Animal Factory

Animal Factory
Author: David Kirby
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Total Pages: 514
Release: 2010-03-02
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 142995809X

Swine flu. Bird flu. Unusual concentrations of cancer and other diseases. Massive fish kills from flesh-eating parasites. Recalls of meats, vegetables, and fruits because of deadly E-coli bacterial contamination. Recent public health crises raise urgent questions about how our animal-derived food is raised and brought to market. In Animal Factory, bestselling investigative journalist David Kirby exposes the powerful business and political interests behind large-scale factory farms, and tracks the far-reaching fallout that contaminates our air, land, water, and food. In this thoroughly researched book, Kirby follows three families and communities whose lives are utterly changed by immense neighboring animal farms. These farms (known as "Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations," or CAFOs), confine thousands of pigs, dairy cattle, and poultry in small spaces, often under horrifying conditions, and generate enormous volumes of fecal and biological waste as well as other toxins. Weaving science, politics, law, big business, and everyday life, Kirby accompanies these families in their struggles against animal factories. A North Carolina fisherman takes on pig farms upstream to preserve his river, his family's life, and his home. A mother in a small Illinois town pushes back against an outsized dairy farm and its devastating impact. And a Washington State grandmother becomes an unlikely activist when her home is invaded by foul odors and her water supply is compromised by runoff from leaking lagoons of cattle waste. Animal Factory is an important book about our American food system gone terribly wrong---and the people who are fighting to restore sustainable farming practices and save our limited natural resources.

Coop

Coop
Author: Michael Perry
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2009-04-21
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0061865427

“You can read Michael Perry’s Coop as an outrageously funny comedy about a semi-hapless neophyte navigating the pitfalls (and pratfalls) of the farming life. Please do, in fact. But scratch a little deeper, past Perry’s lusciously entertaining and epigrammatic prose, his ultra-charming combo of Midwestern earnestness and serrated wit, and you’ll find a reflective, sincere, and surprisingly touching-at times, even heart-cracking-story about a man struggling to put down roots.” — Jonathan Miles, author of Want Not In over his head with two pigs, a dozen chickens, and a baby due any minute, the acclaimed author of Population: 485 gives us a humorous, heartfelt memoir of a new life in the country. Living in a ramshackle Wisconsin farmhouse—faced with thirty-seven acres of fallen fences and overgrown fields, and informed by his pregnant wife that she intends to deliver their baby at home—Michael Perry plumbs his unorthodox childhood for clues to how to proceed as a farmer, a husband, and a father. Whether he’s remembering his younger days—when his city-bred parents took in sixty or so foster children while running a sheep and dairy farm—or describing what it’s like to be bitten in the butt while wrestling a pig, Perry flourishes in his trademark humor. But he also writes from the quieter corners of his heart, chronicling experiences as joyful as the birth of his child and as devastating as the death of a dear friend.

The Complete Technology Book on Dairy & Poultry Industries With Farming and Processing (2nd Revised Edition)

The Complete Technology Book on Dairy & Poultry Industries With Farming and Processing (2nd Revised Edition)
Author: NIIR Board
Publisher: NIIR PROJECT CONSULTANCY SERVICES
Total Pages: 690
Release: 2012-06-03
Genre:
ISBN: 9381039089

Dietary habits of people have changed over the last few decades. Growing consciousness for protein rich food has given an impetus to both the dairy industry and poultry farming. Today, the dairy industry is a large organized sector with both private and government participation whereas poultry farming has indicated a rapid growth of 20% in the past few decades as well. Poultry is one of the fastest growing segments of the agricultural sector in India today. The production of agricultural crops has been rising at a rate of 1.5 to 2 % per annum that of eggs and broilers has been rising at a rate of 8 to 10 % per annum. From a backyard hobby it has culminated into an industry. The venture has largely been entrepreneurial and poultry farmers prefer to target their efforts to breeding & broiler farming for sale of ready broilers or layer farming for eggs. Poultry is the second most widely eaten meat in the world, accounting for about 30% of meat production worldwide. Dairy plants process the raw milk they receive from farmers so as to extend its marketable life. India has only a few specialized dairy farms. It is the production that characterizes the dairy industry. India is the worlds highest milk producer and all set to become the worlds largest food factory. Dairying is an important source of subsidiary income to small/marginal farmers and agricultural labourers. The manure from animals provides a good source of organic matter for improving soil fertility and crop yields. Since agriculture is mostly seasonal, there is a possibility of finding employment throughout the year for many persons through dairy farming. Thus, dairy also provides employment throughout the year. The main beneficiaries of dairy programmes are small/marginal farmers and landless labourers. Developments in the dairy and poultry industries during the last decade have been important enough to bring out a considerable amount of materials on dairy and poultry farming; processing of milk and poultry related products. The major contents of the book are dairy farming, poultry production, breeding, fertility, forage grass and concentrates, cow behaviour and health, manufacture of butter and cheese, process measurements and controls, components of poultry diets etc. This book also describes about the feed manufacturing process, butter and cheese manufacturing processes with diagrams, housing system and management of broilers and more. The first book of its kind which covers complete details of dairy and poultry farming, processing how to feed cows, birds in dairy and poultry, kind of diseases and their cure and other information related farming. This book will be an invaluable resource to dairy and poultry technology, institutions and for those who want to venture in this field.

Commerce Yearbook

Commerce Yearbook
Author: United States. Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce
Publisher:
Total Pages: 750
Release: 1925
Genre:
ISBN:

The Modern Homesteader's Guide to Keeping Geese

The Modern Homesteader's Guide to Keeping Geese
Author: Kirsten Lie-Nielsen
Publisher: New Society Publishers
Total Pages: 138
Release: 2017-10-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1550926543

Raise a gaggle of geese, the unsung heroes of the small farm While chickens preen in the spotlight, geese are the historic unsung heroes of small farms and homesteads. Providing weed control, large eggs, and entertainment, and acting as "security" over other animals, geese are the ultimate modern homesteading companion. The Modern Homesteader's Guide to Keeping Geese covers everything you need to know to raise geese, including: Profiles of breeds and how to select the best one for your needs How to "imprint" goslings on a person Feeding, housing, animal health, and cold weather care Using geese for weed control, soil improvement, and as "watch-geese" Cooking with goose eggs and meat Additional coverage includes a look at the rich history of geese on farms in North America and Europe that will enhance any goose keeper's enjoyment of these intelligent and unique birds. This practical guide is a must-have essential for the kitchen table of homesteaders, small farmers, permaculturists, and professional farmers looking to add the power of geese to their land.