On oprah right now , how our meat is raised

[sweetcorn]

mjsdsh wrote

thanks for posting this...thank goodness for time shifting i am catching it being broadcast in another time zone

ywyw , my first thought was I gotta watch that ! my second was I have to get online and tell everybody at byc it's on , lol​

 

[Msbear]

want to add. I think our farmers are going in a better direction naturally and if people pay the higher prices for free-range then there will be a supply to match but this bill is bad for our famers and their livelyhoods which will untimately effect ours. There should be tax encentives and other encouragements for free-range farming but not this. This is bull$%^&

 

[sweetcorn]

Here is the link to oprah's website thread on this show. Not live but gives the gist of it for anybody who missed it.

 

[Dar]

WOW they just showed a chicken farm...I say this in it self is a reason to allow chickens EVERYWHERE....I will never ever buy an egg from the store again...and I have to convince my family to do the same....

hmmmmm ....hey i got it....this is my perfect excuse to get more chickens and bulid a bigger coop....

then i can supply everyone with eggs...

 

[sweetcorn]

LOL , uh huh , that's what I'm thinking too , I need more chickens !

 

[vfem]

I'm sorry, but listening to those farmers who are all like "It'll cost us too much to change, and it will increase cost and...we'll get our eggs from mexico...and...and...and" isn't working them up to be better people.

I was unhappy with the farmers explantion for the cages being good for the chickens because the protect them from 'coyotes' and such. That was ridiculous. Caging them perhaps cuts down on work and costs, but it is in no way shape or form better for the chickens! They want a lot of production in a small space, period. There is no other reasoning for that.

Now, seeing the caged birds was sad, and they did have poo on them, but this is one of the few times I've seen them NOT clip their beaks. I was very impressed the birds were not pecking or pecked to pieces either. So, it makes me wonder why people continue to clip their beaks off?

Then onto the pigs! Ok, so the cages the pregnant pigs are in are way too small to me! But to just give them an extra 5-6 ft each and cut down on 100 pregnant sows at a time isn't a huge lose. They can expand a building to add on enough for that 100 pigs back into their building... not to mention... open the building up some. Sliding glass windows on a couple sides.... opened up for fresh air daily. Come on! I know pregnant pigs are agressive, but please! Stand up, sit down, one step back, one step forward, drink, eat, sleep! OMG!

If I did that to a cat for 120 days I'd have animal control here in 24 hours and I'd be in court.

As for the cows.... you know what I'm going to say.

I haven't eaten pork or beef since I was 14 and I don't plan on eating it ever again.

OH... and the cost issues! For the love of *@#^ why can't the FDA rather then a state agency step in and decide that a better quality of life and food is needed across the board! Forget one state... that will make serious cost issues that are unfair no doubt... but if our total government made it for every state to start mandating changes all costs wouldn't be compromised! It would be financially fair across the board.'

And so I shut up!

 

[asher]

I feel a little guilty putting down the caged bird places, though b/c mine aren't free ranged, either. They are in cages. They lead way better lives than those, though and have way more room to roam and such. And they're on dirt/sawdust/hay (whatever we put in that week) so they can scratch around like...ummm...chickens!

 

[Msbear]

If everyone were able to raise their own, the animals would be so much better off. The numbers needed to make a profit is overwhelming. But then you'd have to do your own slaughtering too. I know people on here do it and good for ya but, for me, it's not an option. I drive around wooly bears on the road and almost get into accidents to avoid a turtle. There is NO way I can do what these farmers do to provide food for my family. I try to buy free range whenever possible...right now, it's not possible. and I thank those farmers for their dirty job that I don't have to do.

If the cost of beef, pork and poultry were to rise higher than it is now, a lot of people just couldn't afford to get groceries. There has to be an inbetween. Im all for healthy treatment of animals. These "bad examples" of veal houses need to be inspected not every year but monthly and on a surprise basis and get shut down if they look like that.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
You make it sound so easy....just build onto their sheds...make more room. If only it were that easy. Who's going to pay for all these building expansions? Most of we farmers scrape by as it is and have very little profit margin as it is.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
Tell your husband that I raised my own cow this year, and with cost of her, cost of feed, and processing, I'll be paying only $2.10 per pound for her meat - and it is healthier and better tasting, to boot.

The cost of the meat alone is worth having your own cow to raise. I paid $2.49 the other day for plain old hamburger.

PM me if ya want more details.

ETA _ MsBear - I'm not processing the cow myself, either - don't have the skills to do it. The cost is still only $2.10 per pound. We took her to the butcher last week, ought to have her back any day now.

Peace -
Meri