Factory Farming

[CATCH17]

Does anyone else think this is completely messed up?

I'm a meat eater but after seeing how unethical these big meat industries are and how they torture animals it has really made me think twice about supporting them with my money.

Also, I think there is something to be said for having to go through the entire process yourself of getting meat.

I don't think I could just take down a cow if it was in front of me just to eat him. A wild animal? I would do that no problem. Would I do it every day and have it with every meal? Probably not.

I love meat but I can really see how people could go Vegetarian for ethical reasons and I think the disconnect that we have with the animals that we eat is a bad thing.

There is tons of videos and stuff on youtube and I think it's good to do a bit of research on your own and at least know what happens to that animal before it gets to your plate.

 

[MonsterD]

Does BigDGarcia have anything to say about this?

 

[Tabascocat]

I was pondering this myself a few weeks ago and not for the first time. I am a huge meat eater, can't stand veggies. I love and care for animals more so than some humans that don't deserve to live. Show me a person abusing and beating a dog and hand me a gun.......the person gets one in the head.

I don't like the way domestic animals are treated for our eating pleasure, so I have turned a blind eye. I could never turn into a vegetarian but see their point of view now more than I did years ago.

There has to be a more humane way to go about this. Like I said, I do love some beef though!

 

[Eric_Boyer]

put myself through college working at a hog processing plant a long time ago. hard work. as the new guy you find yourself on the kill floor, fortunately I discovered I have an allergy to hogs blood so they moved me the next day.

I could go on for some time about the horrors you see in such a place. I do like my meats affordable though, so there's that.

 

[mattjames2010]

It's just the sad fact of reality. In a perfect world, humans wouldn't need to slaughter animals for meat and animals wouldn't have to kill each other for food. Whether it's coming from your local farm or a factory farm, these animals are all meeting the same fate.

However, I have my criticisms of factor farms, but I can't say their lack of pampering the animals before their fate is met is one of them.

 

[Hoofbite]

Humanity issues aside, the very fact that these animals basically eat, sleep, breed, and poop in a confined area amongst other eaters, sleepers, breeders, and poopers is pretty gross. I'm pretty sure I'd eat less meat if the packages displayed the living quarters on the outside.

Lets see, animal covered in what looks like mud in a climate with very little precipitation. Yeah, I'll pass on that turd burger.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Hold on.

What if we "farm factories" instead?

Whoa. I need to sit down.

 

[CyberB0b]

The global impact is pretty concerning. Pumping them full of hormones and antibiotics have bred super bacteria, resistant to even the most power anti-biotics we have. The greenhouse gasses emitted by livestock trumps industrial pollution by a country mile. Feeding them corn is pretty concerning, as well.

 

[notherbob]

Everything you say about factory farms is true; they are ghastly places where animals are confined and abused and seldom, if ever, see the sun. That's why my wife and I raise grass-fed, grass-fattened cattle in ample organic pastures outside where they belong. We seldom have any need for antibiotics and do not use growth hormones or pesticides on them and they are healthy gentle Herefords that are quite tender and safe.

Our cattle are never fed grains so they do not develop e Coli. Commercial cattle are put in feedlots where they eat grain to gain weight and get fat but the crowding also gives rise to disease, hence the antibiotics. Ever wonder why there are so many e Coli alerts? t's the system.

 

[notherbob]

Part two, con't.
Grasses are cow's natural food and they digest it easily. Grains, on the other hand, are not cattle's natural food so they develop e Coli in their digestive tracts so they can digest the grains. Grass-fattened cattle develop little or no e Coli so it is not the same problem it is with commercial beef., especially hamburger. If you can find someone locally to buy grass-fed, grass-fattened beef from, do it. There are lots of other health reasons, too. For example, grass-fed beef has more Omega 3 fatty acids and fewer Omega 6s and have fewer toxins in their fat as well.

Not everybody cooks roasts these days so you can get a custom processing of nothing but steaks and gourmet ground meat, if you prefer. When you buy commercial beef, they don't even have to tell you what country or combination of countries your meat came from.

Know where your food comes from and what's in it and what's not. That is becoming more important all the time. Grow a garden if you can.

 

[reddyuta]

the companies are not going to pamper these animals and they are in it for profits.you can get free range chicken in supermarkets now .try Sprouts and whole foods.

 

[Vtwin]

We buy most of our meet in bulk from local sources. Put in the order in the spring and take delivery in the fall after a summer of grazing and fattening. Most years I manage to put some venison in the freezer also. The difference in quality between the local and the grocery store is significant.

 

[morasp]

We're slowly moving towards a plant based diet. Canned wild salmon is pretty affordable and a good source of Omega -3s and CoQ10. The poultry we do eat is raised locally without all of the things the factory farms pump into it to increase it's weight. We used to think it was normal for a chicken breast to shrink that much when you cooked it.

