Dear Suza,
I have been reading your articles about 4-H kids. I understand why they should not send their animals to the slaughterhouse.
What I am about to tell you here are events that actually transpired, as accurate as my memory can recall. I could never in my life think up anything like this.
Several years ago I was living on a five-hundred acre ranch right in the middle of the Wind River Indian Reservation, a hundred miles east of the Grand Teton Park in Western Wyoming. I was trading my husbandry talents and the feeding and care of fifty horses and mules, plus summer time irrigating of all the pastures, in exchange for a nice ranch house and the use of any of the stock I wanted to ride. For me and my many dogs and cats, it was ideal.
The Wind River Mountains were in my backyard and the Wind River itself wound in and out of the property several times. I could swim and play any day I wanted to without anyone telling me what to do or where to go. I guess in retrospect, I should have never given up the place, but when I found out several of the horses were earmarked for slaughter and sales to the French meat market, I quit the very day I found out.
One summer afternoon, I saw activity at the small house across the dirt road that ran in front of my place. Curious, I walked across the pasture in front of my house and across the dirt road to see what was up. I lived down there all by myself and if neighbors were moving in, I wanted to meet them and find out what kind of people they were.
Standing in front of the old house and leaning up against the bent and rusted fender of an old Ford pickup was a red headed man smoking a cigarette and whistling along to a Waylon Jennings song. As I approached, he yelled out to his wife to bring up two beers. He introduced himself to me as “Red” Hollis and he handed me one of the beers. He said his wife’s name was “Twila” and he told me they were going to spend the summer in the house. Red was going to do odd jobs around the smaller ranch up the road and Twila was going to work as a bar waitress in the small bar half way between where we lived and the small mountain town of Dubois.
Red told me that they had moved out from Illinois where he worked in a slaughterhouse. He told me all he did was hogs. No cattle, no sheep, no chickens and no turkeys. Just hogs!
This revelation made me a little nervous as I don’t feel that comfortable around anyone in this line of business and, actually, I do not know anyone in the slaughter industry. I usually keep my personal feelings about eating mammal flesh to myself unless I’m pressed to defend my choice of what I eat and how I feel about the slaughter of these incredible animals.
But I was going to spend the summer living across the road from these folks and so I just made casual conversation with Red and Twila. (Great names, huh?)
Anyway, Red went on to explain what he did in the slaughterhouse. It seemed to me that he was quite happy with his odd career and he had absolutely no reservations about talking about it. He told me he was a “Knifer” in the hog section of a huge slaughter operation. The hogs were weighted and graded out in these enormous holding pens and then they were forced, single file, to shuffle into the openings in the sides of the five story cement building. He said the squealing was so deafening that it could be heard five miles away.
As soon as the hogs got into the building, there were several men standing on the right side of the ramp with huge chains ending in sliding looped cables. As soon as each hog passed by, the men would reach down and pick up the right rear leg and slip the sliding cable over the leg and secure it. As soon as the cable was tight, the chain was mechanically pulled up and the hog was hoisted, up side down, into the air. This is where the squealing began to heighten. The terrified animals were actually screaming for their lives.
The next closed off room is where Red performed his macabre duties. As soon as the terrified hog entered the room, Red would reach up and slit its throat with his knife. He told me that he was pretty sure that he managed to successfully kill at least seventy five percent of all the hogs that came into his room. He also told me that by the end of his eight hour shift, the room was so filled with blood that it literally came up to his arm pits and that is why he wore rubberized fly fishing waders. He said that the killing of hogs went on twenty-four hours a day, three hundred and sixty five days a year. Double time for holidays!
He then told me that the hogs, always on the move above him, went from his room into the next room where they were dipped into huge vats of boiling water to remove any dirt, bugs and all the hair. If any of the hogs he had knifed were still alive, the boiling water ended their lives immediately. He also said that several times a day, several of the “Knifers” would yell out “live one coming in” when a still living hog came through the entrance to the boiling vats and everyone would laugh and yell when its squeals were hushed forever by the boiling cauldrons.
I asked him how he could live with himself after what he had done in the slaughterhouse. With an enormous smile on his face, he told me that he enjoyed, immensely, the fact that he held the life of so many animals in his hands and that he slept real good after a long day in the “Knifing Room” and a pork roast in his belly.
We talked for several minutes longer and then I made up some lame excuse that I had to get back to my feeding of the horses. When I got home, I hugged all my dogs and cats and began to cry.
