Pigs, Profits, and Rural Communities

Pigs, Profits, and Rural Communities
Author: Kendall M. Thu
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 222
Release: 1998-07-23
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1438422091

This book illuminates the processes and consequences of agricultural industrialization, particularly within the swine production industry, for the social, economic, human, environmental, and political health of the rural United States. Contributors come from widely divergent backgrounds including a former U.S. senator, farmers, a veterinarian, a medical psychologist, an agricultural economist, a biological ecologist, a farm organization president, and anthropologists. Set within the theoretical framework of Walter Goldschmidt's research on the community consequences of industrialized food production, these contributions show that the increasing divergence of ownership has real human costs that continue to be ignored by economic developers and policymakers.

Locality and Inequality

Locality and Inequality
Author: Linda M. Lobao
Publisher: SUNY Press
Total Pages: 322
Release: 1990-01-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780791404751

This book explores how the recent restructuring of farming and industry has affected economic and social equality in the United States. The author explains how the farm sector has undergone a dramatic restructuring with profound effects. Moderate-size family farms, the mainstay of American agriculture, have declined during the postwar period and are now under severe financial stress. Large-scale industrialized farms -- "the factories in the field," often run by corporations -- continue to expand their share of agricultural sales while small farms operated on a part-time basis appear to be replacing traditional family farming. Lobao shows that public concern about farm restructuring is indeed warranted and that the nation now appears to be losing its most beneficial farms as well as industries. While local and regional social and economic forces and state policy can be brought to bear on these trends, Lobao particulary focuses on how community empowerment and broad-based political coalitions offer the most promise for fundamental change.

The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs

The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs
Author: Joel Salatin
Publisher: FaithWords
Total Pages: 269
Release: 2016-05-03
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1455536962

From Christian libertarian farmer Joel Salatin, a clarion call to readers to honor the animals and the land, and produce food based on spiritual principles. What on earth is The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs? It's an inspiring call to action for people of faith . . . a heartfelt plea to heed the Bible's guidance . . . . It's an important and thought-provoking explanation of how by simply appreciating the marvelous pigness of pigs, we are celebrating the Glory of God. As a man of deep faith and student of the Bible, and as a respected and successful ecological family farmer, Joel Salatin knows that God created heaven and earth and meant for all living organisms to be true to their nature and their endowed holy purpose. He intended for us to respect and care for His gift of creation, not to ravage and mistreat it for our own pleasure or wealth. The example that inspires the book's title explains what Salatin means: when huge corporate farms confine pigs in cramped and dark pens, inject them with antibiotics and feed them herbicide-saturated food simply to increase profits, they are not respecting them as a creation of God or allowing them to express even their most rudimentary uniqueness - that special role that is part of His design. Every living organism has a God-given uniqueness to its life that must be honored and respected, and too often that is not happening today. Salatin shows us the long overlooked ethics and instructions in the Bible for how to eat, how to shop, how to think about how we farm and feed the world. Through scripture and Biblical stories, he shows us why it's more vital than ever to look to the good book rather than corporate America when feeding the country and your family. Salatin makes a compelling case for Christian stewardship of the earth and how it relates to every action we take regarding our food. He also opens our eyes to a common misconception many Christians may have about environmentalism: it's not a bad thing, and definitely not just the province of secular liberals; it's really a very good thing, part of heeding God's Word. With warmth and with humor, but with no less piercing criticism of the industrial food complex, Salatin brings readers on a fascinating journey of farming, food and faith. Readers will not say grace over their plates the same way ever again.

Beyond Factory Farming

Beyond Factory Farming
Author: Alexander Mackay Ervin
Publisher: Saskatoon : Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Saskatchewan
Total Pages: 214
Release: 2003
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

Profitable Pig Farming: a Step by Step Guide to Commercial Pig Farming from an Africa Perspective

Profitable Pig Farming: a Step by Step Guide to Commercial Pig Farming from an Africa Perspective
Author: Adeyemi Adesina
Publisher: Independently Published
Total Pages: 480
Release: 2019-08-28
Genre:
ISBN: 9781686380051

