...hormones and nutrients. How does this affect the meat we’re consuming? Trucks are needed to move the harvested meat across the country. To what extent does this affect the environment? The food fed to cows are not natural and do not agree with cows’ stomachs. The cheap feed causes the cows to become gassy. How does this additional gas affect our atmosphere? One of the ways companies pinch pennies is by cramming as many animals into “feedlots” as possible. A feedlot is a storage facility with poor living conditions. In these cramped quarters, animals often stand in their own excrement and the excrement of other animals that are inches away. Some feedlots house more than 100,000 animals (Schlosser, 2012). When the feedlots are cleaned, the manure is often discarded in massive pits, or “lagoons”. This build-up of manure, which is normally used as fertilizer, pollutes the air with hydrogen sulfide and the land with heavy metals. Water near the lagoons may also become polluted due to runoffs (Schlosser, 2012). Because of the unnatural state surrounding feedlots and poor quality of food, the livestock often suffer from diseases like pneumonia and diarrhea (Lessing, 2010). Hogs exhibit aggressive behavior in response to crowded confinement by...
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...2. A feedlot steer does not eat grass. Discuss some of the things a feedlot steer does eat, as outlined by Pollan in The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Feedlot steers do not eat grass, like they should. They eat corn and lots of it. Along with corn, steers eat “gallons of liquid fat and protein supplements” (Pollan, 74). Additional to all the extra ingredients, there is a shed supplied with “liquid vitamins and synthetic estrogen besides pallets stacked with fifty-pound sacks of antibiotics” (74). All of these ingredients are mixed together and feed to the steers to gain large amounts of weight in a short amount of months to be sent off to the butcher. These steers are not well taken care of and the owners are trying to make the most out of their money...
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...Spur v. Del Webb FACTS: Webb purchased and developed land in an area used for agricultural purposes. Webb sues for an injunction against Spur Industries for public nuisance as a result of the flies and smells blowing to the newly developed area. The lower court granted the injunction based on §36-604 A, which defines public nuisance dangerous to the public health an area which is breeding grounds for flies and other disease carrying vermin. ISSUE: Can a legally-operated business be barred as a nuisance, and if so, can the business be indemnified if it’s mandated to halt or move its operations? RULE: The owner of a business enjoined from operating can be indemnified by the entity claiming nuisance. ANALYSIS: The feedlots had been in existence...
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...The Pure Food and Drug Act is the law that makes it illegal to sell products that are contaminated and/or poisonous to the public. Since then companies have “better conditions” in the meat factory. Later on, in the 1960s and 1970s, the fast food industry grew so the demand for beef rose. The number of beef Americans ate grew more and more throughout the years. Which lead to factory farming beef. Factory farming beef is when cows are raised in large amounts on feedlots and are given many chemicals, antibiotics, hormones, etc in order to produce beef in a large amount. Two chemicals found in beef is Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). HCAs and PAHs are formed when beef is cooked in high temperatures in over high flame. (Such as grilling and pan frying). HCAs are when amino acids, sugars, creatine, and creatinine react to high temperatures which are how they are formed. HCA is found beef is cooked at high temperature. PAHs are when beef is being grilled...
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...Factory farming is another way of saying animal cruelty in todays world. A typical day in the life of a factory farmed beef-cow includes being sandwiched by hundreds or thousands of other cows in a feedlot. These cows stay outside no matter what the condition may be, this resulting in severe illness and infection. Winter in Nebraska? Summer in Texas? The cows have to stay outside and fight the risk of death. While on the feedlot, these animals are fed a diet that is detrimental to their health. The goal is to get them as fat as possible. Instead of eating grass, they are consuming corn, causing digestive pains and bloat which leads to the compression of their lungs. On-top of that, the air they breathe is filled with intense chemicals which causes breathing to be painful. So what happens when...
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...In Power Steer, Michael Pollan describes the importance of the grass-fed cattle opposed to the modern industrialization in cattle feedlots that began rising in popularity in the 1950’s. Issues relating to eating meat from a cattle feedlot, rather than pre-industrialized beef, are discussed such as a lack of healthy feed, environmental problems and animal welfare. First, he explains his concerns about E. coli contamination, antibiotics in the feed and corn being used as the primary ingredient. Antibiotics are put into the feed due to the fact that once cattle are taken off their natural grass diet they are prone to getting sick. The grass replacement is prominently corn; which has been traced to health problems for the cattle as well as its...
