Farming Practices

According to this article, research on domestic farm animals at land grant institutions is important to the global competitiveness of U.S. animal agriculture and to resolving animal and human diseases. Funding has been in decline and these authors argue that agricultural and biomedical research is at risk at universities unless financial support for research increases.

An investigation by the Associated Press (AP) has revealed that the drinking water of at least 41 million people in the United States is contaminated with pharmaceutical drugs, including medications used for farm animals.

The use of Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin (rbST) in the U.S. dairy herd would significantly reduce the carbon footprint of milk production, equivalent to removing 400,000 cars from the road or planting 300 million trees. The use of rbST would also likely result in a reduction in the number of dairy cows needed to meet future demand, as opposed to other systems.

A trend in food labeling is to make claims related to agricultural management, and this is occurring with dairy labels. A survey study was conducted to compare retail milk for quality (antibiotics and bacterial counts), nutritional value (fat, protein, and solids-not-fat), and hormonal composition (somatotropin, insulin-like growth factor-1 [IGF-1], estradiol, and progesterone) as affected by three label claims related to dairy-cow management: conventional, recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST)- free (processor-certified not from cows supplemented with rbST), or organic (follows US Department of Agriculture organic practices). [Excerpted from article]

According to research conducted by the University of Georgia, the use of controlled atmosphere stunning for so-called spent hens (those no longer laying enough eggs to be considered profitable) will decrease the number of rejects and improve hen welfare.

Research studies have shown that stress exhibited by pigs prior to being slaughtered can have a significant impact on the end product quality ("without even considering humane or ethical aspects of animal handling"). Major stress factors include poor handling, transport, and housing.

This report summarizes results from Wave 1 of the Humane Research Council's "Animal Tracker" survey of U.S. adults regarding their attitudes and behavior toward animals. This inaugural survey of 16 core questions shows strong support for the protection of all animals. The strength of that support varies by situation and species, however, and actual behavior does not always reflect the favorable attitudes identified.

This research shows that that organic farmers who let their cows graze as nature intended are producing higher quality milk. This Newcastle University study of milk quality is an effort towards minimizing the use of antibiotics in dairy production.

According to research by Ohio State University, the average shopper is willing to pay a premium for locally produced foods, largely because of guaranteed freshness and a preference for buying food produced by small farms over large, corporate operations.