 

[JIMMYBUFFETT]

My family and I are about 50/50 self sufficient on our diet. We've had chickens for about 6 years now. They're an egg source only for us unless we get a mean one, then they become chicken salad. I do buy chicken on rare occasion that we eat. We put our garden in 3 years ago and it makes more than we can eat. About the only fruits & veggies we buy are citrus, avocados, bananas, etc.. We had to get into canning just to keep up with what the garden was producing. Most of our red meat is venison. We kill 3-4 deer each year that's our main meat source, though I do mix a lot of the ground venison with ground beef to give it some fat. We also make a coast fishing trip every June to South Padre. While I don't stock my freezer off just what I catch, it's a great place to buy fresh caught seafood for freezing and I come back with a giant cooler full. Throw in dove, duck, quail, catfish, crappie, and other various creatures and we do pretty good for ourselves. About the only meat we regularly buy is pork. I tried the feral hog route a couple of years back, but it was a nasty failure. I even attempted to build a California pizza oven/bread oven to bake our own bread but it didn't pan out.

My family and I live in a regular residential neighborhood on a 1/2 acre lot. You don't have to live on a farm or ranch to produce some of your own food. We've got a small deer lease where we hunt from, and fish local rivers and lakes. It's a lot of work, but it's also a lot of fun. We've tried everything from brewing our own beer, to raising a turkey for Thanksgiving, to roasting our own green chilis, to raising a worm farm, to making link sausage. You just need to channel your inner hippie and try it. About the only tools you really need to process your own meat is a electric grinder with a stuffer, a good vacuum sealer, and a smoker (I use an electric).

 

[CashMan]

Does anyone else think this is completely messed up?

I'm a meat eater but after seeing how unethical these big meat industries are and how they torture animals it has really made me think twice about supporting them with my money.

Also, I think there is something to be said for having to go through the entire process yourself of getting meat.

I don't think I could just take down a cow if it was in front of me just to eat him. A wild animal? I would do that no problem. Would I do it every day and have it with every meal? Probably not.

I love meat but I can really see how people could go Vegetarian for ethical reasons and I think the disconnect that we have with the animals that we eat is a bad thing.

There is tons of videos and stuff on youtube and I think it's good to do a bit of research on your own and at least know what happens to that animal before it gets to your plate.

I agree with you 100%. I even try and buy organic, the down side is, go buy some organic meat. It is like 1.5x as much if not 2x.

 

[notherbob]

I agree with you 100%. I even try and buy organic, the down side is, go buy some organic meat. It is like 1.5x as much if not 2x.

Yes, it is expensive; so is the best of everything else. You are paying for the extra care that comes when each individual animal is cared for and raised in a healthy environment to maximize its own worth and live in open country as nature intended.

 

[Tabascocat]

Yes, it is expensive; so is the best of everything else. You are paying for the extra care that comes when each individual animal is cared for and raised in a healthy environment to maximize its own worth and live in open country as nature intended.

Is organic really "cared" for like we assume? Or is it just a bit better than the alternative? Always wondered about that.....

 

[Angus12]

Lets see, animal covered in what looks like mud in a climate with very little precipitation. Yeah, I'll pass on that turd burger.

You might be surprised to know this, but even cattle that live out on the wide open prairie have manure smeared all over them more often than not. Cows will crap where they eat/sleep even if they have a thousand acres to roam. They will crap all over each other and not think twice about it. Hell, cows will crap/urinate all over their calves if they happen to be nursing from behind instead of from the side. Regardless of all that, once slaughtered, the steer is washed and skinned. Manure never once comes in contact with the actual meat.

I own a 2500 acre cattle ranch. So my cattle aren't kept in the conditions that are the topic here. Only commenting on your turd burger comment.

 

[CashMan]

.

Yes, it is expensive; so is the best of everything else. You are paying for the extra care that comes when each individual animal is cared for and raised in a healthy environment to maximize its own worth and live in open country as nature intended.

I know. I went 100% organic with meat and veggies for 2yrs, and it just came to a point where it is not financially feasible. So unless this becomes the baseline of how animals are treated, it's not just not worth not supporting other options.

 

[Hoofbite]

You might be surprised to know this, but even cattle that live out on the wide open prairie have manure smeared all over them more often than not. Cows will crap where they eat/sleep even if they have a thousand acres to roam. They will crap all over each other and not think twice about it. Hell, cows will crap/urinate all over their calves if they happen to be nursing from behind instead of from the side. Regardless of all that, once slaughtered, the steer is washed and skinned. Manure never once comes in contact with the actual meat.

I own a 2500 acre cattle ranch. So my cattle aren't kept in the conditions that are the topic here. Only commenting on your turd burger comment.

Sure, but if they're outdoors I can pretend it is mud. If they're in a building that looks like an Indonesian sweat shop, I know it's not.

Come on, man. Don't ruin this for me.