I cried and cried and cried!!!
The 4-H and Future Farmers of America pretend to teach real values to young children in hopes of thoroughly brainwashing them into believing that the raising of farm animals for profit and slaughter is a sound, moral thing to do. These children raise each and every cow and pig and lamb and goat with tender loving care and talk to them in soothing voices telling them all along that everything will be all right. But sadly enough, the day after the fair auction is over, each of these cuddled animals are going to go off and meet the thousands of Red Hollis’s waiting in the dark of some slaughterhouse with sharpened knives in hand and murder in their hearts!
How many children would happily raise a pig, or lamb or goat after they got to spend a full eight-hour shift with Red Hollis in his house of horrors? I’m telling you, there would be no more 4-H or FFA except for those children who maim and torture animals anyway!
What kind of a message are these parents and organizations sending to our children? Are they telling them that it is perfectly okay to raise an animal in a loving environment and then willingly send them off to the horror of the kind of death that Red Hollis would give them? I said it to you on the phone and I will say it here: If these children are going to raise these animals, then by the Gods they had better go to the slaughterhouse and see exactly
what happens to their sweet little furry friend the day after they relinquish their ownership of them. Otherwise, everything the 4-H or FFA teaches them about life on the farm will be in vain!
I hope this letter is not too disturbing to you Suza, but I feel if you are to make a serious stand against this most barbaric act, then you should have some real ammunition against it. This is first hand information taken from the very mouth of one Red Hollis, “Knifer” from Illinois and believe me, he knows!
What have we done to our children and what are we teaching them about how to love and respect the creatures we share this tiny planet with? Each and every time an animals is slaughtered, the Creator does hear its screams!!!
There was once serious spiritual connotations concerning the killing of an animal for food and leather, but today any spiritual connection to the slaughtered animal has been completely replaced by profit and greed. Most people today have absolutely no idea of the immense suffering that our animal friends are put through just for that “Big Mac” or that “Whopper” and the immense profits the sale of these items bring in. Hell, most people never even say grace before they sit down to eat anything!!!
Thank you again Suza Francina for your stand against this most disgusting act and the people and the organizations that perpetuate its continuation. Namely the 4-H clubs and the Future Farmers of America.
Stephen King, in his best writing style, could never, ever come up with as horrifying a tale as Red Hollis told me that day down by the Wind River. I still have nightmares about it.
Keep up the good fight!
Sincerely,
Dennis
Related Stories
Today is Auction Day for the 4-H Animals.
http://www.ojaipost.com/2009/08/today_is_auction_day_for_the_4.shtml
4-H Kids and Their Animals: the Ultimate Betrayal at the Fair
http://www.ojaipost.com/2009/08/4h_kids_and_their_animals_the.shtml
Do 4-H Kids Really Know Where Their Animals Are Going?
http://www.ojaipost.com/2007/08/do_kids_really_know_where_thei.shtml
{ 41 comments… read them below or add one }
This sickens me. This “Red” man is horrible. I’ve been born and raised a vegetarian and the way they treat the animals before they slaughter them is horrific. The slaughterers are the real pigs.
A study done by the Oxford University showed that vegetarians and vegans are six times more likely to suffer from brain shrinkage than people who consume meat.
BC, do you have a link or citation for the Oxford U. research to which are referring? In which Medical Journal was it published and when?
So, Veggies have six times as much brain atrophy as meat eaters eh? Whoa!Scary! Thats a lot’o shrinkage! Thanks.
Oh, my, this is eery to me on so many levels. The play I wrote earlier this year, Wind River Redemption, takes place in the very spot Dennis writes about. It’s about a father and two sons on their annual deer hunt, and it offers a glimpse into the lives of hunters who are staunch conservationists. A line in the play examines the hypocrisy of one of the hunter’s wives: “How does a girl who wears Italian leather boots get away with calling herself a vegetarian?” I don’t question the suggestion that commercially processed meat is horrific, but I wonder if there is room for the notion that free-range and organically raised meat offers a better alternative for those who choose not to be vegetarian?
LS, I appreciate your comments. There are many aspects of all this to discuss. I’m teaching today but will be back to respond to what you expressed above.
PS to LS,
I agree it is an eerie coincidence that your play takes place in the very spot Dennis writes about!
