Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
1 person for 1 day: the cost of producing protein, as
recommended by the u.s. government
$6.44
$1.96
$1.74
$1.12
chicken
peanuts
wheat
corn
animals,” and those “units of production” were intensively con-
fined in smaller and smaller spaces, pushed faster and harder to
reach slaughter weight in shorter periods of time and to produce
greater amounts of milk, eggs, and offspring than could ever hap-
pen naturally.
What is the cost of this transition in farming?
At first glance, it may seem that this “progress” has enabled
people to spend more of their income on things other than food,
like shoes or travel or housing. But are the total costs of animal-
based foods really understood? Do they really reflect all of the in-
puts and outputs? As you'll read in the other essays in this topic,
the answer is very definitely
no
, once you factor in all of the tolls
industrial animal agriculture exacts.
