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Full-Text Articles in Food Science

Exponential Growth, Animal Welfare, Environmental And Food Safety Impact: The Case Of China’S Livestock Production, Peter J. Li Jul 2016

Exponential Growth, Animal Welfare, Environmental And Food Safety Impact: The Case Of China’S Livestock Production, Peter J. Li

Peter J. Li, PhD

Developmental states are criticized for rapid “industrialization without enlightenment.” In the last 30 years, China’s breathtaking growth has been achieved at a high environmental and food safety cost. This article, utilizing a recent survey of China’s livestock industry, illustrates the initiating role of China’s developmental state in the exponential expansion of the country’s livestock production. The enthusiastic response of the livestock industry to the many state policy incentives has made China the world’s biggest animal farming nation. Shortage of meat and dairy supply is history. Yet, the Chinese government is facing new challenges of no less a threat to political …


A Three-Year Level Study Of The Profitability Of Corn And Soybean Production, Todd D. Davis, William M. Edwards Jul 2016

A Three-Year Level Study Of The Profitability Of Corn And Soybean Production, Todd D. Davis, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Crop producers face many decisions each year about the quantity and quality of inputs to use, the purchasing of these inputs, and the timing of production operations. Because their time for gathering and analyzing information on which to base management decisions is limited, they need to know which decision, areas have the greatest impact on profitability. A set of detailed and accurate records of production, costs, and returns from a group of producers growing corn and soybeans in Iowa over a three-year period was.available from Iowa State University Extension. This information was used to assess the relative importance of various …


A Three-Year Level Study Of The Profitability Of Corn And Soybean Production, Todd D. Davis, William M. Edwards Jul 2016

A Three-Year Level Study Of The Profitability Of Corn And Soybean Production, Todd D. Davis, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Crop producers face many decisions each year about the quantity and quality of inputs to use, the purchasing of these inputs, and the timing of production operations. Because their time for gathering and analyzing information on which to base management decisions is limited, they need to know which decision, areas have the greatest impact on profitability. A set of detailed and accurate records of production, costs, and returns from a group of producers growing corn and soybeans in Iowa over a three-year period was.available from Iowa State University Extension. This information was used to assess the relative importance of various …


A Three-Year Level Study Of The Profitability Of Corn And Soybean Production, Todd D. Davis, William M. Edwards Jul 2016

A Three-Year Level Study Of The Profitability Of Corn And Soybean Production, Todd D. Davis, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Crop producers face many decisions each year about the quantity and quality of inputs to use, the purchasing of these inputs, and the timing of production operations. Because their time for gathering and analyzing information on which to base management decisions is limited, they need to know which decision, areas have the greatest impact on profitability. A set of detailed and accurate records of production, costs, and returns from a group of producers growing corn and soybeans in Iowa over a three-year period was.available from Iowa State University Extension. This information was used to assess the relative importance of various …


A Three-Year Level Study Of The Profitability Of Corn And Soybean Production, Todd D. Davis, William M. Edwards Jul 2016

A Three-Year Level Study Of The Profitability Of Corn And Soybean Production, Todd D. Davis, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Crop producers face many decisions each year about the quantity and quality of inputs to use, the purchasing of these inputs, and the timing of production operations. Because their time for gathering and analyzing information on which to base management decisions is limited, they need to know which decision, areas have the greatest impact on profitability. A set of detailed and accurate records of production, costs, and returns from a group of producers growing corn and soybeans in Iowa over a three-year period was.available from Iowa State University Extension. This information was used to assess the relative importance of various …


A Three-Year Level Study Of The Profitability Of Corn And Soybean Production, Todd D. Davis, William M. Edwards Jul 2016

A Three-Year Level Study Of The Profitability Of Corn And Soybean Production, Todd D. Davis, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Crop producers face many decisions each year about the quantity and quality of inputs to use, the purchasing of these inputs, and the timing of production operations. Because their time for gathering and analyzing information on which to base management decisions is limited, they need to know which decision, areas have the greatest impact on profitability. A set of detailed and accurate records of production, costs, and returns from a group of producers growing corn and soybeans in Iowa over a three-year period was.available from Iowa State University Extension. This information was used to assess the relative importance of various …


A Critical Review Of Electrical Water-Bath Stun Systems For Poultry Slaughter And Recent Developments In Alternative Technologies, Sara J. Shields, A. B. M. Raj Jun 2015

A Critical Review Of Electrical Water-Bath Stun Systems For Poultry Slaughter And Recent Developments In Alternative Technologies, Sara J. Shields, A. B. M. Raj