If one were to heed the comment by BC above it would be foolish indeed to embark on a meat free diet. However those pesky facts yet again shrink sweeping generalisations down to their microscopic size.
The fact that the study’s sample size was minute: 107 persons, and exclusively amongst the elderly, and that the study’s authors call for more research, means we are unable to use this study to draw any conclusions about whether ones health suffers from a vegetarian diet.
Whilst those persons deficient in B12 did show greater “brain shrinkage”, there are many possible explanations for this and even the researchers themselves call for further investigation in their conclusion. Additionally, there was no mention in the study’s conclusions about the effects of nutritional suppliments (i.e brewer’s yeast) to boost the amount of B12 in vegetarians so we must conclude that this concept was beyond the scope of the study.
Original Source Article From Academic Journal “Neurology”
Vitamin B12 status and rate of brain volume loss in community-dwelling elderly
A. Vogiatzoglou, MSc, H. Refsum, MD, PhD, C. Johnston, S. M. Smith, DPhil, K. M. Bradley, FRCR, FRCP, C. de Jager, PhD, M. M. Budge, MD and A. D. Smith, DPhil, FMedSci
Objectives: To investigate the relationship between markers of vitamin B12 status and brain volume loss per year over a 5-year period in an elderly population.
Methods: A prospective study of 107 community-dwelling volunteers aged 61 to 87 years without cognitive impairment at enrollment.
Conclusion: Low vitamin B12 status should be further investigated as a modifiable cause of brain atrophy and of likely subsequent cognitive impairment in the elderly.
I recall something that taught us when we were all small: “You are what you eat” Where does all this rage, anguish, and sorrow of the slaughtered animal go?
Imagine the incredible natural forces that have been suppressed in order to bring a “cheap” fillet of farmed salmon to your plate.
For the record, I am not a total vegetarian, yet, but I do like animals – we have 5 lovely hens, but not as pets, although my daughter has a kitten and she is very cute.
Well, having had time to go back and read your article, I can make a better comment!
I agree that it is terrible that 4-H members are required to send their animals to commercial slaughter. This industry is a travesty and should be done away with.
I am not a vegetarian; however, I do believe in the humane treatment of animals that are raised for food use and in humane slaughter. It is wrong to raise any animal as a pet or partner to humans and then slaughter it. This is a violation of trust.
Animals that are intended for food use should be raised loose and free on grass and never taught to trust a human. When the time comes for their slaughter, it should be done quickly, humanely, and with dignity. No crowding, herding, and suffering.
We can learn a lot from the Native American people about how to honor the animals that feed us….
Excellent article! Thanks! It would be good if you would post a link directly to it. It was a little difficult to find.
(Posted on Facebook)
Thank you, JL, BC, Diana, LS, Wayne, Suzanne, and any AnonyMouses, for your Comments.
Lisa, in response to your question (Comment #4):
” I wonder if there is room for the notion that free-range and organically raised meat offers a better alternative for those who choose not to be vegetarian?”
Last year we had a lively discussion about this, following my article,
“Do 4-H Kids Really Know Where Their Animals Are Going?”
http://www.ojaipost.com/2007/08/do_kids_really_know_where_thei.shtml
My niece has recently gotten involved with 4-H. She has been raising a lamb that she plans to show at the Fair this week.
I’m going to tell you the same thing I tell my niece, “It’s your decision BUT MAKE IT AN INFORMED DECISION.”
With the help of a friend, I was able to find a wonderful home for her lamb. I told her she is faced wih an ethical choice: She can show mercy and let her lamb live, or she can send it off to the slaughterhouse. I want her to watch footage of how sheep are killed. I want her to understand the gravity of her decision AND NOT BE IN DENIAL.
Most people do not have a clue how intelligent the animals they eat are.
Here in Ojai we are part of the collective consciousness that has decided that it is OK to eat pigs, cows, sheep, goats, ducks, turkeys, chickens, rabbits and deer, but not OK to eat dogs, cats, horses, llamas, dolphins, monkeys, tigers, kangaroos or pretty birds.
Why is this?
The fact is that animals share much of our DNA — dogs as much as 75%, the primates and pigs even more than that.
Hundreds of leading scientists, highly regarded authors and researchers such as Marc Bekoff, Gene Baur, Karen Dawn, Gail Eisnitz, Jane Goodall, Temple Grandin, Jeffrey Masson, Tom Regan, Matthew Scully, Peter Singer, to name only a few, have written extensively on the emotional lives of animals, including pigs and other farm animals.
