Micorsoft has launched a new initiative called i'm: http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/Home/

According to the Microsoft website, every time you start a conversation in Microsoft Messenger using i’m, "Microsoft shares a portion of the program's advertising revenue with some of the world's most effective organizations dedicated to social causes." The site goes on to say, "We've set no cap on the amount we'll donate to each organization. The sky's the limit. There's no charge, so join now and put our money where your mouth is."

Sounds great, right? I clicked on the "Choose the Organization" link and to my surprise, I discovered some of the organizations they are donating money to include the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the Sierra Club. The HSUS targets animal agriculture but many people get confused by their name, they think their donations are going to save abused or neglected puppies and cats. However, their dollars are being used to target animal agriculture, which threatens American farmers and ranchers. The Sierra Club has been involved in similar causes that have been detrimental to agriculture.

What can we do? Contact Microsoft and urge them to remove these sites from their donation list. Everyone needs food to survive, and American farmers and ranchers produce the safest, most abundant food supply in the world. Let's tell Microsoft to support American farmers and ranchers.