"Although I am an old man, I am but a young gardener."-- Thomas JeffersonTwo hundred years ago , the world of agriculture was a very different place than it is now.
When Thomas Jefferson was creating his beautiful gardens at his beloved Monticello, and John Adams was tending his stony fields in Massachusetts, our nation was founded almost entirely on agricultural enterprise.
As time passed and the Industrial Revolution roared onto the American landscape, agriculture began a radical transformation that changed our Country forever.
Over the past 100 years or so, the small community farms that were once the backbone of our society and supplied their local communities with fresh produce, meats, and dairy products, have been replaced with massive, mechanized, and government subsidized "mega-farms".
Now in the twenty-first century, 99% of our food supply is generated almost solely from these giant farm conglomerates. Consequently the small farm has all but disappeared.
What are the consequences of this industrialization of our agriculture ? What is the fall out from these "factory farms" ?
In his new book , " Animal Factory", David Kirby, best selling investigative reporter,
exposes the powerful business and political interests behind large scale factory farms, and tracks the far reaching fall out that contaminates our land ,air, water,and food.
Kirby follows three families and communities whose lives are utterly changed by "immense neighboring animal farms".
These farms , known as ( Concentrated Animal Feed Operations , or CAFO's) ,
confine thousands of pigs, dairy cows, and poultry, in small spaces, often under horrifying conditions, and generate enormous volumes of fecal matter and biological waste, as well as other toxins
Kirby's description of how the animals are treated is chilling to say the least, but his message is an important one. You can't industrialize farming without terrible consequences to our nation's food supply and also to our communities.
I believe that "Animal Factory" should be a must read for all those who are seeking to restore sustainable farming practices and looking to preserve our natural resources.
