There is no finer group of folks in this world than that of a hog farmer. They don’t sing songs about hog farmers like they do cowboys, but in this protein deprived world livestock farmers know that they’re keeping this world spinning. With mud on their boots and dings on their pickup, hog farmers really know how to live high on the hog and low on her hocks. A pig to many people is a pink mud covered creature with a swirly tail and cute oink. Well, although this is partially true there is a lot more to raising swine than meets the eye. Out of all major livestock, none is more misunderstood than the hog because of past myths and unlawful owners, but things could be different in the future once people realize why we raised them in the first place. Feeder pig production is the best way to get into farming. Columbus brought pigs and sheep over for the simple reason of them being so small. A pig has small eyes, curly tail, and a snout for a nose. It has short legs with a thick body and four toes on each foot in a hoof type fashion used for walking. Pigs are omnivores and scavenge for any kind of food including worms, garbage, bark off a tree, and even rotting carcasses. They are foraging animals in the wild eating mostly leaves and roots, but everything else above can be included. Pigs have a long special bone that almost no other animal has running down their snout called the prenasal bone. This sense organ is very sensitive and allows them to dig deep into soil and find things that not even your average dog or wild coyote could find. When you forget to feed your hogs imagine how beneficial it is for them being able to find their own food anytime they wish. Many livestock owners have cattle that they raise instead of pigs, but they ... ... middle of paper ... ... Breeding & Genetics 128.1 (2011): 15-27. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. "Duroc Swine." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition (2013): 1. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. "Hampshire Swine." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition (2013): 1. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. Juška, Remigijus, et al. "The Growth Performance and Behaviour of Pigs Raised in Conventional and Alternative Systems." Veterinarija Ir Zootechnika 57.79 (2012): 22-30. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. Klober, Kelly. A Guide to Raising Pigs. Pownal, Vermont: Storey Communications, Inc., 1949. Print. Loon, Dirk. Small-Scale Pig Raising. Charlotte, Vermont: Garden Way Publishing, 1978. Print. Odegard, Heather. Personal interview. 18 Jan. 2014. Thu, Kendall. Pigs, Profits, and Rural Communitites. Albany, New York: U of NY press, 1998. Print.
In his article “Boss Hog: The Dark Side of America’s Top Pork Producer,” (Rolling Stone Magazine, December 14, 2006) Jeff Teitz reports that not only are millions upon millions of pigs being abused and slaughtered each year by America’s largest pork producer, but, in turn, the waste produced by those pigs is polluting, destroying, and even killing others. Teitz begins by revealing that Smithfield Foods, the world’s most profitable pork processor, killed 27 million hogs last year, which is roughly equivalent to the entire human populations of America’s thirty-two largest cities. As Teitz delves deeper into statistics, he explains that more fecal matter is produced from half a million pigs at one Smithfield subsidiary than the 1.5 million residents of Manhattan, and in just one year Smithfield’s total waste discharge is enough to fill four Yankee Stadiums.
Although there is a lot that goes into showing and raising livestock, specifically show pigs, it is one of the most fun experiences that a person could have! When you think of raising pigs, most people wouldn’t think about all of the time, money, and equipment that are needed for this project, but in the end, all of that will pay off. Before deciding to join the “show pig world”, you should consider picking out that perfect hog, taking proper care of your pig, and showing your pig properly at the county fair or jackpot show!
Taylor, Robert E., and Thomas G. Fields. Scientific Farm Animal Production in Introduction to Animal Science. 8th Ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education, 200
Warrick, J. (1995). The Impact of Hog Farms. The News & Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina.
Through use of language, the pigs appeal to the animals basic hopes and desires of a better life and a better future. They make others work extremely hard, while they themselves rest and unfairly reap most of the benefits of the work. For example, “Now comrades,... to the hayfield! Let us make it a point of honor get in the harvest more quickly than Jones and his men do.” Later in chapter three, Squealer is sent to justify the pigs selfishness and to convince the animals that the pigs are working in their favor. He said, “You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples...Milk and apples contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig...the whole management and organization of this farm depend on us.” This how the animals are persuaded to believe almost anything without question.
Because the animals are uneducated and do not think for themselves, they allow the pigs to manipulate them through propaganda, which eventually leads to the downfall of the farm. Had the animals not been so ignorant and more aware of what was taking place, they could have stopped the pigs from having paramount power. The animals could have used their own judgement to not trust the pigs and not be tricked into believing certain facts. Instead, though, the foolish animals did not recognize what was going on, nor did they think independently. In conclusion, one can see that not thinking for oneself can be an invitation for manipulation and a hinderance to the amount of power one has available.
In the article, “On Eating Animals,” Namit Arora explains that for much of our settled history--and even today in parts of the world--most people lived in close proximity to farm animals. Animals fertilized our crops, shared our labors, and nourished our bodies, helping us enlarge our settled communities.” (Arora). Animals were once like a family member. People would tend to their animal’s needs and make sure they were well taken care of just like any other member of the family. We would give them names, show them at county fairs and make sure their living conditions were comfortable and as sanitary as possible. Further on in “on Eating Animals,” Arora explains that “In the twentieth century, the inexorable logic of modern economics and the assembly line turned farm animals into number-tagged bodies to be fattened, disinfected, and processed as quickly and cheaply as possible.” (Arora) This led to the factory farming of animal products that we still use today. The ASPCA defines factory farming as, “…a large, industrial operation that raises large numbers of animals for food.” They co...
