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Interesting Links

 

The Leopold Conservation Award, recognizing landowners committed to conservation: www.leopoldconservationaward.org

United States Department of Agriculture: www.usda.gov

Natural Resources Conservation Service: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/

Animal Plant Health Inspection Service http://www.aphis.usda.gov/

 

Date: November 26th, 2008
Submitted by: Centre College student S.B.

As a vegetarian and an avid supporter of environmental stewardship and responsibility, I was anticipating Dr. Pierce and Dr. Pescatore's presentations with equal degrees of academic and personal interest. I have always supported foods and companies that practice organic, free range and hormone-free production methods, primarily because I have been under the impression that crops grown in an organic way or eggs laid by free-range, hormone-free chickens were both more humane and more in sync with the natural environment due to the fact they did not impose artificial conditions or harmful chemicals. I have heard innumerable stories about how chickens were forced to jump through terrible hoops in order to produce more eggs rapidly: from harsh and crowded living conditions to wearing red eye goggles because their production levels respond positively to this color. After Dr. Pierce and Dr. Pescatore's presentation, though, I have a greater appreciation for non-organic, non-free range methods of egg production and chicken cultivation. From showing us images of how an actual "free range" chicken range destroys the land to explaining how unsanitary living conditions prevail in a free range environment, I can certainly see the immense benefits of a non-organic, free-range chicken production methodology.

Date: November 26th, 2008
Submitted by: Centre College student C.M.

Most of the knowledge I have for animal welfare has come from negative ads from activist organizations. However, from the presentations by Dr. Pescatore and Dr. Pierce, that does not seem to be the case. I'm sure most people aren't naive enough to fall for the propaganda some of these organizations have to offer, but I never knew so much thought was put into harnessing what was best for an animal's behavioral and physical needs. I always thought that they (chickens) were simply thrown into cages and left there to wallow in their own feces while producing eggs. Nonetheless, there actually exists an extensive drive to increase animal stewardship for the good of the animal, the product it produces, and how safe that product is for human consumption. As for the animal's needs, there must be a balance between physical and behavioral needs.

This is necessary to preserve the animal's natural way of life as effectively as possible in order to collect the most natural product. As for poultry, whether or not a cage is used is apparently a very important aspect for raising birds. The amount of research done on which methods are the most humane, as well as productive is substantial. In addition to living conditions though, I was made aware of certain chemical treatments that the chickens undergo to insure a "disease-free" product. Coming from someone that doesn't regularly visit farms much less poultry farms, there is so much more involved with keeping up with the needs of animals than sticking them in cages, feeding them, and collecting the eggs.

Date: November 26th, 2008
Submitted by: Centre College student T.M.

The most interesting part of the presentation was the discussion of man's relationship to animals. According to Dr. Pescatore, domesticated animals exist to serve a purpose to man. Domesticated animals do depend on man for their existence, but it is because of man's domestication that these animals exist in these ways, so of course by definition a domesticated animal would have to serve a purpose to man. As an anthropology student, it is difficult to separate the human species from the animal world because in a large way, we are just another animal that happens to have a very intelligent brain.

Yet, whether or not the use of animals is justified, people will still eat chicken and I am very pleased that measures have been taken to ensure a suitable quality of life for them. According to Dr. Pescatore, cages are a good way to keep the chickens healthy and maintainable. Upon seeing his data, I would prefer to eat chicken that have been cared for in cages because free range chickens can be exposed to a pecking order, and I wouldn't want to eat the chicken on the bottom of the totem. I'm impressed that so much research has gone into the production of chicken for more than just profit reasons. There are many things being done in agricultural production that could change the way we do things on earth and it is very exciting to know that it is for the betterment of our planet.

Date: November 26th, 2008
Submitted by: Centre College student A.H.

It was interesting to hear about the main issues surrounding the poultry industry, involving an intricate relationship between environment, animal well-being and food safety. Well-being refers to the satisfaction of physical needs and the encouragement of necessary behaviors. Physical needs can be measured in growth standards and production parameters. Behavioral needs include feeding, drinking, preening, dust bathing, maintenance, sleeping, locomotion, sexual activities, nesting, brooding, socialization, and responsiveness to predators.