As human beings with the capacity to think and reason, and the capacity for mercy and compassion, it is our responsibility to be fully informed as to how an animal and its products come to arrive on our dinner plate.
You probaby read the article in Edible Ojai entitled “Fair Pig.” It left readers with the impression that this happy locally grown pig is going to a gentle death at the local butcher shop.
People often confuse butcher shops and slaughterhouses. To the best of my knowledge there are no local (within 50-miles) slaughterhouses, at least not for large animals.
A forthcoming editorial will explore these thoughts in more depth.
In the meantime, I leave you with this link that shows the life/death cycle of the animals we eat, for your consideration.
http://www.all-creatures.org/anex/pig.html
Thanks, I read the other article as well. It is hard to believe that there are people who would actually enjoy working in a slaughterhouse.
(Posted on Facebook)
I thought if you’re a vegetarian that you weren’t suppose to eat anything that has a face. Is that true?
Wayne, thanks for doing all that research. I thought BC was joking!
Yes, Brian, that is true.
Are you going to tell me that when you cut an apple in half you see a face?
Usually by face we mean two eyes, a nose, a mouth and two ears.
Well, killing plants is a whole nother thread, but would you say a chicken has a face or a fish has a face?
Yes, chickens and fish have a face.
I tried to gently explain in Comment #9 that which animals we decide are OK to eat is usually decided by our family and the people around us. Custom will accustom us to eating just about anything.
If you were used to eating dogs and cats, or monkeys or tigers or even other human beings, you would probably think they were delicious too.
But right now if someone served you a roasted dog meat sandwich, you would probably have the same reaction as I do when someone serves me a sliced pig butt sandwich. .
I know this is such a weird question but do you think vegetables are upset on a cellular level when they are harvested, i.e. when we take the plant’s babies? What about chickens when we take their eggs? or how do cows or goats feel when we take their milk that was intended for their offspring. Life and staying alive is all very curious. hmmm…
I think many vegetarians tend to imprint human characteristics and emotion onto animals. After years of watching Walt Disney cartoons where animal are portrayed having human qualities it’s no wonder that kids become so screwed up when it comes to the natual world. Present company excuded of course.
Hi Suza,
Thank you for your reply. I was hoping you might address the difference between animals raised humanely and sent to the butcher vs. those raised inhumanely and sent to slaughter houses. There is a huge difference. And yes, there is a butcher in Santa Paula.
Lisa
DK, your question is not weird. It touches the heart of the matter which is that our mortal bodies must devour other living things to survive. The best we can do is go about this in a way that causes the least harm and suffering.
There are all kinds of fascinating books on the “secret life of plants” that you might enjoy reading. However, when my meat-eating friends pull out their “but plants suffer too” card, I confess it takes all my yogic restraint not to hit them on the head with a big carrot!
My vegan friends avoid eggs and milk products. I do eat some eggs from my daughter’s chickens and other local backyard chickens. The topic of milk and eggs deserves its own Post and I’ll get to that too.
(I have to say that when I had my own chickens I saw how my hen, “Selma,” went to enormous trouble to cleverly hide her eggs… I have a great story about that!)
Brian, from your above Comment #17 I gather you did not read my Comment #9 very carefully. It is a scientfic fact that every animal has its own unique nature. That has absolutely nothing to do with Walt Disney movies.
Brian, I’m curious to know if you read the story I posted above, and if you think it is OK to inflict needless suffering on animals in the process of raising and killing them.
I’m genuinely interested to know if you are aware of what is shown here:
http://www.all-creatures.org/anex/pig.html
Lisa, I just saw your Comment. Will respond soon.
Thanks! All this feeback is most helpful.
People who can’t see the difference between a carrot and a lamb are willfully ignorant. It goes beyond stupid. It is callous. It is deliberate denial of something that is so obvious to protect the pleasure of eating meat.
I read the story, I’m sure there are people who are pycho paths that enjoy killing killing animals for sick reasons of enjoyment for them. There is a difference between that and raising animals for food.
Lisa you wrote:
“I was hoping you might address the difference between animals raised humanely and sent to the butcher vs. those raised inhumanely and sent to slaughter houses. There is a huge difference. And yes, there is a butcher in Santa Paula.”
I totally agree that it is much better to raise an animal humanely and I’m happy to address this in more detail later. But, correct me if I’m wrong, it sounds like you think these local animals are killed at the Santa Paula old-fashioned country butcher.
