Cattle Farmer Has Change of Heart, from Cattle Farmer to Animal Sanctuary

by Jennie Richards · Published April 1, 2019 · Updated April 5, 2019

Mark Lanigan had been raising cows on his father’s cattle ranch since graduating from college. He raised cows for meat for many years, but began having a change of heart and second thoughts with a newborn calf—a new life—which prompted him to begin questioning the hypocrisy of raising and killing his animals, when he loved them so much. Lanigan’s story of bold change, started with his willingness to take risks, make big changes, open his heart, listen to his inner voice, and allow compassion to enter his life.

Lanigan recalls, “I thought how hypocritical to give animals so much love you raise for food, then kill them. I recognized the hypocrisy. Farming is expensive and I just ‘turned off’ these thoughts. Every time a big bill came in—someone had to die.”

“I thought what else can I do? I wondered if there was a way to keep the cattle on the farm, and eliminate the breeding of them, where they could live out their days here. I decided to explore it. I had an assistant who was vegan, and together we brainstormed, and it was then I decided to transform the farm into an animal sanctuary, and raise vegetables.”

Lanigan transformed the animal farm into a sanctuary, where his 21 cows, along with horses, geese and a donkey will all live out their natural lives in peace. In order to make this transition, he launched a fundraising campaign on a crowdsource funding website, and raised the needed startup monies, and soon became the Farmhouse Garden Animal Home.

Lanigan’s farm now has 18 acres of organic vegetables where he uses biodynamic farming and his cows now provide manure that is used as fertilizer for the vegetables. He sells his vegetables every week at the village market in Uxbridge, Ontario.

The farm has stopped slaughtering its animals. Now all the animals get is love. Pure love. And the promise to live out their natural lives in peace, health and happiness.