Learn How To Start a Successful Farm Business That Gives you the Financial Wealth and allows you to Create Job and Employment for Youths and Women in your Rural communities in Africa Are you an African diaspora, professional or you are planning to retire soon from your job to be your boss and run your commercial farm?Or you wish to alleviate poverty for those living in the rural community in Africa through youth and rural empowerment. Or to improve the productivity and livelihood of farmers from subsistence to commercial farming in Africa, this is the right book for you. This book was written by an experienced farmer and trainer to help bridge the knowledge gap required to establish and operate a successful commercial farm in Africa. It is a practical and easy to understand guide that will help you take their ideas from conception through to implementing, operating and profitably marketing of your product. It's also a handy resource for the more experienced pig-keeper who occasionally needs to dip into a quick-reference manual for help and reassurance.This book is divided into three sections: Business sectionFarm operations sectionThe marketing section In the business section of the book, we consider each of these topics in details1. Why this is a good time to invest in farming in Africa2. Reasons why people are venturing into commercial pig farming3. The correct attitudes of a successful commercial farmer4. How much capital do you need to start a commercial farm?5. How to raise fund your farmFarm Operations section, we look at:1. Where to locate your farm, important factors to consider such as the size and the location of your farm, e.g. proximity to market and feed suppliers, good neighbourliness, accessibility 2. Factors and things to consider when building your farm 3. How to choose the best pigs and transport them to the farm4. How to manage your different categories of pigs boar, gilt, sow, weaners and piglets throughout their different stages of life, e.g. detecting heat, mating, pregnancy, farrowing and weaning.The uniqueness of this book is that it did not only tell the farmer what to do alone but also exposed the physiology and anatomy of pigs that are relevant for farmers. It uses this to explain what the pig is going through during the stressful and critical situations like mating, pregnancy etc. and how a farmer can better assist the pig.In the final section, we look at the various stakeholders who are involved in moving our pigs from the farmgate to the consumer in sub-Sahara Africa. And how this relationship affects the market price of your product from the farm gate to the consumer. We also look at different methods of adding value to your farm products and how best to position and market your product profitably. As a diaspora farmer, I tried to strike a balance between the attractive features of living on the farm and being your boss, but I also emphasised the unpleasant and tough ones. It is my sincere hope that this book will help you to avoid failure, delay, disappointment, and mistakes that are typical of people who are new to farming. It should also help you to attain the satisfaction that characterises personal and well-directed efforts in agriculture.

Cutting Into the Meatpacking Line

Cutting Into the Meatpacking Line
Author: Deborah Fink
Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Press
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2000-11-09
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0807861405

The nostalgic vision of a rural Midwest populated by independent family farmers hides the reality that rural wage labor has been integral to the region's development, says Deborah Fink. Focusing on the porkpacking industry in Iowa, Fink investigates the experience of the rural working class and highlights its significance in shaping the state's economic, political, and social contours. Fink draws both on interviews and on her own firsthand experience working on the production floor of a pork-processing plant. She weaves a fascinating account of the meatpacking industry's history in Iowa--a history, she notes, that has been experienced differently by male and female, immigrant and native-born, white and black workers. Indeed, argues Fink, these differences are a key factor in the ongoing creation of the rural working class. Other writers have denounced the new meatpacking companies for their ruthless destruction of both workers and communities. Fink sustains this criticism, which she augments with a discussion of union action, but also goes beyond it. She looks within rural midwestern culture itself to examine the class, gender, and ethnic contradictions that allowed--indeed welcomed--the meatpacking industry's development.

Food, Farming, and Faith

Food, Farming, and Faith
Author: Gary W. Fick
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2012-04-24
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0791478556

Food, Farming, and Faith looks at agricultural sustainability and Christianity. Using scripture and science, Gary W. Fick—a Christian agricultural scientist—demonstrates that faith can inform decisions about creating, managing, even consuming our food. The book highlights such topics as food and celebration, environmental care, ecology and faith, soil and water stewardship, animal welfare, and the impact of poverty on women and our food supply. Throughout, Fick presents and discusses biblical passages that comment on these areas and provides insight from personal experiences growing up in a ranching family, in teaching sustainable agriculture, and as a scientist. Ultimately, Fick challenges the reader to think about eating more thoughtfully so that we have good food, a healthy environment, and a comfortable lifestyle all at the same time.

Scale and Access Issues Affecting Smallholder Hog Producers in an Expanding Peri-urban Market

Scale and Access Issues Affecting Smallholder Hog Producers in an Expanding Peri-urban Market
Author: Costales, Achilles
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 86
Release: 2006
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0896291596

A dramatic increase over the past fifteen years in domestic pork demand and production in the Philippines has created a potentially profitable opportunity for poor rural and agricultural households. In Southern and Central Luzon, the two biggest markets, however, smallholder pig producers hold only a minority share of total production compared to larger commercial farms. This report seeks to assess the scope for smallholders to remain in business by analyzing the relative profitability of small and large farms. Using field data from pig-producing households, the researchers assess the role of internal and external factors in determining a household's participation in production and marketing and examine the combination of technical and allocative efficiency exhibited by specific farms under particular circumstances. They conclude that the smallest-scale pig producers will not survive market competition and will require alternative occupations. Many others, however, could profit from pig production if policy and institutional changes ensure their access to inputs, to animal health services that can guarantee output quality, and to markets for higher quality output. These findings are a valuable contribution to poverty reduction efforts in the Philippines.