I have a list of the slaughterhouses where the 4-H market animals go after the Fair. They are not killed at the butcher shop. They are transported to Northern California slaughterhouses. I have had this conversation with 4-H friends but I would love it if you (as a journalist) called the Santa Paula Butcher and confirm once and for all if I am right or wrong on this.
I have asked the VC Star to do a story on where and how 4-H and other locally raised animals are killed. That is part of making an informed decision.
Thanks!
That’s not at all what I’m saying! I’m saying that there is a choice available in answer to the question you posed in comment #9 as to whether there is a local butcher. Anyway, I look forward to reading your thoughts to my comment #18. Thanks!
Hi Lisa,
I’m sorry if I misunderstood you. You wrote above that, “I’m saying that there is a choice available in answer to the question you posed in comment #9 as to whether there is a local butcher.”
I’m not sure what is the significance of a local butcher. That is simply where they cut the meat. To the best of my knowledge here in Ojai and rest of Ventua County there is no local (within 50-miles) choice available for killing the animals.
I’m talking about the larger animals. I’m not sure what the County regulations are for smaller animals and what is available.
Yesterday I was discussing the whole issue of locally and humanely raised and killed animals with a longime friend. She actually thought the 4-H animals were slaughtered in Oak View!
I apologize that we’ve ended up in a circular discussion. I would really like to hear your thoughts on the difference between animals raised and killed humanely (i.e. the meat one might purchase at Farmer and the Cook or Rainbow Bridge) vs. those raised inhumanely and sent to slaughter houses.
Lisa, as far as I know the only difference here in our area is in the more natural way the animal was raised –which I agree is significant. As far as I know the meat at Rainbow Bridge, Farmer & the Cook, etc., comes from animals killed in slaughterhouses. I’m researching this and will it if I’m wrong.
Since there are relatively few slaughterhouses to “process” millions of animals, this raises some interesting questions. They must have a system for separating and marking the animals according to where they came from.
Lisa, DK, Brian, anyone else interested in locally grown food, you will enjoy the website of my friend Sandy, who lives in Pennsylvania on Painted Hand Farm:
http://www.paintedhandfarm.com/
Here is one reputable meat supplier I know of that supplies our more thoughtful local retailers and restaurants:
Niman Ranch
Thanks, Lisa. I found this item under Frequently Asked Questions:
“How and where does Niman Ranch slaughter its livestock?”
“The care with which we raise our animals extends to the way they are slaughtered. For both ethical and practical reasons, we provide a humane end for all of our animals. Our farmers’ and ranchers’ animals receive a stress-free and painless death as the culmination of the compassionate care they are given during their lives.
How animals are slaughtered has practical consequences as well. If livestock become anxious and stressed at the slaughterhouse they will produce excess adrenaline and deplete sugar supplies within the muscles, which can make meat tough and affect flavor and quality. Relaxed livestock produce superior meat.
Niman Ranch has inspected and carefully vetted the facilities used for slaughter. Our animals are slaughtered quickly and painlessly at modern facilities that ensure a wholesome and safe product.”
Can 4-H families make a similar pledge?
“The care with which we raise our 4-H animals extends to the way they are slaughtered. For both ethical and practical reasons, we provide a humane end for all of our animals. Our 4-H animals receive a stress-free and painless death as the culmination of the compassionate care they are given during their lives.”
Right on, Suza. The Niman site also posts their protocols, which go into even greater detail. I appreciate their transparency.
Thanks, Suza, for a lively discussion. I love that we could find common ground on this delicate issue.
You’re welcome, Lisa. Thank you too. We have lots of common ground.
The subject of eating animals is a vast, eternal, deeply personal and spiritual matter that merits open discussion.
As I told my 4-H niece, “Sending your lamb to the slaughter is a big deal, even if all the people around you think it is no big deal.”
I tell my meat-eating family members and friends that to understand why I do not eat animals imagine for a moment if you had come to the realization that all animals are unique, intelligent individuals, the same as a dog or a cat or other animal we are more familiar with.
The fact that we may view their lives as unimportant is a commentary on our own blindness.
Cooks in some foreign countries make all sorts of delicious dog and cat meat dishes. There are cruel dog farms and brutal ways of killing dogs, and more humane ways of raising and slaughtering them for meat. Certainly the latter is preferable.
