...is steadily declining through the practice of "factory farming." Factory farming is performed by the few large companies controlling food processing in America, it is vile and takes away humanity from those who continue to do it. It is the process in which farms "manufacture" food in unhealthy environments rather than safely breed livestock. It negatively affects the welfare of animals and the companies put the value of efficiency and profit before the health and safety of the animals. The repercussions of the choice to make these environments unhealthy by large corporations and keep them that way without trying to fix them further the damage to the treatment of livestock and the nutritional damage to America. It is imperative that America takes a stand as a nation to stop the process of factory farming and its effects, before the corporations go too far to the point where it is unstoppable. Factory farming is an increasing epidemic in the world of farming, we need to stop this before it is no longer preventable. A large portion of the population in America actually have no idea how livestock is taken care of by the corporations that they buy from. They do not know that the animals are so carelessly handled, that the animals are looked at as materials rather than actual living produce. In the documentary "Food, Inc." (2010) the producers of the movie actually get an inside view of the process of factory farming. The scene from Chapter 1: "Fast Food to All Food" shows...
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...clear that it grew to be the international machine that it is because of demand. More than 300 million Americans want lots of food, meat especially, and they want it cheap. So like every other production process in this country, our food system has been industrialized to produce maximum food calories for the American people at minimum cost. This industrialization of our food system has allowed for population increase and higher standards of living. But there are significant problems with the industrial food system. Caught up in a drive to maximize production and profit, the industrial food system has grown to an unsustainable size. As food production has become increasingly industrialized, concern for the environment and the animals we eat has taken a backseat to expansion. Specialization, rather than integration, has become Forman 2 the hallmark of America’s farms. Rather than having chickens, hogs, corn, and hay all on one farm, all these things now reside on separate, much larger farms. There is, however, another, very separate food system that supplements the industrial food system: the local food system. Local food systems cater to people who believe that it is better to “buy local” or from a smaller, usually family-owned farm rather than from a...
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...Now instead of trying to drive as straight as possible he has gps on his planter. The planter basically plants itself and even has automatic shut offs so there is never any corn that overlaps in the field at all. Basically the only thing that he has to do is, turn at the end of the field and also do the outside rounds. I sat down with him the other day and asked him, is it really that hard to make a living farming? He answered by saying, Yes farming is the hardest thing I have ever done. The hardest part has been finding land. It just keeps getting harder and hard to find land to rent or even buy. Also the land prices keep getting higher and higher, people do not understand that an 80 acre farm now a days at its cheapest will still cost a million dollars. That takes almost half a lifetime to pay off with payments every year. So even on the years were you making a little money all that income goes straight to all the money you owe for the farms that you bought. It makes it really hard to stay ahead with that low of an...
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...revolves around agriculture. Farm life is practiced and passed on through ancestry. Farming is extremely important to the Amish culture because it is their primary source of subsistence. It is also a big part of what it means to be part of the Amish culture. Working on the farms helps the Amish community foster unity, family and self-reliance (Knight, 1980). Although the Amish are very skeptical about technology, they have adapted to technology that helps them conduct their daily farming activities. Farming includes raising livestock, cultivating soil, and producing many crops throughout the year. Some Amish order’s carry on a diversified agricultural program. They follow a four-year crop rotation system, typically planting corn for two years, oats for one year, and a hay crop for the fourth year (Schwieder & Schwieder, 2009). In keeping with the philosophy of stewardship, few Amish farmers use commercial fertilizer; instead they use large amounts of manure because they feel this is a superior method and a more natural one. Many Amish orders have this belief about using commercial products on their farm because they believe it to be possibly harmful to the body upon consumption (Weaver- Zercher, 2005). Amish life is rooted in the soil, which creates somewhat of a burden to some Amish families that completely refuse to adapt. Farmland has increased over the years and cultivating soil by hand or animal drawn equipment makes it almost impossible to cultivate soil in a timely manner...
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...Freedom Lost, Factory Farming With Egg Laying Chickens Katelyn Felix Upper Iowa University Filth, confinement, disease, mutilation, and deprivation are a few things that come to mind when factory farming is mentioned. It is a rapidly growing problem in the United States. Factory farming first started in the 1930’s on a low scale. New kinds of incubators lead to chickens being able to be produced in larger quantities in large scale operations. After World War II the increased demand of eggs led to specialized breading and an increase in factory farming in the United States. Soon following suit between the 1960’s and 1970’s was the boom of fast food chains thus increasing the demand for cheap, fast products (Safe for Animals, 2012). Mass production swept the nation at the expense of the animals and our health. This movement cannot be stopped unless people can get informed with what is happening in these factory farms, and possible alternatives to better our nation’s moral standing. Factory farming of egg laying hens is when they are kept under strict guidelines with intensive methods in order to achieve mass production, in this case, of eggs. These hens are deprived of life, they are only used as means of production and might as well be categorized as machines. First let’s discuss the killing and disposal of chickens in this industry. In the egg industry obviously hens are the only useful chicken to these business owners, seeing as males cannot produce eggs, because of that...
