What are the advantages and disadvantages of intensive farming?

Question

Need some help with this what are the advantages and disadvantages of intensive farming and which legislation governs the way in which farm animals are kept?

Answer 1

advantages:

1) Significantly increased yield per available space than extensive farming

2) Often leads to cheaper priced products

disadvantages:

1) Removal of buffers to make large fields for maximum efficiency leading to lower food costs and greater food availability to the poor. But it also limits the natural habitat of some wild creatures and can lead to soil erosion

2) Pesticides can kill useful insects as well as the those that destroy crops.

3) Intensive farming of poultry and some other species results in cruel, inhumane growing and living conditions for animals.

Answer 2

Wow, y'all have it own to the science it is ,but you need to feel good about what you do and how you do it, I'm probably one of the few truck farmers left in our area. When you spread it smells when it smells it grows, if it rains your lucky if it doesn't your hurting. No other industry that leaves so much up to so many different problems ,bugs water seed fuel, machinery,and  the man himself. be proud of what you do and try to ignore the ones that complain and then feed their families on those same complaints, Hope y'all have a good season. jack

Answer 3

Intensive farming allows the farmer to easily monitor, medicate and protect his animals.  In free range farming the animals are subject to more danger.  I lost my entire free range lamb crop to one large bobcat (we got photos). Free range farming friends have lost  entire flocks of free range chickens and sheep to dogs and another lost her entire herd of calves.  A reintroduced pair of mountain lions managed to pick off the entire foal crop (except one) from a herd of wild horses.

Answer 4

ask your local farmer or green grosser

Answer 5

The advantages seem to be what you would expect in that of huge yields of product that are exactly the same in all measure as often as technology currently permits. Regulations vary according to country and region or state. Disadvantages are many and have huge implications. One, and it is considered the single most important to most people (regardless of whether they use/ eat animal products) is that of the ethical treatment of animals. It is tragic beyond belief and it is a terrible statement against the human species that we find it in us to inflict that on any animal. Personally, and aside, if I did not have dogs for pets I would have no involvement with the industry at all, and all violence aside, the best statement one can make is just refusal to eat and wear animals; eventually it will go away when it catches on in greater numbers. It is a horrible waste of resources as land in use to produce animal products can grow so much more food for direct human consumption, on the order I believe of 7 to 1 (I'm being kind as it is a lot higher I believe).  The amount of waste generated and then found ways to "lose" are a huge drain on resources, so much so that the oceans and land itself are being forever ruined. And the food produced alone is a poor/ questionable quality of which causes catastrophic health issues with a personal toll and a health industry (and thereby economic, social, financial, government) toll that will cost us more in the long run than we can imagine and I could not explain in the scope of such a simple article. In short we waste land and ruin the worlds environment to mistreat our fellow earthlings, our animals, at the peril of our souls for those that believe, at the peril of our status as Homo sapiens (smart man?). It is shameful how dumb the whole of it is, and we will pay the piper in a ruined world and short lives full of poor health. To concentrate on a more limited, open and sensitive production with an effort to solve those issues would provide relief from all the abuse, health, and environmental issues and allow us to higher quality of life and happiness in a world to be handed down for all time to many generations of deserving people. Those who support the industry will yell and scream about how stupid this conservation is and how they feed the planet and that animal huggers are fools, but it is those same people that won't let you onto their farms to see for yourself because they have something to hide, their shame, in that they only are in it for the money. They will tell you that they have families to feed too and that this is an unfair treatment but they fail to see, or refuse to see at how much land is wasted and how many families can be fed so much better with the same. And wait till they read what is said here and look at the rebuttal, then judge for yourself.

Answer 6

for all of you who want to complain about intensive farming dont bi*ch with your mouth full advantages the most important is with out intensive farming there would be world wide hunger if you think this is a problem now do away with intensive farming cheap food the us has the cheapest food supply in the world as i read in one answer one disadvantage is it does do away with some habitats for wildlife but the vast fields planted in crops also supply a food source for wildlife long hours put into management large financial risk are some more disadvantage at least for the ones who had to intensify their farming operation to survive and provide a living for their famlies there are many laws that apply to livestock the epa regulates how animal manure is stored and disposed of you can only apply a certain amount of anomal manure per acre odors yes there are odors associated with large amounts of livestock and the epa has set limits on this also this is for those who want to complain about the odor no one asked you to move out to the country and the landfill where your trash is sent also has an odor sorry i vented some frustations but if you weed that out i hope there is some information you can use

Answer 7

I would have to say that the advantage of intensive farming is a lower cost of production per dollar of investment.

The biggest disadvantage is that if there is an "oops" it can be a very big "oops". Of course a large farm is more likely to have the money available to clean up that mess quickly and thoroughly.

As far as government goes, states have been tending to regulate very large livestock farms. The problem with that is that if a state sets up a regulation at a given size, say 1,000 dairy animals, there are a lot of farms that set up to house 999 dairy animals.

Answer 8

intensive farms stink worse and the animals are usually in too small pens