 In order for it to be possible to meet the current demand of animal products Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOS), commonly know as factory farms have generated a system to improve the efficiency and speed of old fashioned farming.  This system mimics line production methods, which consists of placing a large amount of animals or birds into a small range of space. The reasons for raising these animals for slaughter, and maximizing their egg and milk production; is to achieve the objective of getting their products and product to market as fast as possible. This type of farming is a result of small farms not being able to meet the increasing demand of consumers and large markets. Factory farms may seem like the perfect solution to support the needs of people, but in reality it comes with a cost. Among various prevention efforts that have been made to deal with the rapid growth of CAFOs, consumer demand for animal products are still urgent. This allows the industry to still grow and thrive regardless of how it is hurting the animals, environment, human health, and independent farms. The evidence given by ethical and moral studies has shown the imperative need to reduce the consumption of animal products from factory farms.

The choices made by consumers in the super market has given way to an industry that is geared towards a cheap method of farming in order to maximize outputs at the expense of the animals. When I think of what a farm looks like, I imagine; a big red barn, sitting on acres and acres of land with cows grazing in the pasture, pigs rolling around in mud and chickens freely walking around.  The creators of CAFOs have turned nature into an industry. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations mainly raise chickens, cows, and pigs. The horror of this type of food production starts off where these animals begin their lives.  These huge corporations have discovered that they can make a larger profit by cramming animals into small spaces.  Anything natural to these animals has been stripped away, and replaced by a short life spent in a confined, dirty, space that is shared with thousands of other animals. Chickens are kept in small cages, unable to move, and have to endure their beaks getting chopped off so that they wont hurt each other in the stressful conditions they live in. Cows and pigs are raised in small stalls on a concrete slabs. They stand in their own feces all day, suffer from rotting hides and are surrounded by sick animals constantly.  The pain and suffering that animals raised on factory farms endure does not stop until they are dead. In a Rolling Stone article called, "Animal Cruelty Is the Price We Pay for Cheap Meat" the author, Paul Solotaroff, acknowledges the brutality that occurs in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. He interviewed an animal-activist who used to investigate these farms and he stated, "I saw it firsthand when I worked upstate- its like they hate their own animals for having feelings," (Solotaroff).  The people running these companies have only one concern and that is efficiency of production.  Like mentioned before, the main objective is to cut down on the time that it takes to get the livestock to market.  Just about anything that is cheap and can cause the animals to rapidly gain weight is fed to them. Corn is the main feed used for beef cattle but according to a website that uncovers the horrible treatment that these animals are put though it is stated, "Some commonly used cattle feed additives include: hydrolyzed poultry feathers, by-products of slaughtered animals ...  cement dust, newspaper, and plastic roughage replacements" (CAFO). It is astonishing knowing that these corporations are able to get away with how they raise and treat their animals. People need to become more aware of what they are buying at the store; it is crazy to think how that just by purchasing a carton of eggs is supporting this terrible industry. 

Before I knew anything about factory farms, I would have never guessed in a million years that farming could actually be bad for the environment. I am not talking about the small, independent farms that you see in the country. Those farms use the land to support and raise livestock in a natural way, so that it does not pose a threat to the environment.  The farming that I am referring to is, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. The sheer size of livestock being raised, all at the same time, on limited farmland; is causing many negative repercussions that are affecting our environment. In the well renowned environmental documentary Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret, Kip Anderson exposes the destructive animal agricultural industry facing the planet today.  Factory farms are one of the main contributors to global warming, water scarcity, water pollution, and air pollution. Greenhouse gases are any gaseous compounds that are capable of absorbing infrared radiation, which traps heat in our atmosphere. The greenhouse effect is caused by these gases that increase the heat in the atmosphere and eventually leads to global warming. In the documentary the filmmaker, who is also the narrator states, "Cows and other farmed animals produce a substantial amount of methane from their digestive process. Methane from livestock is 86 times more destructive than carbon dioxide from vehicles" (Andersen). Therefore, because this industry raises a huge amount of animals, all at the same time, more greenhouse gases are being emitted causing it to be one of the leading operations responsible for global warming.  Greenhouse gases is just one of the many problems caused by these large corporations. Kip Anderson cannot stress enough the concern when is comes to water usage. Just in the United States, animal agriculture uses 34 trillion gallons of water each year. That is an absurd amount of water. This is taking into account the water used to grow food for these animals as well as the water they drink. In a recent Huffington Post article, "Water Wars in California: Factory Farms Draining the State Dry." The author, Stephen Wells, reveals the effects that factory farms have on the environment because of the industries water usage. California is currently in one of the worst droughts ever seen. The author reports, "We can stop showering, stop watering our lawns ... but the water used to raise and slaughter millions of cows, pigs, and chickens in California will still drain the state dry" (Wells). Stephen Wells emphasizes the importance of requiring big industries, like factory farms, to reduce waste in order to maintain a healthier environment. This leads to another environmental hazard caused by CAFOs. When you have such a large concentrated population of animals, on limited amount of farmland, there is obviously going to be a whole lot of manure and not a lot of places to put it. On small farms, animal waste is turned into fertilizer and adds essential nutrients to the land. Factory farms, on the other hand, have to resort to other ways to deal with manure. Open-air lagoons are filled with animal feces, urine, and antibiotic laden waste until it can be spread onto nearby fields. During this process, animal waste often leaks into groundwater, contaminating neighboring wells and making water unsafe for animals and humans to drink. There are numerous examples of pollution accidents caused by leaked animal waste. In the article "Beaver Creek to heal, slowly" journalist, Robert Themer, writes about a leakage that occurred in August 2012.  People reported vulgar smelling, muggy colored water moving down Beaver Creek in Illinois. The substance was liquid swine waste that spilled because of a broken piece of equipment. According to the Illinois DNR, the animal waste killed everything in the creek. When the toxins leach into groundwater the overload of nutrients triggers a rapid algae growth. This causes a depletion of oxygen in water sources, killing the ecosystem that the animal waste has polluted. Cases like the one in Beaver Creek occur all the time; this illustrates the need for regulations to be implemented on all factory farms in order to protect waterways.  There is still a huge demand for animal products and with that demand comes the growing impact that factory farms have on the environment. People need to become more aware of the effects that the products they buy at the grocery store have. In order to create a healthier planet, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations have to be stopped; and the only way for that to happen is by educating consumers. 

