Some of the most powerful voices against the modern animal agriculture machine are those who have participated directly in it. Howard Lyman came from a meat and dairy farming background in Great Falls, Montana. He used everything he had been taught during his degree in animal agriculture to transform his family's small, organic farm into a large-scale industrial feedlot.
In 1979, Lyman was diagnosed with a spinal tumour as a result of chemical farming and informed that he may never walk again. Recognising the damage he was inflicting upon his land, his animals and himself, it caused him to completely re-evaluate his way of life. He vowed to make huge changes and became a vegetarian, later transitioning towards a fully vegan lifestyle. He also transformed his feedlot into a sanctuary.
Lyman is probably most famous for being named in a lawsuit in 1994, along with Oprah Winfrey, by a group of Texas cattlemen after stating on television that Mad Cow Disease was coming to America. He and Oprah won the case and he was later proved to be correct in his statement.
Now aged 76, Lyman has written two books, Mad Cowboy and No More Bull, is president of ‘Earth Save’ and ‘Voice for a Valuable Future’ and has featured in documentaries such as Vegucated and Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret. He was also named in the 2002 Vegetarian Hall of Fame.