Sara Shields, PhD

Prior to slaughter, most farmed birds move through a constant-voltage, multiple- bird, electrical water-bath stun system. Using this system subjects live birds to stressful and painful shackling, and the potential exists for them to receive prestun electric shocks and induction of seizures while still conscious. The existing elec- trical water-bath stunner settings, particularly those used in U.S. slaughter plants, are not necessarily based on sound scientific data that they produce a consistent, immediate stun, and research indicates that they are not effective in all birds. Further, in multiple-bird, electrical water-bath systems, birds may miss the stunner completely. Evidence suggests that …


A Comparison Of The Welfare Of Hens In Battery Cages And Alternative Systems, Sara Shields, Ian J.H. Duncan Jun 2015

A Comparison Of The Welfare Of Hens In Battery Cages And Alternative Systems, Sara Shields, Ian J.H. Duncan

Sara Shields, PhD

Housing systems for egg-laying hens range from small, pasture-based flocks to large, commercial-scale operations that intensively confine tens of thousands of hens indoors. The overwhelming majority of laying hens used for commercial egg production in the United States are confined in battery cages and provided 432.3 cm2 (67 in2) of space per bird. Cages prevent hens from performing the bulk of their natural behavior, including nesting, perching, dustbathing, scratching, foraging, exercising, running, jumping, flying, stretching, wingflapping, and freely walking. Cages also lead to severe disuse osteoporosis due to lack of exercise. Alternative, cage-free systems allow hens to move freely through …


Health Professionals’ Roles In Animal Agriculture, Climate Change, And Human Health, Aysha Z. Akhtar, Michael Greger, Hope Ferdowsian, Erica Frank Dec 2014

Health Professionals’ Roles In Animal Agriculture, Climate Change, And Human Health, Aysha Z. Akhtar, Michael Greger, Hope Ferdowsian, Erica Frank

Michael Greger, MD, FACLM

What we eat is rapidly becoming an issue of global concern. With food shortages, the rise in chronic disease, and global warming, the impact of our dietary choices seems more relevant today than ever. Globally, a transition is taking place toward greater consumption of foods of animal origin, in lieu of plantbased diets. With this transition comes intensification of animal agriculture that in turn is associated with the emergence of zoonotic infectious diseases, environmental degradation, and the epidemics of chronic disease and obesity. Health professionals should be aware of these trends and consider them as they promote healthier and more …


The Public Health Impacts Of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations On Local Communities, Michael Greger, Gowri Koneswaran May 2014

The Public Health Impacts Of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations On Local Communities, Michael Greger, Gowri Koneswaran

Michael Greger, MD, FACLM

Large-scale farm animal production facilities, also known as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), release a significant amount of contaminants into the air and water. Adverse health effects related to exposure to these contaminants among CAFO workers have been welldocumented; however, less is known about their impact on the health of residents in nearby communities. Epidemiological research in this area suggests that neighboring residents are at increased risk of developing neurobehavioral symptoms and respiratory illnesses, including asthma. Additional research is needed to better understand community-scale exposures and health outcomes related to the management practices and emissions of CAFOs.


Transgenesis In Animal Agriculture: Addressing Animal Health And Welfare Concerns, Michael Greger May 2014

Transgenesis In Animal Agriculture: Addressing Animal Health And Welfare Concerns, Michael Greger

Michael Greger, MD, FACLM

The US Food and Drug Administration’s final Guidance for Industry on the regulation of transgenesis in animal agriculture has paved the way for the commercialization of genetically engineered (GE) farm animals. The production-related diseases associated with extant breeding technologies are reviewed, as well as the predictable welfare consequences of continued emphasis on prolificacy at the potential expense of physical fitness. Areas in which biotechnology could be used to improve the welfare of animals while maintaining profitability are explored along with regulatory schema to improve agency integration in GE animal oversight.


The Long Haul: Risks Associated With Livestock Transport, Michael Greger May 2014

The Long Haul: Risks Associated With Livestock Transport, Michael Greger

Michael Greger, MD, FACLM

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations describes live animal transport as “ideally suited for spreading disease,” given that animals may originate from different herds or flocks and are “confined together for long periods in a poorly ventilated stressful environment.” Given the associated “serious animal and public health problems,” the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe has called for the replacement of the long-distance transportation of live animals for slaughter as much as possible to a “carcass-only trade.” In the United States, more than 50 million live cattle, sheep, and pigs and an unknown number of the more …