Summary: A Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations

Title

I am engulfed in darkness; the cage around me is extremely small, and I’m forced to stand on soiled ground 24/7 with no rest causing my legs unbearable pain. I am stressed out daily, my hygiene is poor, and I’m overweight. I am fed a concoction that tastes like dry oatmeal mixed with chunks of leftovers from a lavatory mistake gone wrong. I am forced to lay eggs although my body is malnourished and I am weak I must meet the daily quota. The echoing squawking, flapping of wings, and the random outburst of fights make living here pure torture. My cage is placed in a corner, and at a certain time of day a ray of sunshine beams through like a beacon of hope, curious as to what lies beyond these walls.

Today the meat industry landscape has vastly changed. Intensive, industrialized, factory farming, they’re all terms that describe modern farming methods. Intensive because animals are crammed together in small spaces to raise productivity, meet quotes, and goals. Industrialized because large, loud machine do all the work instead of humans. Animal production has gone so far from the traditional methods of farming that the government no longer refers to these operations as farms. They are now called “Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations” (CAFO). A Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) is defined according to the number of animals

From breeding, housing, to slaughtering; Factory farming is a business; its goal is to maximize product and profits. Since the animals are viewed upon as commodities, they are bred, fed, confined, and drugged to lay more eggs, birth more offspring. From 1997-2005, CAFO’s saved an estimated $3.9 Billion per year in subsides purchasing corn and soybean products below what it would cost to grow the crops themselves. Without these cooperate subsides factory farming would not flourishes as it currently