Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
methane, and most of the remainder nitrous oxide. In beef cattle systems, the cow-
calf herd emitted the most and feedlot cattle the least methane and nitrous oxide per
unit product. Carbon dioxide emissions per unit product were the least for the cow-
calf and greatest for feedlot cattle (Phetteplace et al., 2001).
The introduction of methanogenic suppressors for supplementation to the diet of fin-
ishing cattle has been a major benefit to the beef cattle industry and has reduced GHG
emission into the environment. Most feedlot cattle are currently fed grain-based diets
supplemented with methane-suppressing compounds (e.g., monensin and lasalocid).
t w o f a C e s of f a in i m a L a g r i C u L t u r e
Animal agriculture now has two faces: (1) Concentrated animal feeding operations
(CAFOs) use high-technology, high-volume, highly efficient integrated animal pro-
duction in which a small minority produces the food for the vast majority of its
populace in the area. Other smaller CAFOs are more traditional animal produc-
tion units (some family owned, some owned solely or partially as corporations) that
coexist with the larger CAFOs, which are often financed by external investors. (2)
The other face of animal agriculture is represented by many smaller family-owned
farms, many of which are located in developing countries. Economy of scale places
these small farms at an economic disadvantage, which has resulted in consolidation
of food animal production into fewer and larger farm operations.
Although average age of farm owners in North America continues to increase,
younger farmers are more likely to be college trained and technically advanced in
their farming and business expertise. Even with integration of agriculture, family
farms represent more than half of current U.S. farm ownership, although many of
these enterprises involve part-time farmers. These smaller farms continue to produce
a significant proportion of the animal products sold in the United States. Organic
farming enterprises (distinguished by use of manure rather than inorganic fertilizers
and by adherence to the practice of no pesticide or herbicide use on crops) continue to
increase in number and often sell their products at local farmer's markets, where cus-
tomers are frequently willing to pay higher prices for foods advertised as organic.
P r e s e n t a n D f u t u r e a in i m a L a g r i C u L t u r e i n D e v e L o P i in g C o u n t r i e s
In developing countries, much of animal agriculture is based on local production
on small farms, using meager resources and limited capital to provide for family or
small market consumption. Worldwide, about 1.3 billion rural people in developing
countries depend on livestock for a livelihood (Steinfeld et al., 2006). Livestock farm-
ing is critical for many of the poor in developing countries, offering pathways out of
poverty and improving their nutrition and health (Randolph et al., 2007). Integrated
animal production has become an economic force in many developing countries.
Large-scale integrated confinement systems now account for 75% of the world's
poultry supply, 40% of its pork, and 66% of all egg production (Bruinsma, 2003).
The loss of linkage between livestock production and land, the natural resource base
in animal source food production, has raised concerns about the environmental and
resource costs of livestock production (Naylor et al., 2005). Environmental impacts
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