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...Imagine not being able to move, communicate or interact, but have to stand in your own feces, for a minimum of a year. CAFOs, also known as feedlots, are tightly confined areas where copious amounts of animals are held and fattened up for 12 to 15 months before being sent for slaughter. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that there are around 15,500 CAFOs in the United States alone. There are different types of feedlots, many of them abundant of pigs and cattle. Cattle CAFOs should be more closely monitored by the government because of the antibiotic resistance being built up by humans from the meat and the inhumane ways the animals are treated. First off, the antibiotics used on the animals in CAFOs should...
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...standards put into effect by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in regards to cattle production and what is deemed to be safe have created an up heave of controversy. Consumers and researchers constantly pose the question of what should be considered safe and who should not. They often argue that when it comes to human health no risks should be taken and risk assessment should not be considered. The following essay discusses the controversy of beef cattle production regulation and standards. The essay will analyze various studies conducted that state a possible link between cancer and growth hormone used in beef, and it will outline all view points of the European ban of American and Canadian beef. The issues and controversy surrounding feedlot given to beef cattle will be analyzed and consumer concerns as well as regulations surrounding labeling of beef in America, Canada and Europe will be discussed. ARGUMENT The use of growth hormones has become widely prominent in the beef production industry. Estradiol benzoate and progesterone, which are types of growth hormone, were first approved in 1956 by the FDA (Doyal, 2000). At the moment five hormones are approved by the FDA for use in cattle production (progesterone, testosterone, estradiol-17β, zeranol, and trenbolone acetate) (Doyel, 2000). These hormones are extensively used in farming practices and they are injected into the cattle 18 days before slaughter, to promote muscle growth and...
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...10/10/13 Chef Bradley Randoplh-Adams Today, the cow was fed can have a major effect on the nutrient in the beef. The cattle was often fed in grains, the animal we ate have been evolution by roamed free and ate grass. Many studies that had shown the nutrients in beef can be varying depending on how cow eat. It not only important how we eat, it is important the food we eat. What the different between grass-fed and grain-fed cow? All cow starting live similar life. Once calves were born, they start drink milk from their mother. Calves starting to roam and eat grass, shrub or whatever edible plants they find in their environment. This continues for about six to eighth month, and then the farmer will conventionally raise cows to feedlots. Large feedlot are called Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations ( CAFOs). That where the crowing cow is and their dung on their feet. The farmer has feeding grain-based to the cow to rapidly fatty up. The grain-based was base of soy or corn. The conventionally of cow grow faster by given drugs and hormones to grow faster, and antibiotic to survive the unsanitary living condition. The cow will be staying there for few month then move into factory for slaughtering. Grain-fed beef does not contain appreciable levels of carotenoids, for the simple reason that grains don’t contain them. Compare that to grass-feeding cow, which the cow may continue to live on grassland for the reminder of their lives. It not that simple and different feeding practices...
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...grain fed cows, and the environmental and health issues of both. There main focus is on not only the health benefits of grass fed over grain fed, but also putting emphasis on health of cows and the poor conditions these cattle have to endure during the duration of life. Cacal,j (2013, October 4). The benefits of grain and grass fed beef. Buedel Meat up. Retrieved from http://buedelmeatup.com This article specifically talks about the different feeding methods of both grain and grass fed cattle. They note the difference stating that grain fed cattle in most cases eats a formula of good which is 75 percent corn grain. They reach goal weight at 18-24 months with the help of feedlots which are specifically designed to gather cattle for this purpose alone. They discovered these cattle that were in feedlots were under a great deal of stress because of the animals living conditions. Which...
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...In this stage some ranchers/farmers pick a selected few heifers to carry on the herd and stay at the ranch/farm and don’t get sold. Once the calves are sold, next comes the shipping stage. The shipping stage is where you load your calves on cattle pots and deliver them to the buyer’s desired location. The majority of the time the calves are sent to a feedlot. This is the next stage, the feedlot stage. In the feedlot stage the operator of the feedlot feeds all the calves special rations and fattens them up for slaughter. This is the next stage, the slaughter stage. In this stage the calves are sent to the slaughter house to be humanely slaughtered in order for their meat to be processed for human...
