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Cannibalism isn't something a normal person would consider. In fact, most people find it horrifying.
But while most of society turns its head at the idea, it is being practiced in the factory farms today, said Howard Lyman, vegan and author of "Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won't Eat Meat." Not only do cows eat grass and grain, but without realizing it, they often eat their own species.
Lyman spoke about the hard truths of factory farms and the benefits of organic farms Oct. 8 in the Performing Arts Center during his lecture, "Destroying the Earth a Bite at a Time."
Factory farms use hormones and chemicals to beef up their cows in an attempt to create a better product, Lyman said. But because of horrible living conditions, such as small cages, beatings and the chemicals thrown into their bodies, cattle can be fine in the morning but be found dead the next day.
"So what they do with these dead cows is grind them up then feed them back to the cows," he said. "And if that animal is infected, they can spread disease one to another."
And every 4-ounce burger from a factory farm has about 200 to 1,000 different animals, he said. And Lyman knows from experience.
He grew up in Montana on a family-owned farm and it was there he fell in love with birds, trees and the living soil, he said. After high school he went to Montana State University and got his degree in agricultural business and transformed the family farm.
"I took the small organic farm and turned it into a factory where we had 7,000 cattle and 30 employees," Lyman said.
Once on top of the world and making millions of dollars, he received a wake-up call as he became paralyzed from the waist down, he said. It was a spinal tumor and he had a "one-in-a-million chance" of walking again after getting it removed.
As he was lying on his stomach in the hospital, he thought about how things have changed on his farm, he said. He reflected on how the birds and trees were dying and how the soil changes weren't going the direction he wanted and decided to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.
"We need to start farming with nature," Lyman said. "We need to become organic farmers."
He walked out of that hospital and from then on he started working with nature, he said.
The reason why there are so many factory farms and not enough organic farms is because of meat consumption, said senior Shannon York, president of Chico for Animal Rights.
"The reason factory farms exist is because people eat too much meat," she said. "They need to produce it as quick and efficient as possible."
York was there to see Lyman speak and thinks he has his priorities straight, she said. She respects the fact that he took the time to inspect what the business does and how it does it.
"He learned about the business and instead of being desensitized to anything the business affects," York said. "People don't know the effects of factory farms for the environment, people's health and the animals' health."
Although Lyman speaks of large factory farms as unhealthy and unsanitary, animal science professor Dave Daley thinks Lyman views a narrow portion of the industry, he said.
"Most beef producers, and I'm one of them, tend to be very environmentally focused," Daley said. "They take everything from byproducts to waste and turn them into high-quality protein."
Daley has seen many farms, and he has seen small farms that look unsanitary, he said. He thinks some large farms are more sanitary and healthy for animals and people.
"I've seen animals in small locations where people think they're taking care of them, but they appear to have parasite loads," Daley said. "Large farms have nutritional consultants, veterinarians and really take care of animals in a humane fashion."
Junior Abby Ennes was in the audience and found it disgusting that so many animals go into a 4-ounce burger, she said.
"It really grossed me out to the point I was sick to my stomach," Ennes said. "And I love burgers."
Ennes was impressed with Lyman's work to attempt to bring back organic farms, she said. Lyman's words, "It's all about how we live our life," will stick with her.
Butte College sophomore Erika Soerensen is amazed Lyman was able to get out of the factory farm business and go back to the organic farm life, she said.
Soerensen thinks animals are being treated like machines in factory farms and it needs to stop, she said.
Lyman has accomplished a lot in his life, but in order to survive, everyone - carnivore or not - needs to wake up and come together, he said.
"We don't all have to agree on the diet we choose, but we have to agree that this planet is the only one we have," Lyman said. "We need to think about where we're going and we need to do it in this generation."
Raelene Willis can be reached at rwillis@theorion.com
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