Factory Farms
COMM 100
December 2012
Factory Farming
Factory Farming began in the 1920’s. It began because demand for meat, milk, eggs and other animal products increased. The more factory farmers produced, the more money they made, which is the essence of the process. They developed techniques to the point where animals didn’t need to be raised outside, which saved cost by keeping them in smaller places. Because conditions were filthy, disease began to spread among animals. This led to large amounts of antibiotics being sprayed all over the animals. Steroids were also developed to make animals grow faster, in order to increase productivity and profit. These animals are usually on grain-based diets because grain is cheaper than other forms of animal feed and help the animals reach market weight faster.
Cows
Cows in the United States are used for both dairy and meat production. In order for a cow to produce milk she has to be impregnated, so they spend their lives in a constant cycle of impregnation, birth, and milking with just a few months of rest between pregnancies. They spend their lives indoors, typically on concrete floors and connected to a milk apparatus. A cow can live more than 20 years in a natural setting, but after only 5 years, they are considered “spent” and sent to slaughter for human consumption. Calves are taken away from their mothers within hours of birth. They can become so distressed from the separation, that they lose weight from not eating and cry so much that their throats become raw. Male calves are not considered valuable to the dairy farmer because they cannot produce milk, so they are taken away to be raised for beef or veal. Arguing that it improves hygiene, factory farmers cut cow’s tails, either with a sharp object or by placing a tight rubber ring around the tail until it falls off. Cows use their tails to swish away flies and suffer during fly season without them. The cows that collapse from sickness or those who are too injured to
December 2012
Factory Farming
Factory Farming began in the 1920’s. It began because demand for meat, milk, eggs and other animal products increased. The more factory farmers produced, the more money they made, which is the essence of the process. They developed techniques to the point where animals didn’t need to be raised outside, which saved cost by keeping them in smaller places. Because conditions were filthy, disease began to spread among animals. This led to large amounts of antibiotics being sprayed all over the animals. Steroids were also developed to make animals grow faster, in order to increase productivity and profit. These animals are usually on grain-based diets because grain is cheaper than other forms of animal feed and help the animals reach market weight faster.
Cows
Cows in the United States are used for both dairy and meat production. In order for a cow to produce milk she has to be impregnated, so they spend their lives in a constant cycle of impregnation, birth, and milking with just a few months of rest between pregnancies. They spend their lives indoors, typically on concrete floors and connected to a milk apparatus. A cow can live more than 20 years in a natural setting, but after only 5 years, they are considered “spent” and sent to slaughter for human consumption. Calves are taken away from their mothers within hours of birth. They can become so distressed from the separation, that they lose weight from not eating and cry so much that their throats become raw. Male calves are not considered valuable to the dairy farmer because they cannot produce milk, so they are taken away to be raised for beef or veal. Arguing that it improves hygiene, factory farmers cut cow’s tails, either with a sharp object or by placing a tight rubber ring around the tail until it falls off. Cows use their tails to swish away flies and suffer during fly season without them. The cows that collapse from sickness or those who are too injured to