article thumbnail

USDA’s latest census of agriculture: not an encouraging picture

Food Politics

A total of 43% of farms had positive net cash farm Percent farms with net income: 43% Farms selling direct to consumers: 116,617 with sales of $3.3 billion (up 16%) Farms with sales of $ 1 million or more: 105,384 (6% of all farms); they sell three-fourths of all agricultural products.

article thumbnail

On The Ground: Your Dog’s Food Probably Comes From a Factory Farm. Meet Some Folks Who Want to Change That

Modern Farmer

The pet food industry traditionally relies on factory farm byproducts for its ingredients, a practice the industry touts as more sustainable as it produces less waste and cheaper food. When it comes to sustainability, experts say insect farming uses less land and water, and it has fewer emissions.

Food 111
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

On the Ground with the Farmers Producing Antibiotic-Free Meat

Modern Farmer

As the owner of a multi-generational farm, Mardesen has seen industrial agriculture and factory farming take increasing control over meat production in the last few decades. With that has come the extreme overuse of antibiotics in livestock farming. Ron Mardesen stopped the use of routine antibiotics nearly 40 years ago.

Cattle 143
article thumbnail

Op-ed: The Food System Cannot Become Another Fossil-Fuel Industry Escape Hatch

Civil Eats

Mismanaged farm waste on CAFOs has a climate toll as well, responsible for as much as 7 percent of global farming emissions. And methane emissions from ruminants, like cattle, are another significant source of climate impacts. Fossil fuels have enabled us to soar past our ecological limits.

Food 123
article thumbnail

Book Excerpt: Commodities and Consolidation

Food Tank

That’s why less than 10 percent of farms still have animals. Previously, it was cost-effective for farmers to graze their cattle or grow their own feed.

article thumbnail

SEAWEED AND METHANE

The Lunatic Farmer

Or factory farms? Or cattle feedlots? I suggest that instead of abundance requiring eliminating cows, can't we pick something better to eliminate? Like glyphosate? Or anhydrous ammonia nitrogen fertilizer? Or superphsophate chemical fertilizer?

article thumbnail

Understanding the farmer protests 

Sustainable Food Trust

Driven by supermarket price wars, retailers have been relentlessly pushing down the price that they offer to the farmers that supply them, who, when faced with this price pressure, have perceived the only option left to them is further intensification and enlargement of their farming operations and, in the case of livestock, animal numbers.

Food 141