Walking for Farm Animals

Photo by Dan Eggert.

Most of our food today comes from farms that look little like the idealized image espoused in American lore. Diane Ludwigsen has organized a Door County Walk for Farm Animals for Oct. 3 to raise awareness about how farm animals are raised and treated on factory farms today.

The walk is an important part of the Farm Sanctuary’s fight to change the way we think about farm animals and to shape what we talk about when we talk about farms. Farm Sanctuary works to prevent cruelty and encourage legal and policy reforms that promote respect and compassion for farm animals.

The walks, which have been taking place for more than 20 years, are gaining momentum among Americans and Canadians. Last year there were 67 walks in which more than 3,600 people participated and raised over $330,000 for Farm Sanctuary.

Ludwigsen, owner of The Spa at Sacred Grounds, brought the walk to Door County to raise awareness and compassion for farm animals.

“I started really reading up on the farming industry, and I became aware that animals are an agri-business,” Ludwigsen said. “The majority of them are not being raised in the farms that I see driving around Wisconsin. The majority of them are in places we don’t see.”

Ludwigsen used to be a big meat eater. The more informed she became – reading books like Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals – the more she began to question things.

“What’s on my plate? What am I buying, and where is it coming from?” Ludwigsen said.

Photo by Dan Eggert.

For some time now, Old McDonald’s farm has not had just one cow, or pig, or chicken. On the contrary, his farm has expanded from a quaint little operation to a veritable factory, churning out meat for mass consumption.

According to Farm Sanctuary’s website, 80 percent of the 35 million beef cattle slaughtered annually in the U.S. are concentrated in the hands of a four huge corporations.

Ludwigsen said, “To me, it raises the question of humanity and compassion. It becomes a choice of advocating for a group that doesn’t have a voice of its own.”

Farm Sanctuary owns and operates two shelters, a 175-acre farm in upstate New York and a 300-acre farm in northern California. The Farm Sanctuary walks raise money for the shelters, which rescue, rehabilitate and give lifelong care to animals neglected and abused in stockyards, factory farms and slaughterhouses.

All of the animals have nourishing food, spacious, clean barns, and acres of green, sunny pastures in which to roam.

“I honestly feel really privileged to bring this event here for the first time. The uniqueness of this particularly walk is that Lanore Hahn will be attending, which was an affirmation of our mission,” Ludwigsen said.

Photo by Dan Eggert.

Farm Sanctuary played a special role in Lanore Hahn’s life. She was driving home from a tour with her musician boyfriend, and during the last leg of their journey they saw a piglet running along the side of road. They pulled over and Hahn chased down the emaciated animal. She immediately tried calling around to find out where the piglet might have escaped from, but no one knew. There were no pig farms in the area, and it was speculated that she had fallen off a transport truck. In the next weeks Hahn worked tirelessly to get the piglet veterinary care, and to find her a permanent home.

“I was spending a lot of time on Farm Sanctuary’s website after they drove out to pick her [the piglet] up. It was sort of upsetting to let her go, even though I knew she would be well cared for,” Hahn said. “Pigs are very smart and they want attachment. She wanted to be near me, on my lap, follow me all around the yard.”

Hahn will share more of the astounding details of her rescue of the piglet, named Kim Gorden, at the walk.

The Walk for Farm Animals will be held in Fish Creek, at Camp David, on Oct 3. Registration starts at 11 am and the walk begins at noon. Cost is $15 and a free t-shirt is given to walkers who register ahead of time. For more information visit http://www.walkforfarmanimals.org/ or contact walk coordinator Diane Ludwigsen at 920.854.5167.