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...Every one of us depends, either directly or indirectly, on agriculture for our survival. It is easy to forget the Urban-industrial society relies on the food surplus generated by farmers and herders and without agriculture there would be no cities, universities, factories, or offices (Bychkov 211). Agriculture is the cultivation of domesticated crops and the raising of domesticated animals to produce food, feed, drink, and fiber (Bychkov 211). Agriculture has been the principal of humankind throughout history. Even today agriculture remains the primary activity in many countries throughout the world. In fact agriculture is the employment for about 40 percent of the world’s working population. In parts of Asia and Africa, more than 75 percent of the labor force is dedicated to agriculture (Bychkov 211). When it comes to the classification of agriculture, it comes down to the categories of Commercial Agriculture and Subsistence Agriculture. Commercial Agriculture is the large scale production of crops for sale, intended for widespread distribution to wholesalers or retail outlets. On the other hand, Subsistence Agriculture is the food production to supply the minimum food and materials necessary for a family or a community to maintain survival (Bychkov 214). When considering the two classes of agriculture one can see the main differences between commercial agriculture and subsistence agriculture are the physical environment, geographic locations, and cultural practices...
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...Introduction Ruminants, classified in the order Arteriodactyla and suborder ruminantia, are very important domesticated animals for the human society. Approximately 155 species of ruminants can be found around the globe but only about 6 of them are domesticated, cattle, sheep, goats, buffaloes, reindeer and yaks (Van Soest, 1994). Ruminants are different from all other mammals because of its digestive anatomy composed by four stomach compartments (reticulum, rumen, omasum and abomasum). Another unique characteristic is the interaction between animals, plant and microorganisms present inside the gastrointestinal tract resulting in a symbiotic relationship through gastro-enteric microbial fermentation. Plants consumed by ruminants are utilized as substrates by the microorganisms and the products from fermentation and microorganisms provide energy and protein to the host animal. Animal products such as milk and meat have always been an important component of human diets, therefore technologies to enhance production efficiency and increase economic return for producers are important. Ruminant nutrition research has focused on strategies to improve animal growth performance and carcass quality. Different feed additives and mineral supplementation strategies have been used to influence several characteristics on ruminants and some are used to modify growth. Ractopamine Hydrochloride is one of them, and consists of a metabolic growth modifier used to increase animal performance and...
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...When you eat a hamburger, you aren’t just causing a cow to suffer; you are also supporting an industry that is rapidly destroying our water, air, soil, and forests. It takes an estimated 4.8 pounds of grain, 390 gallons of water, and .25 gallons of gasoline to produce a pound of beef. Livestock production requires 10 to 1000 times more land, energy, and water than is necessary to produce an equivalent amount of plant food. The Earth could support a vegetarian population many times its present size. But the current world population could not be sustained on meat-based diets. Non Government Organizations (NGOs) such as Green Your Plate social media campaign, raises awareness surrounding livestock contributions to climate change. Ironically the way that factory farming is done today poses tremendous risks to climate change. This stems from a reliance on corn for feed, pooling manure into stagnant lagoons that release methane, use of petroleum-fueled machinery, and pollution to air and water which have unknown consequences for global warming. Two issues exacerbate the global warming issue. These are the corn and manure problems. The Corn Problem The US corn industry is the most heavily subsidized farm crop of all, and so we have a huge excess of corn. A good chunk of that corn does not taste good, has low nutrient value, and is meant to be used as livestock feed. However, cows have special stomachs meant to eat grass, not corn. This is explained in detail in this New York...
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...of grain-fed beef and the risk of E. coli. It is believed by many that pasture-based cattle contribute to healthy eating. Using our grasslands, which is a natural process, creates a foundation for raising grass-fed cattle (Clancy & Pollan, 2006). An animal’s diet can profoundly influence the nutrient content of its products. In a comparison, beef from grain-fed cattle only contain 15 to 50 percent as much omega-3s and are higher in calories and fat content, specifically saturated fat. As herbivores, cows are intended to graze. Omega-3s are produced from eating grass or leaves of plants which contain 20 times more vitamin E than corn or soy (Pollan, 2006 and Robinson, n.d., Eatwild). Cattle that are fed grain and confined to feedlots are prone to disease. They develop bloat, diarrhea, ulcers, liver disease, and weakened immune systems. According to a study (Greener Pastures: How Grass-fed Beef and Milk Contribute to Healthy Eating, 2006), an average amount of heart-healthy EPA/DHA in a serving of grass-fed steak is about 35 mg, while steak from non-pastured cattle had only 18 mg per serving. These days it seems like everything we eat can potentially contribute to causing cancer such as certain oils. Corn and safflower oil contain high amounts of omega-6 fatty acids (cancer-promoting fats)....
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