beans, lentils and chickpeas along with every other vegetable and fruit and seek out technologies that require less water, less and more ecological use of the land, and more energy efficient on less space. New industries would be created for the development, processing and distribution of these products. Marginal grasslands could go back to nature. There would be no need to cut down further forests. The government could encourage mixed vegetable, fruit, grain and bean farmers through incentives to set up their projects, thourgh low-interest loans and small grants. Allowing small organic growers the same opportunities as larger crowers. It is a fact that a small farmer generates more money per acre than large farmers. And their profit is substantially higher as well. The government could bring back apprenticeship programs, so that young, new-aspiring farmers could learn from older, experienced farmers. In the short term, ther would be a transition, but in just a year's time, more jobs would be created than lost. It is my hope and dream to see this to fruition. I have dedicated my life to this cause. I have been an organic farmer for 11 years, now just beginning my new 'veganic' (no animal by-product) farm project and I see now at the age of 42, what needs to happen for the future of all of us. I hope you can see the vision. You have only 20 months left in office, but it is more than enough time to change the history of the United States forever and create a legacy that would be unparalleled. If we: End Animal Agriculture Now, in the shortest possible time we will see our world, our lands and animals and ourselves heal dramatically. Thank you for listening to me. Thank you for being open to my letter. Love and light, peace and compassion, hope and change,