I have been reading the books by Jane Goodall, Jeffrey Masson and many others, on the emotional world of farm animals.
These researchers are taking the time to observe all animals, notably chimpanzees and elephants, dogs and cats, but also horses, pigs, sheep, cows, chickens, and other farm animals.
If you read and ponder their writings, you will see all living creatures in a whole new light.
You might still make a choice to eat certain animals fom the most humane source possible. But at least you will have a deeper undertanding and be connected to what you eat.
the Japanese name for Boar spirit is Inoshishi. Inoshishi-sama was made famous (again) some years back in the Princess Mononoke movie by Hayao Miyazaki (who also created “Spirited Away”):
Princess Mononoke
Deer spirit is Shika-sama, and Tree Spirit is Kodama-sama.
(try a video search keywords Ramayana Deer Dance …)
For fans of the brilliant Miyazaki, Ponyo opens on Friday!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponyo_on_the_Cliff_by_the_Sea
whooaaaa — ‘real’ kissy-kissy corporate scientists on record that brain-swelling goes away with veganism!
thats why my children never went into 4-H.everyone who eats meat should watch where his meat comes from.if everyone would watch the slaughter of those animal a lots of people would stop eating meat.i got 3 cow and they will never be sold or go to slaughter as long as i live.if i ever win the lottery i will save as many as i can.
My question is this, if they are going to boil the hogs anyway, why slit their throats first?
This seems terribly in-humane.
If the pain and hurt wasn’t enough to stop the heart the killers would make sure, they would make sure they saw the end when they hoisted them up by you back legs and dipped them in a vat of boiling hot liquid. That is surely the end of the line for that hog.
If indeed you were the unfortunate hog to survive a throat slitting, you may think you have a chance, then they send you in for the dip!
Too me it sounds one helluva lot better to have life sucked out you rapidly than to have it slowly drip away.
4-H and FFA are NOT BAD things and in fact I have grown up in a very 4-H FFA town in Ohio(the state that 4-H was founded. I am going into my 11th year in 4-H and it is not all about animals. We do raise animals and yes they get slaughtered but thats no what it is about. 4-H is about teaching kids to be responisble and good caring citizens of America. You sir are making it seem as if we are heartless young mindless children that are being lied about what is in store of our animals futures. We know what is going on. AND the older 4-H members have seen the process of the slaughterhouse. I personally watched my chickens heads be sliced off their feathers pulled out and the blood dripping on the ground. You are correct it isnt a pretty sight but I do believe that you never put in your stupid little letter that you have seen it yourself. Us 4-H and FFA memebers have seen it be done and arent happy about it but it is part of life. We are trying to show that it is better to raise and animal in a loving enviorment not a mega farm where they dont dont matter to anyone and they are only messed with for the care of the meat not the care of the animal where 4-H’ers care about the animal. You have not been at the county fairs after the sales when the children are crying because their beloved animal is leaving and they loved it so much. so maybe before you start bringing people down you should see every side not your narrow minded pointless side where you only care for your point of stupid view!~
Not all 4-h animals go to slaughter. Alot of kids choose to do breeding or showmanship projects. They do not sell these. They learn, and have fun with these animal projects. How dare you say bad things about a program which you obviously do not know all about. There are many veggie people who treat animals just as bad if not moreso by their ignorance, ie allowing animals to suffer in other ways than that of a slaughterhouse–overcrowding, poor diet, disease, etc.
Dear sprymom,
Thanks for adding your experience to this conversation. I agree with most of what you said. Later today or tomorrow I will explain more why I am concerned about the animals that are going to slaughterhouses in Fresno or Modesto or other long distance location.
Here is a website about Dr. Temple Grandin’s work on more humane slaughter methods that you might find interesting.
http://www.grandin.com/
I am sorry but this article is a joke. I am a current 4-H member and have been raising turkeys and swine for 9 years. We understand that our swine and turkeys become slaughtered, we know it very well our goal is to fulfill the animals life before slaughter. Swine are not meant to be free roaming animals or domesticated to live a full life, they would all be about 900 lbs if we did that picture that, millions of 900 lbs swine laying around. This would be a waste. Turkeys are the same thing if they live for to long then their legs break and cant support themselves. 4-H and FFA are great clubs. We create good food for our society.
Dear Joseph Truppa,
Suza Francina, the author of the article, is out of the office, but she looks forward to responding to your Comment.