Howard F. Lyman (born September 18, 1938, in

Great Falls, Montana Great Falls is the List of cities and towns in Montana, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Cascade County, Montana, Cascade County. The population was 60,442 according to the 2020 United States census, 2 ...

) is an American farmer and

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...

activist known for promoting vegan nutrition and

organic farming Organic farming, also known as organic agriculture or ecological farming or biological farming,Labelling, article 30 o''Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2024 on organic production and labelling of ...

. In 1997 he was awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award for his leadership in the animal rights movement.

Biography

Lyman was raised as a fourth generation rancher on a farm that produced dairy and meat commodities. He attended Montana State University and graduated with a B.S. degree in general agriculture in 1961. Upon graduation, he spent two years in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

before returning to work on the farm. From 1963 to 1983 he was actively engaged in animal and grain production. The areas in which he was involved were dairy, pork, registered Hereford, chicken, range cattle, feedlot beef production, veal, grain, silage, and hay production. In 1979 Lyman was diagnosed with a

tumor A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

in his spine. Faced with the prospect of

paralysis Paralysis (: paralyses; also known as plegia) is a loss of Motor skill, motor function in one or more Skeletal muscle, muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory d ...

, he vowed to return to non-chemical means of farming if he beat the

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

. He survived an operation to remove the tumor and set out to transform his land into an organic farm. He also ran for political office, but lost his first election. He then became a lobbyist, and moved to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Circa 1990, again facing health concerns, he became a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

and found his health improved. In 1989 Lyman had begun to investigate

Mad Cow disease Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, is an incurable and always fatal neurodegenerative disease of cattle. Symptoms include abnormal behavior, trouble walking, and weight loss. Later in the course of th ...

, which was just becoming an issue in the UK. He eventually became a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' appearance

In April 1996 Lyman came to national attention during an appearance on ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...

''. Lyman's remarks on the show led to Winfrey renouncing

hamburger A hamburger (or simply a burger) consists of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilis ...

s. The

National Cattlemen's Beef Association National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) is an American trade association and lobbying group working for American beef producers. Advertising campaign National Cattlemen's Beef Association is the group responsible for the ad campaign run in t ...

sued Lyman and Winfrey. Both were found not liable in 1998. While the CDC and USDA maintained that Mad Cow Disease could not occur in the US, the government of Japan did not agree.

Publications

He has co-authored the book ''Mad Cowboy'' (1998) and co-authored ''No More Bull'' (2005) and became president of EarthSave. Leaving that post, he became president of "Voice for a Viable Future". Lyman wrote the foreword to Erik Marcus's book ''Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating'' (1998), and the 1st vegan pizza cookbook: Mark Sutton's ''Heart Healthy Pizza'' Lyman also features in Franny Armstrong's 2005 documentary '' McLibel'', in

Marianne Thieme Marianne Louise Thieme (; born 6 March 1972) is a Dutch politician, author and animal rights activist. A jurist and theologian by education, she served as the Party for the Animals' political leader from 2002 to 2019 and a member of the House of R ...

's 2007 documentary ''Meat The Truth'', and in Kip Andersen and

Keegan Kuhn Keegan Kuhn is an American documentary filmmaker, director, producer, and professional musician. He is best known for co-directing the documentary films '' Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret'' and '' What the Health'', along with Kip Andersen ...

's 2014 documentary ''

Cowspiracy ''Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret'' is a 2014 American documentary film produced and directed by Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn. The film explores the impact of animal agriculture on the environment—examining such environmental concerns a ...

''. He has produced four DVDs (''A Mad Cowboy Lecture,'' ''Earth Talk: 2001'', ''Mad Cowboy: The Documentary'', and ''A Mad Cowboy Lecture: 2007'').

Recognition

Lyman was awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award in

Sherborn, Massachusetts Sherborn is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Boston's MetroWest (Massachusetts), MetroWest region, the community is within area code 508 and has the ZIP Code 01770. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

in 1997 for his leadership in the animal rights movement. His story was featured in Tribe of Heart's 2009 documentary '' Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home''. He was also featured on the 2011 documentary '' Vegucated''.

Honors and awards

* 1996: Elected President of the International Vegetarian Union (served through 1999) * 1997: Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award in Sherborn, MA on April 12, 1997 * 2002: Vegetarian Hall of Fame, August 3, 2002, at the North American Vegetarian Society's annual Vegetarian Summerfest in

Johnstown, Pennsylvania Johnstown is the largest city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, it is the principal city of the Metropolitan statistical area ...

References

External links

*
Interview with Howard F. Lyman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyman, Howard 1938 births Living people 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American military personnel American animal rights activists American veganism activists People from Great Falls, Montana Farmers from Montana Montana State University alumni Organic farmers