One man's beef with the farming industry

 by Channing Turner
 published on Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Photo by Michelle Deblaere

ANIMAL SAVIOR: Gene Baur will speak Friday at Tempe’s Changing Hands Bookstore about his service as president of Farm Sanctuary, an animal-rescue organization for farm animals.

If animal rights activists formed an army, Gene Baur's uniform would sparkle with medals. The president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, the first animal-rescue organization dedicated to farm animals, plans to discuss his new book and promote animal-abuse awareness Friday at Changing Hands Bookstore on McClintock Drive and Guadalupe Road.

Baur said his efforts started when he visited animal stockyards. He was instantly appalled by the stink, filth, and depraved conditions. Starting with Hilda, a sick stockyard sheep left for dead, Baur began rescuing animals.

Support from fellow activists spurred more rescues.

"We would find living animals discarded, sometimes in trash cans or on piles of dead animals. We rescued them, and began advocating for reforms," Baur said in an email.

Today, more than 800 cows, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigs, sheep, rabbits, goats and donkeys reside at Farm Sanctuary.

"Farm Sanctuary works to raise awareness about the conditions endured by animals on farms and seeks to prevent cruelty and other problems associated with industrialized animal agriculture," Baur said.

Baur blames radical changes in the farm industry for increasing cruelty. Modern conditions force farmers to assemble large, factory-style herds and manage them impersonally. Powerless to form unions or protests of their own, farm animals have found a champion in Baur.

The main struggle now is awareness. According to Baur, most people "are unwittingly supporting conditions that are cruel, wasteful and unhealthy."

His new book "Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food" attempts to correct that. The book chronicles Farm Sanctuary's trials, from Hilda's rescue to the eco-friendly farmer's struggle to compete in today's market.

Reach the reporter at: channing.turner@asu.edu.