By looking at the way these operations raise and kill their livestock, one cannot help but to think of how it impacts the quality of product the consumer is purchasing. This new and "better" way of farming in order to meet the current demand of animal goods has led to another issue, which is how factory farms are effecting human health. Food safety risk is now a huge issue in today's society. The overcrowded, stressful conditions that these animals are raised in make it extremely easy for disease to spread. In order to keep the animals alive, in these circumstances, farmers resort to giving the livestock antibiotics, even if they are not sick. Lance Price, gave a TED talk on "Factory farms, antibiotics and superbugs". During this lecture, Lance uncovers the repercussions that using antibiotics on animals in order to make them grow faster and prevent disease has on human health. Lance Price tracks antibiotic resistant bacteria, which he also refers to them as "superbugs". He states that "23,000 thousand Americans die of superbug infections each year" (Price).  In food-animal production, 30 million pounds of antibiotics are being used and not even half of the antibiotics are used for sick animals.  These drugs are used to make animals grow faster and to prevent diseases that occur as a result of the way that the animals are raised. Lane Price points out, that rather than the industry changing the way of production, they are just using antibiotics. CAFOS have created a perfect system just by trying to improve production time, which as a result endangers human health. When large amounts of low dose antibiotics are constantly given to these animals it provides a breeding ground for drug resistant bacteria that spread between animals. When these operations take their animals to slaughter, the drug resistant bacteria can be transferred to the meat that is being produced. This then can cause drug resistant infections in people when they can consume the meat. It is possible for this problem to be avoided by changing the way these animals are being raised. By reducing the usage of antibiotics on industrial agricultural farms it will reduce the chance of drug resistant bacteria. Instead of trying to prevent the animals from becoming ill, and putting our human health at risk from drug resistant infections, the antibiotics can be used to treat human patients.   This recently published article, "FDA Tests Turn Up Dairy Farmers Breaking The Law On Antibiotics" reveals that industrial agricultural farms are not monitored close enough. This makes it easier for farmers to break laws when it comes to using antibiotics on their animals.  Milk shipments are tested for antibiotics before they go to market. The author, Dan Charles, explains that a new report from the Food and Drug Administration reveals,  "Farmers are using antibiotics that the routine tests don't try to detect, because the drugs aren't suppose to be used on dairy cows at all" (Charles). Factory farms are able to get away with a lot of unacceptable things because they are not monitored as closely as other industries. I believe that there should be more prevention efforts regarding this type of farming, especially because animal products are a huge part of today's day and age. When an operation, like a CAFO, requires constant antibiotics to keep production running smoothly than it is times to change the system. Raising healthy animals should be the main focus not trying to enhance the growth and time it takes for the product to be ready for market. 

In the past, small independent farms are unable to get their products to market fast enough to support the growing needs of consumers. Factory farms were created in order to meet our country's demand for beef, pork, and cattle.  According to her article, "Factory Farms: A Bad Choice for Rural America" Jennifer Sandy reports, "The EPA has estimated there are now more than 20,000 factory farms nationwide, a 30 percent rise since 2003" (Sandy). With the increase of these large corporations, independent farmers have been put out of business due to the decreasing sale price of animal merchandise. The companies that control each livestock segment have enormous control of the prices of animal products. Since the new model of livestock production has generated a technique that maximizes output and minimizes expenses, consumers are going to want to pay less for the goods they want. Not only do factory farms cause a decline of smaller farm operations, but also when CAFOs dominate an area, in rural communities, local businesses experience the decline as well. This is because no one wants to live next to a huge factory that emits harmful toxins and disgusting odors. When a CAFO moves into town a "decrease in neighborliness, social cohesion, and democratic values have also been documented" (Sandy).  Unlike independent farms, Concentrated Animals Feeding Operations do not contribute to the local economy. Factory farms usually purchase their supplies from places outside of the community.  Large industrial livestock operations are selfish corporations that only care about their personal profit. Factory farms hurt everything around them; it is time to for federal programs to start monitoring the effects that this industry has on rural communities. 

Since there is such a high demand for animal products, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations are growing. Consumers are unaware of how their actions in the grocery story affect so many aspects of life. Factory farms may seem more efficient in order to meet the increasing demand of animal goods, but the repercussions that come from this type of farming are not worth it. This perfect solution to meet the needs of the people may not seem so perfect when you look at how this industry is hurting the animals, environment, human health, and independent farms. It is time to start looking at the bigger picture when it comes to the negative affects that factory farms have. Instead of relying on other people to change the path that the food production Industry is going down, we can all contribute to bring CAFOs to an end. To start, reduce the consumption of animal products.  

