Inside Animal Ag

Current Knowledge About U.S. Factory Farming

Facts, figures, and background information about U.S. industrial animal agriculture * Feed crops to factory farms to slaughterhouses * A steadily expanding work in progress

SUBJECTS

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ANIMAL AG INTRO

CAFOs, factory farms, slaughterhouses * Animal ag economics * Externalities

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ANIMALS

Life & treatment from farm to slaughter * Numbers slaughtered * Death before slaughter

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BIODIVERSITY

Biodiversity loss numbers * Drivers of loss including pollution, land & water use

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CHEMICALS & MANURE

Fertilizer & pesticide use on feed crops * Manure output * Nutrient pollution

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CLIMATE & AIR

Contributions to GHG emissions * Ammonia & PM2.5 air pollution

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FEED CROPS & GRAZING

Share of land & crops used for animal feed * Grazing animal numbers, locations

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Government

Federal laws & regs on animal welfare * Environmental regulations * Subsidies

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INDUSTRY

Production volume figures including exports * Industry consolidation * Contract farming

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LAND

Land use for feed crops and grazing * Impacts on land & soil degradation

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PUBLIC HEALTH

Impacts on public health * Zoonoses & antibiotic resistance * Meat & dairy consumption figures

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WATER

Usage, scarcity, & depletion * Pollution of waterways from manure, pesticides, fertilizers

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WORKERS

CAFO & slaughterhouse workers * Demographics, wages, turnover * Impacts on health

SUBJECTS

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ANIMAL AG INTRO

Animal ag production systems * CAFOs, feedlots, slaughterhouses * Externalities

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ANIMALS

Life and treatment from farm to slaughter * Numbers slaughtered * Death before slaughter

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BIODIVERSITY

Trends in biodiversity loss * Land use, feed crops and grazing as drivers of species loss

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CHEMICALS & MANURE

Fertilizer and pesticide use on feed crops * Manure output, dispersal, containment systems

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CLIMATE & AIR

Contributions to GHG emissions * PM2.5, chemicals, odors

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FEED CROPS & GRAZING

Percent of crops used for feed * Feed conversion * Grazing animal numbers, locations

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Government

Federal laws and regs on animal welfare * Environmental regulations * Government subsidies

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INDUSTRY

Production volume figures including exports * Industry consolidation * Contract farming

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LAND

Land use for feed crops and grazing * Impacts on land and soil degradation

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PUBLIC HEALTH

Impacts on public health and environmental justice * Meat and dairy consumption figures

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WATER

Usage, scarcity, and depletion * Pollution of waterways from manure, pesticides, fertilizers

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WORKERS

CAFO and slaughterhouse workers * Demographics, wages, turnover * Impacts on health

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ANIMAL AG INTRO

Animal ag production systems * CAFOs, feedlots, slaughterhouses * Externalities

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ANIMALS

Life and treatment from farm to slaughter * Numbers slaughtered * Death before slaughter

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BIODIVERSITY

Trends in biodiversity loss * Land use, feed crops and grazing as drivers of species loss

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CHEMICALS & MANURE

Fertilizer and pesticide use on feed crops * Manure output, dispersal, containment systems

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CLIMATE & AIR

Contributions to GHG emissions * PM2.5, chemicals, odors

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FEED CROPS & GRAZING

Percent of crops used for feed * Feed conversion * Grazing animal numbers, locations

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Government

Federal laws and regs on animal welfare * Environmental regulations * Government subsidies

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INDUSTRY

Production volume figures including exports * Industry consolidation * Contract farming

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LAND

Land use for feed crops and grazing * Impacts on land and soil degradation

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PUBLIC HEALTH

Impacts on public health and environmental justice * Meat and dairy consumption figures

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WATER

Usage, scarcity, and depletion * Pollution of waterways from manure, pesticides, fertilizers

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WORKERS

CAFO and slaughterhouse workers * Demographics, wages, turnover * Impacts on health

Inside Animal Ag

Our goal is to accurately present the most important facts, figures, and background information about U.S. industrial animal agriculture. We aim to cover the entire system – from feed crops to factory farms to slaughterhouses – along with the wide-ranging impacts on animals, society, and the natural world. We rely on current and credible references, assembling a complex and interconnected story on one site. This is a work in progress. You can help by giving us feedback or suggesting sources. We want to help others more easily and confidently share the facts about factory farming.