During the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation’s annual meeting in Columbus on December 2, board members of Farm Credit Services of Mid-America, a $17 billion agriculture lending cooperative serving over 85,500 farmers and rural residents, presented a $50,000 donation to the Animals for Life Foundation.
The Foundation’s goal is to engage and build understanding and trust in all areas where animals touch the lives of the public with the common belief that people have the right to use animals and the responsibility to do so humanely.
“Many of our board members are livestock farmers and support the objectives of the Foundation. It’s important that as farmers, we show care and compassion for livestock while following standards set out by experts in animal agriculture,” said Andrew Wilson, a member of the Farm Credit Services Board and a pork producer from Somerset, Ohio. Wilson and two other Ohio board members George Stebbins from Englewood and Bill Patterson from Chesterland were on hand to deliver the $50,000 check to the Foundation.
Last year, Farm Credit presented a $100,000 check supporting the Ohio Farm Bureau’s Center for Food and Animal Issues, the group responsible for educating the public about the benefits of a Livestock Care Standards Board. This board was created with the passage of Proposition 2 which was on the election ballot earlier this fall.
“As a farmer, I have a responsibility to connect with the public,” said Wilson. “It’s why we as a Farm Credit Board supported an additional donation to an organization that is doing so much to educate the public about animals and agriculture. Plus, it is one more way Farm Credit can be proactive in helping spread a positive message about farming.”