Negotiating the Issue of Industrial Farming
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Christine Rendak
Beloit College
SHOULD INDUSTRIAL FARMING BE SUBISIDIZED BY THE GOVERNMENT?
Abstract
Most of the foods we eat as Americans are products of industrialized farming techniques because the government has allocated almost three quarters of its farm subsidies to industrial farms.
The supporters of industrial farming believe that this is the best way to provide the world with enough affordable food. Those who believe industrial farming should be phased out in exchange for a
more “traditional” form of farming think that too much oil is used in the production of food and that the world has become dependant on an unsustainable resource. Using the methods given by
Fisher and Ury13, I attempted to find viable options to possibly solve this issue. The most promising of these options was a shift towards a more “humanistic” industrial farm, that was conscious of
its oil usage, the possible health effects of genetically-modified food, and a push for the mutual respect of animal life.
Introduction
Industrial farming is a major way by which many Americans are able to have a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and plenty of eggs and meat products. These larger industrial farms get almost
three-quarters of the money put aside for farm subsidies1. Most farms use large machinery, strong antibiotics for the animals, and chemical pesticides on their fields. The output of these farms is
quite high. In the United States, 8% of the farms produced 72% of the sales in the farming business2. 5% of the nation’s farms produce 54% of cattle, pigs, and poultry3. In this form of farming,
far fewer farms and farmers are needed to feed America’s population. This seems efficient and a way to solve the hunger problem in much of the world. Also, if fewer farmers that are needed in
the United States, those people will be able to put their efforts toward other goals, such as furthering the already “advanced” technological culture.
But the problem with industrial farms, many activists and small-farm owners claim, is that the farming industry is too dependent on oil with the machinery they use, the animals are treated
inhumanely, and this form of agriculture is not sustainable because the high amounts of synthetic pesticides and overuse of the land will exhaust valuable resources. This may lead to an eventual
food crisis, rather than our current excess of food. This excess of food does not always mean that everyone is getting fed, either. It is not usually the case that the poorest people in the world
“cannot get food because they are too poor to buy or grow the food they need. Increasing food production by itself does not tackle hunger”4. Instead of taking positions based on these two
arguments, it may be more useful to ask what goals the supporters of industrial farming and those in favor of “traditional” family-owned farms might create together?
1) Give 50% of the money to industrial farmers and 50% of the money to small farmers or;
2) Break down the money into what will be given per acre of land and process the money accordingly
3) For every 10 gallons of gas or oil used, the farm must donate a certain amount of food or profit to an organization that helps feed
poor or repressed populations. This will provide incentive to use less oil in food production and help people who might not be able
to otherwise get fresh food.
4) Further tests must be done to measure the effects of genetically-modified food and strong chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
5) Enough land must be given to each animal for grazing and provided with proper living conditions.
6) There must be a campaign promoting healthy eating habits to Americans, funded by both organic and industrial farmers. Along
with this campaign, the government must subsidize healthy food that includes an emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables,
according to the USDA’s food triangle.
-The obesity rate must go down by a set number due to an increase in organic farming subsidies by the year 2020.
People:
7) There must a focus on getting healthy food to everyone, even the poorest populations.
Anti-Industrial Farming
-Organic farmers
-Those who worked on failed small farms
-Environmental Activists
-Animal Activists
Possible Options:
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8) Corporations will be rewarded for using certified organic food.
9) If this move is made, industrial farmers will be financially aided in making the switch to a more sustainable method.
Works Cited
1
“EWG ll Farm Subsidy Database”. Environmental Working Group ll Public Interest Watchdog. <http://www.ewg.org/farm/findings.php> 2006. 04 Feb 06.
2
Spitzer, Skip. “Industrial Agriculture and Corporate Power-Part 2”. Grinning Planet. <http://www.grinningplanet.com/2004/04-08/agriculture-wto-trade-agreements-2-article.htm> 08 Apr 04. 10 Feb 06.
