Sheep and cattle have a part of the United States history for centuries. They have been known for their many products, such as meat, wool, and milk. Sheep played an important role in the livestock industry, especially towards some religious communities, and small rural farmers. During the early 20th century, the sheep industry was at its peak, until 1942, when the industry topped over 56.2 million head. Afterwards, they gradually declined to under 10 million head, a record in U.S. history, at the turn of the 21st century. There are many different reasons why this industry could be shrinking in size. As generations pass, what was once rural ground is stripped and urbanized by the rapidly growing population, shrinking the sizes of farms. The constantly changing market trends could also play a role in the sheep industry’s decline. With new synthetic fibers being developed, the demand for wool has decreased. A more recent shift in the market, the rise of the goat industry in the late 20th century, plays an important role in the future of the sheep and cattle industries.
Cattle have been a part of the American history since the first settlers established colonies from the eastern hemisphere. Today, there are countless breeds of cattle which have been developed throughout the centuries. Charolais, Limousin, and Angus cattle are a few of the breeds known for their beef production in America. Holstein and Jersey cows make up the majority of dairy production. It is common to find many small family farms across the country with at least one dairy cow to supply their daily milk and other products. The hide of cattle can also be tanned, and used for leather products such as clothes, sporting equipment, and a variety of thi...
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In the end there are many factors affecting the declining sheep industry. In the United States, sheep are no longer in a class of their own in terms of marketing. This new competition over the recent years has certainly changed the sheep industry forever. However trends in the market are always changing, and in later years the sheep numbers could spike upwards again, but for now the numbers are the same, while the head of goats is still on a steady rise. A more recent shift in the market, the rise of the goat industry in the late 20th century, also plays an important role in the future of the sheep industry.
Works Cited
Maday, John. "USDA Projects Growth in the U.S. Livestock Production." Drovers Cattle Network 15 February 2011: 1. Web. 24 Apr 2011. .
...in the market. Diversified mid-sized family farms used to produce most of our meat, but now, only a few companies control the livestock industry. This has resulted in driving family farmers out of the market and replacing them with massive confined feeding operations that subject the animals to terrible living conditions that subject our food to contamination. Major food corporations are only concerned with minimizing overhead in order to deliver the consumer cheap food, regardless of the health implications.
Hasheider, Philip. How to Raise Cattle: Everything You Need to Know. St. Paul: Voyageur, 2007. Print.
The need for affordable, efficiently produced meat became apparent in the 1920’s. Foer provides background information on how Arthur Perdue and John Tyson helped to build the original factory farm by combining cheap feeds, mechanical debeaking, and automated living environ...
The use of horses for human consumption dates back to the earliest use of animals for human consumption. Horses are used for food in many counties but are also considered inhumane in other countries. In the United States specifically, horsemeat is not the norm for consumed meat. There seems to be a problem that has arisen. It is suspected that horses being slaughtered at horse slaughtering factories are not the most up to date, pain free for the horse, and human as people suspect them to be like beef kill floors.
The. The "Meat Industry" Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Online, n.d. -. Web.
Kellems, Richard O., and D. C. Church. Livestock Feeds and Feeding. 6th ed. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print.
Factory farming is a system of livestock that uses intensive methods by which livestock are contained indoors under strictly controlled conditions. In the article, “Factory Farms in a Consumer Society,” Chad Levin explains how farmers began to adopt the term, “factory farms”. In the beginning, farmers were trying to industrialize and create the best factory farm in the United States. Many farmers wanted to succeed with new technology presented, they created faster ways to butcher animals, antibiotics to control the criticism of many that did not believe factory farming was the healthiest way to produce food. Factory farming is preferred over other traditional farming methods because it is an efficient way to produce more meat in a shorter time
• California Department of food and agriculture (2014). California Agricultural Production Statistics Retrieved from http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/statistics/
Bison were considered a main part of the American economy. Prior to the Civil War, hunters would trade and sell buffalo hide. Although some were killed for meat, buffalo hide was in higher demand. However, after the Civil War, the extensions of the railroads made it easier to transport hides. The main desiccation of the bison came with the industrial revolution (Manning, WWW). Since machinery became a mainstay in factories, part of maintenance required belting. The demand of hide of bison, therefore, increased since buffalo hide could be used as belts that would drive the machines (Manning, WWW). Within a few decades only a thousand bison were left, after the slaughter of 50 million. The depletion of bison did however spark an interest in conservation and protec...
In addition, cattle people didn’t have a real great way to contain their livestock. During this time, it was known as an “open range” because the cattle could go wherever they wanted to. However, in 1874, barbed wire became available. The fencing of this rangeland quickly put an end to the open range grazing era (A Condensed History of American Agriculture 1776–1999).
For as long as there have been horse slaughterhouses in the United States, they have been an issue of controversy (Associated Press State and Local Wire, 8/7/01). Currently, only two slaughterhouses that produce horse meat intended...
During the 1980’s and 1990’s Perdue Farms diversified and expanded its market further down to other eastern coast states and southern states. By 1994, revenues were around 1.5 Billion a year. To add to this number Perdue purchased the twelfth largest poultry producer in the United States with about 8,000 employees and revenues of approximately $550,000 a year.
British Charolais Cattle Society. (2012). Charolais. Retrieved December 10, 2013, from British Charolais Cattle Society: http://www.charolais.co.uk/
An abundance of Americans have no idea that most of the food that they consume are either processed or altered in one way or another. “Almost all beef cattle entering feedlots in the United States are given hormone implants to promote faster growth. The first product used for this purpose is DES (diethylstilbestrol) it was approved for use in beef cattle in 1954. An estimated two-thirds of the nation's beef cattle were treated with DES in 1956. (Swan, Liu, Overstreet, Brazil, and Skakkebaek)” Many people enjoy the various meats that comes from a cow, but that would probably change if the consumers knew that cattle is one of the most processed meat source in the market today because of the synthetic hormones that the cows are given. “ The three synthetic hormones are the estrogen compound zeranol, the androgen trenbolone acetate, and progestin melengestrol acetate. (Swan, Liu, Overstreet, B...
Cows are naturally very gentle and calm creatures. These smart and sweet natured animals have been known to go to great lengths to escape slaughterhouses. More than forty-one million of these sensitive animals suffer and die a painful death each year in the United States. When cows are still very young they are burned with hot irons, there testicles are torn or cut off, all without painkillers. Most beef cattle are born in one state, live in another, and are slaughtered in another. The cows who survive the gruesome transportation process are shot in the head with a bolt gun, hung upside down by there legs, and taken onto the killing floor where there throats