Vegan author speaks in Minden

Howard Lyman, the controversial author who was sued by members of the beef industry after appearing on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1996, visited Douglas High School on Tuesday.

Students of Melissa Nikolai's senior English class had just finished reading Lyman's book, "Mad Cowboy," which details his transformation from a fourth-generation Montana rancher, farmer and feedlot operator into a vegan consumer activist.

Lyman was sued over comments he and Oprah Winfrey exchanged about certain feedlot practices, specifically the practice of feeding cows the ground-up remains of other cows. The practice has since been banned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the lawsuit was dismissed in federal court.

"You need to start asking questions about what's happening in your environment," Lyman told students. "How are you going to feed a population that's going to double in your lifetime when there are fewer resources than ever before. North America had the deepest, richest top soil on the face of the Earth. "

Lyman told students that he grew up on an organic farm. When he took the helm of the family business after college, he turned the farm into a large-scale agricultural operation with 7,000 heads of cattle, 12,000 acres of crops, and factory feedlots. He used chemical treatments, in both his crops and cows, to increase yields and turn larger profits. It wasn't until a spinal tumor landed him in the hospital in 1979, almost paralyzing him, that he realized the amount of damage he was causing to himself and his farm.

"It was the first time in my life I took an inventory of everything around me," Lyman said. "I became a farmer because I loved birds, trees and living soil, but when I looked around me, there were no more birds, the trees were dying and the soil was diminishing."

Lyman also warned about dangerous practices in the meat industry. He pointed to the prevalence of obesity and heart disease in America then asked students how many of them regularly ate hot dogs. Half a dozen hands shot up.

"About 80 percent of a 10-inch hot-dog is greasy yellow fat that they dye red," Lyman said. "You have to think about where you food comes from, who produces it, what's in it."

Although unsure about his vegan diet, students were impressed with Lyman's story.

"I think he's awesome," said Brittany Coover. "He's trying to change things and fighting for what he believes in."

"I never really thought about the environment before," said Neil Luzzi. "I want to be a chef, and now I want to make sure I am cooking things that are good for people."