Factory Farms

First of all, sorry I haven't posted in a while. For some of you newer followers, you might not know who I am. So let me introduce myself, I am author4evr. Second of all, factory farms have probably been written about before, so you don't have to let me know that in the comments or anything. I just think it's a really important topic because the products produced have effects on everyone, including you.

What are factory farms, you might ask? A factory farm is a large industrial operation that has a lot (hundreds or thousands) of animals like chickens, turkeys, pigs and cows. It's very cramped for the animals, and the people treat them poorly. What's sad is that these animals rarely or have never seen daylight. They live short lives full of pain. And because the animals aren't taken care of properly, the quality is poor for the food like dairy, eggs, and meat. The people who run the factory only care about how much of the food is produced. Thus, the produced products are lower quality than healthy animals raised in good environments produce.

Five things that occur in factory farms are:

1. The animal are given a constant feeding of antibiotics to prevent disease. People drinking dairy and eating meat products from factory farms may develop immunities to antibiotics and then lose the ability to fight certain types of bacteria.
2. Controlled light cycles to simulate longer or shorter days. This confuses an animal's body and sadly forces an unnatural growth response.
3. Altering the animals to prevent them from acting out on the aggression and anxiety caused by living in such extreme restriction.
4. Forcing breeding animals to reproduce at unnaturally fast rates, causing the animals to be tired, have more stress, and early deaths among them.
5. Rough transportation of livestock to slaughterhouses. Sick or injured animal who fall or die on the way to the slaughterhouses are forced onto slaughter trucks-most often with a bulldozer.

Having so many animals in one place creates a lot of waste, more than the surrounding land can handle! As a result, factory farms are associated with environmental hazards, such pollution (water, land and air). Also people who live close to factory farms often complain of high cases of illness.

To conclude, make sure you know where the products you buy come from. You can make a difference by doing many things, such as buying some foods from small local farms. Make sure you buy foods with the Certified Humane Raised & Handled® label administered by Humane Farm Animal Care. 

How Homegrown Can End Cruelty

OK people, hands up: how many people have a garden (or at least your parent{s} do) or even a working farm? Believe it or not, you don't have to live "in the country" to eat homegrown vegetables, at least. Rooftop gardens, square foot beds... the possibilities are endless as the country embraces the "slow food movement".

But none of that really applies to what animal cruelty, right?
Wrong.

Did you know that factory farming supplies 74 percent of the world’s poultry, 43 percent of beef, and 68 percent of eggs? It's much more just in America.
Did you realize that livestock in factory farms cover 30% of the earth's surface?
Did it ever occur to you that in America, only four companies produce most of the nation’s animal products, including 81 percent of cows, 73 percent of sheep, 57 percent of pigs and 50 percent of chickens?

Probably not. And I bet you didn't ever realize that not only is factory farming cruel and inhumane, it also contributes vastly toward global warming.
Not fun stuff.
At all.

But guess what?
You — yeah, you — can help stop it.

Check the package of that chicken at the store. If it doesn't proudly proclaim "free-range!" get one that does. (Whole Foods carries free-range meat.) Think before you ask to go to Burger King or McDonald's for a hamburger.
Perhaps adopt a whole other diet. I personally only eat meat I have seen alive and know lived a natural, free-range life. We order a cow, a pig, and some chickens each year. A couple years ago we knew the name of our cow: Ollie. We'd always thank Ollie whenever we had beef.
Maybe your parents aren't digging the (admittably expensive) extra cost of free-range. You could go to the extreme and become vegetarian, or even vegan. (If you try either of these, please, please research it very carefully and take the proper supplements. Veganism or vegetarianism when done poorly can have disastourous effects on your body.)

Factory farming, feedlots, and mass meat production are bad for the environment, for the animals, and for the people that eat them (factory-farmed meat is loaded with chemicals, including steroids, that in turn take their toll on the eater). The only people they benefit are the company owners... let's show them that we won't have any of it! As the next generation it is our job and our vital responsibility to make sure this world is run properly. Start young. Do the right think.

The Case Against Factory Farming

I'm semi-vegetarian. I only eat free-range meat that I've seen alive and know it had a good, natural, wholesome life. I don't have a problem with eating animals that were happy. It's human nature to eat meat, we've been doing it since we were cavemen with little flints and spears.

What I do have a problem with is this...

KFC, McDonald's, Burger King. Good, All-American names, right? Yummy food? (Well, I don't think so, but most people do.) As PETA puts it, the secret recipes' main ingredients are mainly cruelty.

Watch this horrific video. Visit the site. Your eyes will be opened to a whole new world. (Note: there is one few-second bit of the vid that has some blood. Well, a pot of blood. Skip over it if you have a weak stomach.)




Also check out this site, the Meatrix. (I hope that link works.) It's cute, it's animated, and it reveals some horrifying truths about factory farming. And factory farms are where the supermarkets and restaurants- especially fast-food ones- get their meat.

I tell my friends' parents I'm vegetarian when I'm over for dinner. I just don't want to spend half an hour explaining my beliefs to some skeptical parents. One of my friends became fully vegetarian after watching these videos.
I am fortunate enough to have parents that share my views on this matter. Every year, we order a pig, a cow, a few turkeys, and some chickens (butchered, of course) from a carefully selected and visited local farm.

It is positively horrifying how many people think meat is a hamburger or some red stuff on a Styrofoam plate. I hope this post begins to open your eyes to the world of factory farming and show you that the meat on your plate had a life... good or bad.