Factory Farming : Factory Versus Traditional Farming

Modern day farming has transformed from the farming process of last century. Instead of farmers producing for their families, farmers are now similar to input/output managers supplying massive manufacturers that feed the country.

All around the world we use factory farming as our main source of packaging and transporting food. But do you know what happens in the factories and farming facilities? This large industrial operation houses animals raised for food. They treat them with hormones and antibiotics to prevent disease and maximize their growth for food output. Then transported to the factories where they are killed if animals and put on a conveyor belt to be processed by workers.

Production-based farming has provided small communities a new effective way of farming; however, this type of farming has created more issues than solutions. In "Renewing Husbandry," Wendell Berry discusses the way communities have lost the practice of husbandry in farming to production-based farming. Also, he depicts the side effects production-based farming has on the small communities by demonstrating the loss of connection the farmers now have with the land and community they provide for. Production-based farming destroys the unity of small communities.

The demand for meat in America is on the rise while the number of family owned farms is declining. The farming industry has had to change century old practices like free-range grazing to keep up with the mass amounts of meat that Americans and other cultures have become accustomed to. A process known as factory farming is controlling the farming industry worldwide. Factory farming is an unnatural and inhuman way to raise mass amounts of livestock. Unfortunately to keep up with demand, small farmers around the world are struggling to survive and are being pressured to work for large corporations raising animals using theses factory farming strategies rather than the natural alternative. As described by Wenonah

Farming has many pros and cons. Influences such as where a person grew up, what values and beliefs a person holds, and his/her worldview effects a person’s opinion about farming. In his essay, “Renewing Husbandry,” Wendell Berry explains his views on industrialization and its outcomes in the economy. Berry sheds light on his opinions regarding farming due to his firsthand experiences with it. In his essay, Berry expresses his concerns for the lack of effort put forth by America’s Society regarding farming, but he also states the benefits from industrialization. Therefore, the lack of responsibility regarding industrialization diminishes its applicable benefits.

Over the last 90 years the American farming industry has changed drastically in terms of farming techniques, advanced machinery, government farming policies, and chemical inputs. These developments have revolutionized the agriculture industry but every adjustment can bring about both positive and negative ramifications. Author and historian Paul K. Conkin gives a detailed account of the transformative years of early American farm life spanning from the early 20th century into the 21st century when increasing food prices rocked the nation and the early farm laborers struggled to keep up with the changing industry demands. Farmers faced hardships during The Great Depression which then fueled necessary changes in legislation that secured a farmer’s

Factory farms increase production and help feed the world. Due to an increase in population factory farms holds the world’s food supply in check. Factory farms produce more animals in a quicker matter than any other place. Factory farms help contain waste and help stop some

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 traditional farmer is now just a thing of the past, with big industries taking over there are 4 main producers in the food market today. The image of farmer john and his cows in a grassy pasture is far from what the reality is, cows standing in manure and being crowded into unlivable conditions. The farmers who try to keep traditions are being prosecuted and picked on by big companies who only care about how fat their wallets are. The farmers, factory workers and animals are all expendable and will be

Factory farms have become an ingrained part of our society. They are depended on by people daily. However, it is not generally a fact people ponder often. A large portion of the average Americans food comes from factory farms. What individuals also do not realize is the damage these farms are doing to them daily. However, recently it has become a more prominent problem that many Americans and individuals around the world have started to recognize and raise concern about. Many are now considering this fact every day. Factory farms, specifically in the U.S. are a growing social problem that contributes to animal abuse, the deterioration of our environment, and damage to the local economy.

Growing up on a small family wheat farm in southwestern Oklahoma, I have experienced the harsh conditions of farming firsthand. The job that used to employ the largest amount of people in the United States has lost the support and the respect of the American people. The Jeffersonian Ideal of a nation of farmers has been tossed aside to be replaced by a nation of white-collar workers. The family farm is under attack and it is not being protected. The family farm can help the United States economically by creating jobs in a time when many cannot afford the food in the stores. The family farm can help prevent the degradation of the environment by creating a mutually beneficial relationship between the people producing the food and nature. The family farm is the answer to many of the tough questions facing the United States today, but these small farms are going bankrupt all too often. The government’s policy on farming is the largest factor in what farms succeed, but simple economics, large corporations, and society as a whole influence the decline in family farms; small changes in these areas will help break up the huge corporate farms, keeping the small family farm afloat.

Poultry is by far the number one meat consumed in America; it is versatile, relatively inexpensive compared to other meats, and most importantly it can be found in every grocery store through out the United States. All of those factors are made possible because of factory farming. Factory farming is the reason why consumers are able to purchase low-priced poultry in their local supermarket and also the reason why chickens and other animals are being seen as profit rather than living, breathing beings. So what is exactly is factory farming? According to Ben Macintyre, a writer and columnist of The Times, a British newspaper and a former chicken farm worker, he summed up the goal of any factory farm “... to produce the maximum quantity of

Which brings us to the quality of the milk, lots of commercial farms put steroids in there cows to produce more milk than a regular cow could produce, prolactin, steroids including estrogens, progesterone, corticoids, and androgens, these are just some of the steroids commercial farmers inject in there cows. Sometimes when a cow produces too much milk they could develop mastitis in cows, mastitis is an infection or inflammation in the udders which makes them produce chunky milk it can be potentially fatal in the mammary gland and very expensive for the dairy commercial/industrial farms says HDB dairy, if the udders of a dairy cow doesn 't work they often get shot and get butchered for meat just because the farm was pushing them to hard

Agriculture in the United States has changed dramatically over the centuries. Since the 1960’s large commercial farms have been leading in sales. As a direct result of their success we, as a society, have access to affordable food. However, the success of large farms has lead to many negative impacts such as increased usage of resources and decreased diversity in crop fields. This begs the question, what can be done to reduce the negative impacts of large farms. One solution growing in popularity is sustainable agriculture. The idea of sustainable agriculture is to create farms that need little to no outside help from irrigation, pesticides, or fertilizers. Sustainability can be achieved in many way through

According to the USDA Census of Agriculture, aging farmers and ranchers, whose average age has risen from 52 to 57 during the last 20 years, are often retiring without a younger family member willing to take over (2007). With the loss of multi-generation ranches comes the rise of corporations. This ultimately leads to greater employment rates. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that nearly 60,000 skilled agricultural job openings are expected annually in the U.S., yet only 35,000 graduates will be available to fill them (2012). Agricultural managers should find more opportunities this way. Owners of large lots of land, who aren’t often living on the property, will begin to pursue an agricultural manager’s expertise to run their farms as businesses. The decline in farmers, and the increase in large operations can reap many benefits for graduates looking to emerge themselves in an agricultural career.