About Us

Victories and Milestones

1986 - Hilda was the first animal rescued by Farm Sanctuary, lifted from a "downer" deadpile at a stockyard. Hilda spent 11 years roaming green pastures at our New York Shelter, and touched the hearts and minds of millions of people during her life. All that Farm Sanctuary does, from our shelters and investigative campaigns to our legal and legislative actions, is because of Hilda and animals like her.

1986 - Farm Sanctuary launches the annual Adopt-a-Turkey Project, encouraging people to save a turkey instead of eating one at Thanksgiving. This project has educated millions through national and international network broadcasts, including ABC's Prime Time Live, Animal Planet, CBS This Morning, CBS Sunday Morning, Food Network, National Public Radio, New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal.

1986 - Farm Sanctuary's Volunteer Internship Program launches, inspiring hundreds of individuals to make a life-long commitment to protect farm animals.

1987 - Farm Sanctuary holds its first Walk for Farm Animals, helping to raise funds and awareness. These Walks have grown every year, now occurring in more than 50 cities across North America.

1988 - Farm Sanctuary helps obtain a landmark conviction of a factory farmer for leaving 64 veal calves to die without food or water.

1990 - Farm Sanctuary establishes its first permanent farm animal shelter in the U.S. on 175 acres in Watkins Glen, NY.

1990 - Lindsay Wagner's Anti-Veal public service announcement begins to air on television stations, eventually reaching 70 markets throughout the U.S., and airing during the Oprah show in New York City.

1991 - NBC Network News airs startling footage obtained by Farm Sanctuary showing downed animals being dragged onto trucks. This coverage prompts the nation's largest stockyards to stop marketing downed animals and leads to the introduction of the Downed Animal Protection Act in Washington, DC one year later.

1991 - Farm Sanctuary President Gene Baur debates a meat industry representative on Larry King Live, educating 46 million viewers about food animal industry abuses.

1992 - Farm Sanctuary persuades the Watkins Glen Burger King to sell a veggie burger. Its success leads to the introduction of the BK Veggie burger nationwide.

1993 - A USDA-run slaughterhouse in Wisconsin is convicted of animal cruelty for mistreating a downed animal - a rare occurrence thanks to hundreds of Farm Sanctuary members who contacted the Milwaukee County District Attorney's office, urging prosecution.

1993 - Farm Sanctuary opens a shelter in Orland, California, establishing a presence in the nation's top agricultural state.

1993 - Farm Sanctuary achieves first ever conviction of a U.S. stockyard for mistreating a downed animal after prosecuting Lancaster Stockyards in Pennsylvania.

1993 - Kim Basinger lends her support in a public service announcement to end the marketing of downed animals in California.

1993 - Bed & Breakfast cabins open for overnight guests at the New York Shelter.

1995 - Farm Sanctuary helps pass a law in California, which prevents dragging, pushing, holding, or selling downed animals at stockyards and slaughterhouses. Other states follow California, passing similar laws.

1998 - Farm Sanctuary rescues 40 slaughter-bound pigs abandoned without food or water on a transport truck in Washington D.C.

1999 - Feedstuffs an influential agribusiness publication, prints letter from Farm Sanctuary President Gene Bauston, illustrating agribusiness' growing awareness of the need to address farm animal welfare.

2000 - Farm Sanctuary launches the Cultivating Compassion Humane Education Program.

2000 - Farm Sanctuary helps save more than 1,500 hens trapped in crushed and twisted metal cages, after tornados laid waste to battery-cage warehouses at the Buckeye Egg Farm in Ohio.

2001 - Mary Tyler Moore signs on as chair of Farm Sanctuary's Sentient Beings Campaign, which works to improve the status of farm animals in the U.S. and to achieve basic legal protections. To date, this campaign has achieved over 60 government proclamations stating that farm animals are sentient beings, capable of awareness, feeling and suffering.

2001 - Farm Sanctuary files a lawsuit with the USDA urging an end to the marketing of downed cattle for human consumption.

2001 - First ever star-studded Farm Sanctuary Gala for Farm Animals held in New York City.

2002 - Farm Sanctuary organizes its first Farm Animal Forum in Trenton, New Jersey. This year's conference was held in March in San Francisco, a city well-versed in progressive activism.

