Factory Farming During The United States

Our nation’s industrial farming has become more than just feeding people; it has become a way for the food industry to make more money as human population continues to grow. Jonathan Safran Foer in his book Eating Animals, illustrates the effects factory farming has had on animals meant for human consumption. Furthermore, Foer asks many questions to the reader on what will it take for us to change our ways before we say enough is enough. The questions individuals need to be asking themselves are: how do we deal with the problem of factory farming, and what can people do to help solve these issues? Eric Schlosser in Fast Food Nation, also illustrates the animal abuse that goes unseen within the food industry as well as Bernard Rollin and Robert Desch in their article “Farm Factories”, both demonstrate what is wrong today with factory farming. Foer gives such examples of employees who work in slaughterhouses giving accounts of what goes on in the kill floors, and stories of employees who have witnessed thousands and thousands of cows going through the slaughter process alive (Animals 231). Namit Arora in the article “On Eating Animals”, as well as Michael Pollan in his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, both address some of the issues that animals face once they hit the kill floor. The food industry has transformed not only how people eat, but also the negative effects our climate endures as a result of factory farming as illustrated by Anna Lappe in “The Climate Crisis at the End

Factory Farming is an increasing industry in the United States. These large farms, which evidently appear to be more like slaughterhouses than the typical farms a person can imagine are located throughout the United States. These factory farms contain animals ranging from chickens, sheep, goats, cows, turkeys, and pigs, they also contain dairy products. The conditions for the animals and the employees of these factory farms are inhumane and vile. Life behind the walls of the factory farm is both unsanitary for the animals and the employees. Employees are forced to endure long hours and poor treatment. Animals in these conditions withstand living in cages and are forced to live in uninhabitable ways.

Every year, over 58 billion farm animals are killed by humans for food production, and this astounding number does not even include sea creatures. This is known as factory farming – the system of inhumane raising of livestock for the purpose of supplying food for human consumption in the cheapest way possible. It is argued that factory farming should be illegal and banned worldwide not only because of its cruelty towards animals but also because the low quality meat can produce harmful diseases and major health concerns to consumers.

During the year of following WWl, the demand for farming had increased greatly. Many farms in the midwest continued to expand to meet the demand, tilling up prairie grasslands to make new fields for crops. After the demand was over, the AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Act )authorized the federal government to try and raise farm prices and force farmers to plant less (Foner 816). This worked to a point and forced many to leave their farms and move to the cities or to the west coast. The problem was during the early 1930’s the country was under a great drought, causing this now exposed soil to dry up even faster and begin to blow around. The winds would often blow for days, carrying soil particles as far east as New York City. Families that remained

Have you ever wondered what you’re really eating, where the ground beef in your cheeseburger comes from, or if the animals are getting the same satisfaction and happiness that your hunger gets? Factory farming is the reason for these questions we ask ourselves. They say we should eat animal products that trace back to factory farms because they wouldn’t raise anything that’s not good for us in a “farm”. I say that you shouldn’t eat animal products from factory farms because of the corrupted conditions animals live in. They might object that factory farms is a better choice because you get more bang for your buck versus going to a farmers market and spending an arm and a leg for naturally raised produce.

In the U.S., the concept of factory farms primarily involving animals such as pigs, cattle and chicken began in the 1920’s as a way to increase efficiencies by capturing

The factories are in no way better than the farms that produce just as efficiently as them, argues Joel Salatin, a Polyface Farm owner. Salatin's usage of ethos shows how much of a slight difference there is between industrial food producers and farmers such as himself with his position of working as an owner of a farm. Using Salatin's experience and lifestyle on the farms, we can take into account that he's credible. Factories have very unnatural products that are present in their food to cope with the immense need for meat. The farms, however, are natural producers and are capable of feeding the mouths that need feeding as well. Farmers' methods to go about providing food takes less time than that of a factory. Compared to a factory, farms

The British economies depended on the weather for quality farming and produce, however as ideas and inventions progressed, Britain had transformed from a rural community to an industrialized country.