What challenge the poultry industry faces is striking a balance between physical needs and necessary behavioral needs. Take caging, for example, they may seem inhumane at first but on closer inspection they represent a carefully designed system. Cage living systems increase hygiene, lessen social friction between birds, have easier management routines, better working conditions, and a lower production cost. However, they tend to lack space for the animals decreasing the amount of exercise and dusting behavior, and chickens in cages also have a high rate of foot lesions and other related sores.

Date: November 26th, 2008
Submitted by: Centre College student D.A.

Kentucky is a rural state, every drive we take brings us past agricultural fields and we are witness to the processes it takes to bring food to our table. These practices have always been focused on efficiency and producing as much as possible - using fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, hormones and antibiotics, etc. have been able to aid in this goal. Often times traditional agriculture practices have had unintended consequences such as soil erosion, antibiotic resistance, heavy metal build up, and stream pollution. This list goes on and the bearer of these consequences is the environment and humans. The goal of sustainable agriculture is to create practices and technology that preserves the health of people and the environment for generations to come, while providing for today's needs.

My experience working on the University of Kentucky's South Farm in organic vegetable production and hearing about Alltech's research have been very edifying about sustainable agriculture. During the presentation given by Dr. James Pierce from Alltech, I learned quite a bit about the research going on there. The most interesting initiative that I thought he talked about was their research to fight antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance build up seems to be a huge problem and can result in drugs not being able to fight the bacteria and viruses they were designed to. This needs to be dealt with and Alltech has created an interesting product to address the issue. I was also happy to hear they are researching ways to address heavy metal build up, toxins in feed, and greenhouse gases among other things. Their research will be very beneficial to the future of sustainable agriculture and will help it to be produced on a larger scale. Agriculture obviously affects our everyday life greatly, since we eat food, and it is important that the practices that are producing this food are sustainable. By keeping in mind the health of the land and environment we will be able to provide for generations to come.

Date: November 26th, 2008
Submitted by: Centre College student L.B.

How often do you know where the food you eat comes from? Do you ever think about if the meat you eat is safe? Do you think you will get sick from a chicken sandwich before you take a bite? Probably not. The modern American seems to be oblivious to the origin of many foods and the risk factors for eating contaminated products. During a recent talk by Dr. James Pierce and Dr. Anthony Pescatore I became much more informed about the intricate processes that keep me safe when I consume meat. Food safety is an issue I believe everyone should be informed about. Often in the media there are cases of people getting sick from 'bad food' or contracting illnesses like salmonella, so clearly it is a problem in some places of the United States.

One fact I learned from the lecture was that organic food can be much more risky for consumers. While the foods do not have the chemicals and preservatives used in other products, they may have diseases or bacteria that would have been killed with the preservatives. So, eating organically is no better than eating foods with chemicals. It is the individuals' choice what they choose to consume, but all people need to be informed on food safety.

Date: November 26th, 2008
Submitted by: Centre College senior B.T.

Prior to the presentation given about the poultry industry I was apparently very much in the dark as far as the kinds of and the amounts of technology that go into feeding animals; and not just feeding, but maintaining, housing, and ensuring the products that are produced are the best they can be. It was amazing to learn that changing something as small as where the water container is positioned in the cage can change many other factors such as behavior, egg production, epidemiology, etc. It is great to see a current company such as Alltech take natural concepts and apply them to the food that sustains us while maintaining a promise to incorporate local farms, local jobs, and selling products under local brands.

The other part of the presentation that was interesting was learning how Alltech is involved with the concept of sustainable agriculture. Considering how dire our dependence on fossil fuels is and how quickly these resources will run out, more people need to take an interest in alternative fuels and allocating shrinking land for prolonged usage without exhausting resources. Hopefully, Alltech's example will influence other companies while addressing public demand for "natural" processes.

 

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