2002 - Farm Sanctuary is a key sponsor of the first-ever ballot initiative to ban a cruel factory-farming practice in the U.S. This measure bans gestation crates in Florida.

2002 - SPCA investigators alert Farm Sanctuary to a massive cruelty case in Cattaraugus County, New York, where animals are left to starve in bitter cold temperatures. More than 100 surviving pigs, some frozen to the ground, are brought to our shelter hospital, where they receive 24-hour emergency care and are later adopted into loving homes across the U.S. through our Farm Animal Adoption Network.

2003 - When the first case of mad cow disease is discovered in the U.S., Farm Sanctuary is sought out for comments by New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, Reuters, Taipei Times, CNN.com, and others.

2003 - At Farm Sanctuary's urging, USDA promulgates a rule to prevent the slaughter of downed cattle for human food. Farm Sanctuary attorneys later negotiate settlement of this lawsuit against the USDA in response to the Agency's no downer rule.

2003 - Farm Sanctuary's Veg for Life Campaign launches to encouraged people to move towards a plant-based diet to promote good health, environmental stewardship and compassion toward animals.

2004 - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signs SB1520 into law, banning the force-feeding of ducks and geese to produce foie gras as well as the sale of the cruel product in California.

2004 - Farm Sanctuary responds to a cruelty case in Butler County, PA where 26 cattle, including several pregnant cows, are found starving to death inside a filthy, dilapidated barn. The mothers and babies are brought to safety at Farm Sanctuary's New York shelter.

2004 - Farm Sanctuary is invited to speak about animal rights at the USDA. This is the first time an animal rights organization is asked to speak publicly at the USDA.

2005 - After Hurricane Katrina devastated the Southeast, colossal warehouse-like poultry farms lay in ruins. Farm Sanctuary and other dedicated groups rescue as many birds as possible, and hundreds of dehydrated and starving chickens are brought to the New York Shelter, where they receive vital care. During its first two decades, Farm Sanctuary has rescued and provided lifelong care for more than 7,000 farm animals in need.

2006 - Chicago's Board of Alderman Vote 48 to 1 to ban the sale of foie gras in the city. The ordinance goes into effect in August.

2006 - Farm Sanctuary's 20th Anniversary Gala for Farm Animals, co-chaired by Daryl Hannah, wins a VegNews Veggie Award for the best event of 2006.

2006 - Arizona Voters overwhelming vote Yes on Proposition 204 to ban the use of gestation crates for breeding pigs and veal crates for calves in the state. Farm Sanctuary is a leading backer of this campaign.

2007 - The largest pork and veal producers in the U.S., Smithfield Foods and Strauss Meats, announce that they will phase out the use of gestation and veal crates.

2007 - New Holland Sales Stables found guilty on three counts of animal cruelty, after a Farm Sanctuary humane officer in Lancaster County, PA files charges. New Holland Sales Stables has been the subject of multiple animal cruelty investigations over the years.

2007 - After a two year Farm Sanctuary campaign, Wolfgang Puck announces that he is removing foie gras and crated veal from his menus, as well as implementing a 9 point plan addressing animal welfare concerns, including the addition of more vegetarian options throughout his businesses.

2007 - Four living, breathing beautiful farm animals residing at Farm Sanctuary are featured above the fold on the front cover of the Food Section of the New York Times, in an article addressing how animal rights has hit the mainstream.

2007 - Farm Sanctuary rescues more than 200 animals from live markets in New York City this year; notably Joey the goat from Brooklyn, Lucky Lady the sheep from the Bronx and Maxine the cow from Queens - her rescue becoming one of the largest media stories of the year for Farm Sanctuary.

2007 - Farm Sanctuary's Turkey Express as part of its annual Adopt-a-Turkey Project is featured on the front cover of the New York Times on Thanksgiving Day.

2008 - Farm Sanctuary President and Co-Founder Gene Baur publishes a critically-acclaimed book, "Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food," which becomes a national best-seller.

2008 - Farm Sanctuary formally invited by the Iowa State Department of Agriculture to rescue 69 pigs, including many pregnant sows, abandoned at factory farms during the Midwest flood disaster.