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...Professor Gary Brady-Herndon English 122 November 11, 2013 Annotated Biography Chait, Jennifer. "Free-Range." About.com Organic Business. About Organic, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. The article Free Range by Jennifer Chait explained the meaning of Free Range Farms and the differences between Organic and Free Range Farming. Free Range Farms are described as meat and produce from animals that were allowed to roam freely or had access to outdoor spaces. Organic Foods though the animal should be allowed to roam and graze freely like Free Range Farms, must be certified and meet a stringent criteria. Free Range Farms can also be referred to as Free-roaming, Cage-free or Pasture raised. Free Range Farms are often confused with Organic Farms, explain above they are similar but have differences. Free Range farming incorporates meats eggs and dairy farming. I hope to explain further in my paper the definitions of Free Range. What allows farmers to claim Free Range and what consumers should look for when wanting authentic Free Range Farming products? Pritchard, Forrest. "3 Secrets of Free-Range Farms." Smith Meadows. Smith Meadows, 24 May 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. In this very informative article by Forrest Pritchard, 3 Secrets of Free-Range Farms the importance of Free Range Farms on the eco-system and our environment is thoroughly explained. Pritchard explained the cycle where earth worms burrows through the soil irrigating; this helps farmers get ready for planting. Worms become...
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...THE SLAVE DRIVING FATHER It is true that being raised on a farm constitutes more responsibilities for children. They are expected to do different chores than city kids. There is a story that a boy from Iowa tells that makes a person ask if a line should be drawn where the work is concerned. How should a parent handle their expectations? This boy had a lot of resentment, and rightfully so. His dad woke him up every morning chanting the spelling of the word work. Starting at age six he was expected to jump up out of bed, find something to eat, put dirty stinking clothes on, and get to work in the pig barn. This little boy from Iowa wished that cleaning his room was all he had to complain about. That was not the case. He was expected to go into a filthy pig barn, and scoop up the feces of the animals. He had to wear unwashed clothing from the days before that hung outside in the cold. All he ever ate for breakfast was cold cereal that he had to fix himself. When he finished cleaning the barn he would take long showers to get the smell off of his skin, but it did not work. Not even industrial strength soap would remove the odor left on the skin from being in the pig barn. The father of this little boy never showed any compassion before, during, or after he worked so hard. A parent ought to be kind and loving toward their children, even while teaching them about the importance of responsibility. This little farm boy often felt sad, and even thought about hiding sometimes, because...
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...an image of large fields where cows and other animals are free to roam and graze. In reality, however, most farms today are actually large corporate factories, not the vast fields and red barns that most Americans imagine. These consolidated operations known as CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) are able to produce meats in high volume but have little to no regard for animal or human welfare, the environment, or food safety. CAFOs in the United States are able to produce and process these large amounts of meat year-round by providing sheltered farms for a range of livestock such as cattle, swine, and sheep. However, within these farms animals are confined in limited spaces, making living conditions increasingly unhealthy and unsanitary. Brian Walsh, an environmental columnist at Time Magazine, observed that pigs are sometimes “packed so tightly with other swine that many of their curly tails have been chopped off so they won’t bite one another.” Conditions like these are prime locations for diseases to thrive and spread throughout the livestock. Although antibacterial immunizations are provided to the pigs, the bacteria and other viruses are constantly altering, leading to untreatable infections that can be easily passed onto workers and consumers. Contributing to the threat of new diseases, CAFOs contain massive pileups of feces and other excrements which do not provide safe living or breeding grounds for animals. With over 100 million tons of feces and urine...
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...Industrial/Corn, Pastoral/Grass. Personal/The Forest, each of which brings out interesting sights and happenings in the food chain. The first section which is the Industrial/Corn section describes how corn is the most important ingredient in the industrial food chain, while the second section on Pastoral/Grass section talks about organic farming. The final section on Personal/The Forest finds the author describing how to make a meal out of whatever he could hunt, grown or gathered by him only. This article presents a book review on the first section only. Michael Pollan shows us how difficult it is actually to choose what we eat given that nature has such a wide variety of bounty to offer. Yet if the American industry is scrutinized deeply, one basic ingredient seems to be the magical answer: - corn. The American food industry is strongly based on corn, and is used in various forms, from being fed to live stock, to being used in processed items such as soda or beer. The author describes how corn came to dominate the American markets and industrial food chain because of a combination of factors and pays a visit to George Naylor’s farm in Iowa to experience and learn...