Factory farming is a large industrialized way of raising animals in large quantities for consumption and is also known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) or feedlots. This type of farming started off in the early 1970’s as a way of mass producing eggs, then into the 80’s and 90’s large sheds were created to house pigs for mass pork production. Now “large industrial factory farming accounts for 99.9% of chickens, 97% of chickens for eggs, 99% for turkeys, 95% for pigs and 78% for cattle” (“Factory Farming”). CAFOs and factory farms are facilities that “can house more than 125,000 animals under one roof” (“Ending Factory Farming”).

Throughout history, new farming methods have popped up to keep up with the food demands of the growing United States population. Such farming methods strived to make food production cheaper and more efficient. Hence, the birth of the modern factory farm. Now, nearly two thirds of U.S. agricultural output is from three percent of its farms (“Factory”). Though factory farms have been very good for the efficiency of food-production, animals in the farms are often victims of mistreatment. By examining these different theories, one can form an educated stance on the economic side of factory farms.

The meat market is booming, yet it is harming poor countries, the environment, and the animals. It is currently benefitting rich countries, but that will change as the population continues to grow. There is not enough space to continue to house all animals that are raised for food, even if humane farming was to be put into practice. To achieve space, deforestation is occurring. On top of that, animal farming is greatly contributing to the concentration of methane in the atmosphere. Currently, water sources are being used up, which may soon result in a lack of water. The food produced through animal farming, though likely cheaper than meat produced through humane methods, is still too expensive for most. Poor countries cannot afford the food produced in countries that use animal farming. According to Nibert, the food is produced for rich countries and prohibited from the poor. There is also worry about GMOs and how long term consumption may impact one’s health; however, it is becoming less and less possible to eat food that has not been modified in some way. Most of the food being produced, is owned by only a small number of people, all of whom, attempt to achieve as great of a profit as possible. Ultimately, money is the main focus for most people in the food industry and they are willing to go to extreme lengths to increase their

The definition of factory farming is “a system of rearing livestock using intensive methods, by which poultry, pigs, or cattle are confined indoors under strictly controlled conditions.” Factory farming is one of the most brutal things an animal could go through. The effects that the terribly poor conditions workers have animals in is drastic compared to what their life could have been. The animals are packed into spaces so tight that they can barely move with no outdoor access. The animals, being so confined, are unable to act on natural instincts causing severe physical and mental stress. A farmer will get more money for chicken with large thighs and breasts so naturally, the farmers have bred chickens so heavy that their bones cannot support their weight.

Cramped, dark, and dirty. All of those words can describe a factory farm. On most factory farms, they do not care about the animal’s well-being. Having a mass production of meat is more valuable to them. So what is factory farming? Factory farming is a method of farming in which animals are locked indoors and raised in mass quantities in order to produce more food. If you don’t care, you should. Factory farming does not just affect the animals but also people. Although factory farming is productive, it is considered inhumane and unhealthy.

Factory farming also known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) is the raising of livestock for human consumption in which vast amounts of food are produced at minimal cost. Products such as meat, milk, and eggs are all staples of this practice. It is easy to identify these farms from their distinct characteristics of confining their animals. Animals such as cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys are confined to very small quarters and fed out while being pumped full of hormones and antibiotics. This method of farming has essentially become a means to an end in order to feed the ever-growing appetite for meat. Although this practice may keep the cost of food reasonable, there are many detrimental effects associated with the mass production of animals. Many people remain unaware, while others chose to ignore the risk related to the consumption of low quality food produced by such farms. Regardless of the large quantities of meat produced at minimal cost factory farming is a reckless practice that contributes directly to environmental hazards, public health, and animal cruelty.

The days of the family farm days are over. For decades, there has been such an exorbitant consumer demand for pork products. The consumer demand is so high that pork is now a multibillion-dollar industry, Swann (2014). Now the family farm has evolved into what critics call “factory farms” due to high consumer demand for affordable meat pork products in the United States (p.43).