In Chapter 4 of Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pollan describes the consequences of using corn in the diets of cattle. He also shows the readers the process of growing cattle by following a specific cow: one which he calls steer number 534. For the first sixth months, the calf lives a normal life, eating grass and living with its mother. After that, the calf is separated from its mother, distressing both animals. The calf then lives a miserable life, eating nothing but corn, eating from a trough, and living in a much smaller space. Feeding corn to cows is beneficial to farmers, because for them, corn is "cheap calories." It allows cows to gain an enormous amount of weight in a very short period of time. However, corn in cows' diets are harmful to both cows and consumers. The large quantities of corn can lead to bloating, acidosis, weakened immune systems, and many other diseases in cows. In response to all these sicknesses, farmers give the cows an excessive amount of antibiotics. But, these antibiotics can cause resistant bacteria to emerge that can one day affect humans. Also, the living conditions of cows can be detrimental to human health. There are often piles of manure in the areas they live in, which can find their way into the meat we eat. Pollan states that the "cheap" feed that farmers use may actually turn out to be quite expensive. If one takes into consideration the cost of the consumers' health and the effects that corn has on the environment, corn is not very cheap at all.
Every fact that Michael Pollan stated in the chapter greatly surprised me. It is unbelievable to think that the time for cows to reach slaughter weight has decreased so dramatically. I was shocked to learn that cows only have a life span of fourteen to sixteen months, compared to the four or five years that they used to have. It also disgusts me how these cows grow from 80 to 1,100 pounds in such a short amount of time. The rapid gain weight is not healthy for the cows, and all the antibiotics, corn, and other supplements that cows ingest are not beneficial to public health. In addition, farmers and industries use irradiation to sterilize the meat we eat. But, what are the consequences of using irradiation? How does that affect the health of humans? We must also ask: what can we do improve the lives of these cows - the living conditions, the feed, and so on - without sacrificing production?
I agree that the living conditions of cows are terrible. Cows should be raised in the fields, eating grass and not having to take antibiotics every day of their life. The growth hormones given to cows to increase their size is exceptionally disturbing, not only by how much they accelerate a cow's growth but also by the fact that all of these hormones will be ingested by humans who eat the cow's meat. I think your question of how we can improve the lives of cows without reducing production is a really good one. The living conditions of cows won't be remedied unless it is economically feasible.
ReplyDeleteI understand your frustration for the factory style farming, but I do encourage you to do additional research on the antibiotics and hormones used. Many of them are either not permited for use in the food industry, or have withholding dates (This is a date that will not allow the cow to go for meat until the medicine is completely out of it's system). Please do utilize the strong emotions and feelings towards this issue to educate yourself on the otherside to make an unbiased position.
ReplyDeleteEducational note (Yes I am a farmer lol)- But the cows in your picture are actually dairy cows which are used for milk. They are a breed called Holsteins, I have to orange and white ones-Guernseys, you can follow my farm blog at weekinfarm.blogpost.com