...ls around to do more work while they lie on their backs and drink because the animals are too stupid to realize that they are being treated unfairly. Because the pigs have advantages when it comes to being smart, they take advantage of the fact that the animals have no idea whats actually going on. Though the pigs rarely do anything, they get more portions of food. Towards the end of the book, the animals see that while they are working very hard for the farm, the pigs are inside drinking and talking with humans. Though they may not realise it, they are not treated equally. The pigs have much power over the animals because they know that the animals can not realise that they are doing all the work. The animals trust that the pigs are telling the truth. Because of this, the pigs take full advantage of it and choose to slack off and take the animals trust for granted.
Hurst compels that animals are treated the way they are only to be protected from each other, Hurst states “Farmers do not cage their hogs because of sadism, but because dead pigs are a drag on the profit margin”, Hurst then goes to say how a mother pig will eat her piglets if they are not caged apart (6). Hurst then states the only method to produce a large quantity of food at a fast pace to our population is industrial farming, Hurst also includes that if we were to go only to organic farming some of the middle and lower class citizens will not have enough money and would be forced to starve (4). On the other hand, Pollan describes how a pig can be taken from its mother so early that it begins to gnaw on another pigs tail as it is suckling and with no hesitation the other pig will allow it even when it becomes an infection because of how hopeless it is (369). Not to mention, Pollan believes organic farming should be a method of farming every farmer should take, Pollan describes an all-natural method that is similar to the water cycle, but instead free range cows eat grass and then their feces fertilize the grass they eat and then it goes endlessly (370). Also, Pollan believes that organic farming will bring healthier food while allowing citizens to become closer to nature and where their nutrition comes from (363). Although, these authors have different perceptions they can come to an agreement that they want the best for the public and their environment. Hurst and Pollan believe that if we can provide quality food to our people while being as humane as we can, then we can successfully nourish our minds as well as our
When animals overthrew the men, the governance of whom had long been oppressing them, they finally broke the chains of perpetual slavery. They no longer had to work extremely hard in the excruciating conditions solely for the benefits of cruel and greedy men, but for the benefits of themselves. They attained the freedom they were desperately striving for. The times of abuse and maltreatment came to its end. In these new hope-inspiring conditions the animals set up to establish the farm in which there would be no injustice and suffering, but it would be the place where everybody is equal and happy. They knew that establishing such farm would be extremely difficult, nevertheless the thoughts of giving in never crossed their minds. They gradually, step by step started to overcome all the obstacles and hardships on their way to prosperity. Those hardships made clear that the pigs were the most appropriate for a position of a leader. Indeed, the pigs were most intelligent, it was them who were guiding the animals and giving effective advises in farming. Undoubtedly, had it not been for them, the animals would have starved to death not being able to solve the problems regarding ploughing and harvesting. Under their governance the farm was thriving, there were no quarrels and arguments, every animal was happy and contented with their lives. Unfortunately, it did not last for long, the society which was supposed to be just, and where everybody is equal, transformed into the tyrannical society, where everybody lived under strong oppression and in total misery. The reasons why this transformation happened are manifold. This paper will show the main reasons of this.
Farming is an excellent way for one to learn responsibilities and develop a superior work ethic. For a person to become a farmer he or she would have to either own a plot of land or have access to land. For one to be a successful farmer he or she must be able to withstand what the farming life has to offer. If one were to become a dairy and beef cattle farmer he or she would be able to support his or her families with the products that are obtained from these creatures.
Norcross, Alastair. “Puppies, Pigs, and People: Eating Meat and Marginal Cases.” Philosophical Perspectives 18, (2004): 229-245.
Morthland, John. "A Plague of Pigs in Texas." Smithsonian. Smithsonian Magazine, Jan. 2011. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
Throughout the story, the animals begin the trust the pigs more and more, allowing themselves to be told what to do and be taken in with blind devotion. The pigs act on their newly gained trust and by the end of the story are able to lie back on their laurels and run the farm from the comfort of Mr. Jones’ armchair.
Factory farms; a place where meat is produced for human consumption, this definition only describes how the industry started. In most factory farms, government regulation is lacking. This is to the disadvantage of billions of animals affected by the dirty business. When piglets are born they are divided into breeding sows, and others solely for their meat. Thousands of sows spend their lives in crammed cages, undergo numerous forced impregnations, and become sick because of their cages are overflowing with feces. However this is only the beginning of the story. These same animals are fed food littered with growth hormones, glass, syringes, and are forced to cannibalistic ways being fed their young’s testicles. Animals in the farming industry face innumerous atrocities including pain filled slaughter, forced growth rates, and overcrowding for the sake of taste, however each of these problems must be solved by enforcing the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, and by switching to sustainable and/or organic farming methods.