3
Wallinga, David. “Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations: Health Risks to Farmers and Workers”. IATP l Environmental Observatory. < http://www.environmentalobservatory.org/library.cfm?refID=37389> Oct 04. 04 Feb 06
4
King, Chris. “The Exploding Population: World Population and its Impact”. Wisdom Earth Democracy. <http://www.dhushara.com/book/diversit/bomb.htm> Jan 00. 04 Feb 06.
5
Frei, Balz. “From the Director”. The Linus Pauling Institute. < http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/f-w05/director.html>. 11 Feb 06.
6
“Hope for Victims of Pesticide Addiction”. Environmental Research Foundation. <http://www.rachel.org/bulletin/bulletin.cfm?Issue_ID=894>. 03 Jul 99. 05 Feb 06.
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“Overview of U.S. Meat and Poultry Production and Consumption”. American Meat Institute. <http://www.meatami.com/content/presscenter/factsheets_Infokits/FactSheetMeatProductionandConsumption.pdf> Mar 05. 10 Feb 06
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Thicke, Francis. “Organic Agriculture at Crossroads”. Food and Society Policy Fellows Program. <http://www.foodandsocietyfellows.org/library/uploadedFiles/Organic_Agriculture_At_The_Crossroads.htm> Mar/Apr 03. 11 Feb 06.
Mutual Interests:
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Pfeiffer, Dale Allen. “Eating Fossil Fuels”. From the Wilderness Publications. <http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/100303_eating_oil.html> 2004. 11 Feb 06.
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“The Issues: Fossil Fuel and Energy Use”. Sustainable Table. <http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/energy> 04 Feb 06.
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2)
3)
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5)
6)
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“Obesity In America-Obesity Demographics, Trends”. Obesity in America- Facts and Trends. <http://www.obesityinamerica.org/trends.html> 14 Feb 06.
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“Corporate Ownership of Organic Food Companies”. Cyber-Help for Organic Farmers in Canada. <http://www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca/rcbtoa/services/corporate-ownership.html>
Pro-Industrial Farming
-Industrial Farmers
-Government
Creating enough food for the population
Cost-effective food production so it will remain affordable
Conservation of oil energy in the face of the current prices
Food is able to get to everyone who needs it
Profit
Sustainable techniques of farming
Pro-Industrial Farming Interests
1) Organized Production
2) Maintaining the population and allowing for population growth within the country.
Anti-Industrial Farming Interests
1) The reintroduction of the family farm
2) Safe techniques for the animals and the consumers
Objective Criteria
• The level of government subsidies of food production in America. The government is subsidizing unhealthy food for the American people. Most of the food that is
subsidized by the nation’s tax dollars is used for processed food, food containing lots of white flour or animal fat, and high-fructose corn syrup. of the estimated $17
billion in farm subsidies provided by the government in 2005, $7.3 billion go for corn and other feed grains. Corn fed to livestock turns into meat, milk, and eggs, or is
made into high-fructose corn syrup used in soft drinks and processed foods. Number three on the list of farm subsidies—after corn and cotton—is soybeans, which get
$1.6 billion. Like corn, soybeans are fed to livestock and are also made into partially hydrogenated soybean oil, trans fat for processed food”.5
• The obesity rate in America is the highest among industrial nations and has gotten significantly higher in the past few years.11
• The quantity of pesticide use. “Each year about 820 million pounds of pesticides are used in the U.S., or about 3.3 pounds per person per year”.6
• The value of meat production. “In 2003, the U.S. produced 46.8 billion pounds of red meat. (…) American meat packers produced 26.3 billion pounds of beef, 201
millions pounds of veal, 203 million pounds of lamb and mutton and 20 billion pounds of pork”. 7
• The value of organic food produced. Organic farming is becoming more widely used and popularized. The organic farming industry produces almost 11 billion dollars
per year.8
• The quantity of oil used for food production. In the United States, each American uses about 400 gallons of oil annually in order to account for their food production9.
17% of the oil consumed by the United States is used by food production.10
13 Fisher, Roger and William Ury (1991). Getting to Yes. New York: Penguin Books.
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