Free-Range Farming

Free-Range Farming — page 1 — 1 Farming Moves Indoors When most people hear the word farm a certain image often comes to mind A rambling farmhouse stands in the middle of green fields A few cows graze in the pasture while chickens scratch the dirt by a henhouse Pigs doze in a barn or outside in the sunshine Farm animals that are allowed to move around freely and eat what they choose are said to be free-range livestock From the dawn of agriculture until the middle of the last century this was a typical farm setting A small herd of cows could graze on fresh grass and clover Cows thrive on these foods which are inedible to people Cows then provide milk which people can drink Bulls or older cows may be butchered for meat After a few months in one pasture the farmer would typically move the cows to another pasture Then the pigs took over the first field They turned up the soil with their strong snouts revealing a feast of roots and insects Pigs are omnivores so they enjoy many foods Pigs can even eat cow dung Then chickens went into the field finding insects to eat in the turned-up Many people imagine farms as places where animals are free to roam 4

Free-Range Farming — page 2 — s a

Free-Range Farming — page 3 — soil and depositing their own waste Chicken manure is high in nitrates which helps the grass grow thick and lush Then the cows returned the following year to graze the fresh grass that grew in the fertilized soil The different plants and animals worked together Animals ate foods that people do not eat such as grass and insects The animal manure Before farming moved largely indoors most cows spent their days grazing in grass fields 6

Free-Range Farming — page 4 — became fertilizer which helped new grass grow This made an efficient loop with little waste left over Farm animals had space some freedom of movement and usually enough food They provided milk and eggs and eventually meat to their farmers and local people Variations on this system worked successfully for thousands of years around the world However rapid population growth in the twentieth century made it difficult for farmers to grow enough food to feed everyone New technology has helped them to raise more and larger animals on the same amount of land But not everyone agrees that these new practices are the best choice Animal Feeding Operations Farming in the United States went through major changes in the middle of the twentieth century With the development of mechanized equipment farms grew in size and began to specialize in raising one type of animal Sometimes they even specialize in animals in one phase of their life such as piglets from birth to weaning This specialization allows farmers to provide individualized housing feed and veterinary care for each stage of an animal’s life Many of these animal feeding operations AFOs have a full-time veterinarian on staff to ensure animals receive medical attention AFOs can protect animals and farmers from certain threats When animals live on a pasture they are exposed to predators and parasites Animals and the farmers caring for them can be injured during mating and as mothers protect their young AFO animals do not go out into fields to graze instead they are kept in pens or cages often indoors and fed grain primarily corn and soy The US Environmental Protection Agency EPA defines these small areas as confined spaces 7

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