Howard Lyman

Howard F. Lyman
Howard Lyman speaks at the Intersectional Justice Conference, March 2016.
Born	September 17, 1938 (age 77) Great Falls, Montana, US
Occupation	Author, Lecturer, Agriculture Policy Commentator
Notable awards	Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award (1997); Vegetarian Hall of Fame, (2002)
Spouse	Willow Jeanne Lyman

Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award (1997);

Howard F. Lyman (born on September 17, 1938, in Great Falls, Montana) is an American farmer and animal rights activist who is known for his actions promoting vegan nutrition and organic farming. Among other awards, in 1997 he was awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award for his leadership in the animal rights movement.

He 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 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 in his spine. Faced with the prospect of paralysis, he vowed to return to non-chemical means of farming if he beat the cancer. He survived an operation to remove the tumor and set out to transform his land into an organic farm. He also attempted to be elected to political office, but he lost his first contest. He became a lobbyist instead and moved to Washington, D.C.

Circa 1990, again facing health concerns, he became a vegetarian and found his health improving. In 1989 Lyman had begun to investigate Mad Cow disease, which was just becoming an issue in the UK.

It was not until April 1996 that Lyman became well known. In an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Lyman made remarks which in turn led to Oprah renouncing hamburgers. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association sued Lyman and Winfrey. Both were found not guilty of any wrongdoing early in 1998.