On July 25th, The New York Times ran an article "Bringing Moos and Oinks Into the Food Debate". The article advertised the growing influence of groups like Farm Sanctuary, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and PETA. The NY Times showed pictures of "animals originally destined for dinner who instead live out their lives at Farm Sanctuary," which has a $5.7 million budget.

The article explained that "among animal rights groups, the 1980s were considered the decade of grass-roots activism. The 1990s saw the rise of court actions and ballot initiatives. This decade is about building budgets, influencing policy and cultivating elected officials, all with a deliberate focus on livestock." And, they aren't just stopping there, with the help of technology, these activists deliver their message via mass e-mails and the internet.

In a 2006 survey of 5,000 people, ages 13 - 24, PETA was the non-profit organization most would like to volunteer for. This has come about thanks to PETA's $30 million budget. The HSUS has a budget of $132 million, targeted at farm animals.

PETA and HSUS have purchased enough stock in corporations like Wal-Mart, Tyson, McDonald's and Smithfield to have legal clout to introduce resolutions that have a huge impact on our farms and how we operate. As Farmers & Ranchers, it is up to us to educate our consumers about our farms. The groups I mentioned earlier are trying to tell our story for us, but it isn't accurate. If we don't start speaking up, these groups will conquer livestock farming, pushing animal agriculture out of this country. And once it leaves, what will happen to the rest of our farm commodities?