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...The Local Food Movement Benefits Farms, Food Production, Environment The Local Food Movement, 2010 Pallavi Gogoi is a writer for BusinessWeek Online. She frequently writes on retailing. Just as small family-run, sustainable farms were losing their ability to compete in the food marketplace, the local food movement stepped in with a growing consumer demand for locally grown, organic, fresh produce. In addition to supermarket giants following the trend toward locally grown food and devoting shelf space to such items, local foods are also finding their way into schools, office cafeterias, and even prisons. Although the trend toward organic foods has not waned, consumers are increasingly aware of the environmental impact caused when organic foods must travel to find their way to the local grocery store shelf. For this and other reasons, consumers are opting instead for locally grown counterparts, choosing to eat what is available in each season in their areas rather than purchasing food that must be shipped from other regions. Drive through the rolling foothills of the Appalachian range in southwestern Virginia and you'll come across Abingdon, one of the oldest towns west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. If it happens to be a Saturday morning, you might think there's a party going on—every week between 7 a.m. and noon, more than 1,000 people gather in the parking lot on Main Street, next to the police station. This is Abingdon's farmers' market. "For folks here, this is part of the Saturday...
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...is undesirable to have a breeding population of mountain lions in Missouri. Therefore, the Department of Conservation will not encourage the species to reestablish itself in the state. Despite rumors, the Department has never stocked mountain lions and will not do so in the future. Although mountain lions, sometimes called cougars, pumas, panthers or catamounts, were common in Missouri and elsewhere in the Midwest prior to European settlement, they were eradicated during the 19th century. As the countryside was settled and developed, the large predators were shot. People also killed almost all of the deer, the mountain lions’ primary food source. The last native wild mountain lion in Missouri was killed in 1927. They were extirpated from Iowa by 1867, Nebraska by 1890, Kansas by 1904 and from Wisconsin by 1908. Though populations of mountain lions survived in remote mountainous terrain in western states, no verifiable evidence exists to suggest that they...
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...Nebraska temperatures rose to 118 degrees in 1934 and only a slightly less sweltering 115 in Iowa. Even captains of barges stressed about making it through rivers with low water levels. States such as Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas experienced ten years of what became known as the Dust Bowl. Low amounts of precipitation kept the soil from staying on the ground. The rootless topsoil saw over plowing on a regular basis, causing the newly-formed dust to blow around. Little did farmer know, they were weakening the land as they continued to cultivate and plant. Eventually their methods took a turn for the worse when dust storms began to develop throughout the area; consequently, 179 storms occurred by April 1933. Wind speeds reached 100 miles per hour and blew dirt from the Great Plains to the East Coast. This time period...
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...Our country would not be the successful place it is without agriculture. Even before colonization, Native American people were farming in order to sustain their way of living. Many other countries across the world are the same way—farming is crucial for the human race to survive. Humans rely on plants and animals for food, and what better way to ensure their existence than by creating pastures and harvesting crops season after season, year after year. And yet, the land on which these farms exist had to come from somewhere. The pesticides used on fields and the run-off from animal pastures all go somewhere. The native plants and animals that once thrived naturally were removed in order to make room for farms, and the species that co-exist are exposed to harmful waste products. Thus, a vital issue emerges. Farmers and ranchers are committed to providing for populations worldwide. The environmentalists who oppose them are committed to protecting nature. So why can’t they work together and come up with a plan that helps both sides become sustainable? This paper will use the organization American...
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...Introduction Founded in 1993, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has expanded from a local favorite consisting of a single location in Colorado to an international chain with over 1500 locations today. There are countless example of various corporations that experience growth trends similar to that of Chipotle’s, however, as a result of the rapid expansion and gains in sales, most of these corporations tend to neglect their corporate social responsibilities (CSR). Chipotle, on the other hand, does not fall susceptible to this trend. Through a complete examination of Chipotle’s CSR initiatives and activities, as well as detailed explanations of Chipotle’s contributions to the three “pillars” of sustainable development, one is able to see that Chipotle is a leader and an innovator in its industry regarding the corporate management of ethical dilemmas and moral responsibilities. A thorough comparison with a similar corporation in the same industry, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Inc., provides further evidence that Chipotle places immense value corporate transparency and quality morals in addition to being a genuinely ethical and responsible corporation. Following the major comparison are explanations of possible underlying motives and “market nudges” leading Chipotle to participate in particular CSR activities. Lastly, a discussion of government initiatives and potential upcoming regulations has been included to indicate the possible future direction of every firm’s corporate social responsibilities...
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...environment through extensive initial training and on-going training throughout the employee’s tenor with the company. To this day, T.S.C. has concentrated on opening additional stores to continually expand the growth of the company. The store proto-type consists of smaller to medium size store footprints (about 15,000 to 24,000 square feet on average) located outside of urban areas or strictly rural areas. The product mix has evolved somewhat to maximize customer satisfaction and also profitability, while never abandoning their small-farm/rural emphasis. The main product mix consists of work and outdoor based clothing and shoes, animal feeding equipment and actual food for both livestock and domesticated animals, light hardware such as a limited selection of power and manual tools, to merchandise such as fencing and trailers for hauling various equipment and animals. With their smaller store layouts T.S.C. operates with a centralized supply chain that works with innovative technology to keep store shelves stocked and inventory levels in check. T.S.C.’s core business mission and values has helped to keep the retailer on an upward projectory along with the company’s willingness to make appropriate changes to product mix and other key operating metrics without alienating their target market. Tractor Supply Company’s growth strategy has produced positive results for the company, however we believe it may be time for the company...
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