Photo via Jo-Anne McArthur, Upsplash
For my second project I decided to dive into factory farming. If you are unaware, factory farming is the industry that produces 99% of our food in the US. Factory "farms" in reality are large warehouses where animals are raised purely for profit. Animal wellbeing is not focused on and thousands of animals are packed into one small building. Factory farms are known for their inhumane ways and harsh treatment.
I decided to look at the perspective behind this topic because it is very controversial. I have been interested in this argument for years and I once did a project on it when in elementary school. I thought it would be cool to take a new approach to it now that I'm older.
Many people agree that animals deserve to be treated with respect but how far does that go? Where do we draw the line? Will government ever push for animal rights? During my project I looked to answer these questions.
I decided to look at the perspective behind this topic because it is very controversial. I have been interested in this argument for years and I once did a project on it when in elementary school. I thought it would be cool to take a new approach to it now that I'm older.
Many people agree that animals deserve to be treated with respect but how far does that go? Where do we draw the line? Will government ever push for animal rights? During my project I looked to answer these questions.
Interview
As part of my research process, I wanted to speak to someone who was educated in the subject of factory farming. I reached out to Ardyn Cieslak who is the Humane Education Manager at Farm Sanctuary in Illinois. Farm Sanctuary is an organization that rescues farm animals from abuse, neglect, and any other type of mistreatment. I was lucky enough to speak with her and discuss factory farming. Throughout the interview we discussed many themes as listed below.
- Most people agree factory farming practices are wrong but don't want to choose the alternative.
-In factory farms, animals are put through imennse pain.
- Continuing factory farming has the potential to ruin our planet in a very short amount of time.
- The best way to combat factory farming is to make a difference in your usual ways.
-Even a small difference matters.
She was a wonderful resource and it was a pleasure talking to her. If inclined, please contact me to see the full recording.
- Most people agree factory farming practices are wrong but don't want to choose the alternative.
-In factory farms, animals are put through imennse pain.
- Continuing factory farming has the potential to ruin our planet in a very short amount of time.
- The best way to combat factory farming is to make a difference in your usual ways.
-Even a small difference matters.
She was a wonderful resource and it was a pleasure talking to her. If inclined, please contact me to see the full recording.
History
For my history project I decided to create a campaign about factory farming. My campaign is predominantly posters with the addition of a website. I was able to create 9 posters to help showcase the facts behind factory farming. I tried to include different skills like emotion or factual information to convince my audience. I took the anti-factory farming side and really enjoyed defending it. Almost all the images on the posters are AI generated. I typed in different prompts into a series of apps and was able to get some amazing images. Some of these images helped add emotion and sadness to the posters that really made a difference.
For my website, I created a page to further educate people on factory farms. Now and days, most posters have a website you can visit so I figured mine could use one too. On the website, i talk about the basics of factory farming and give some amazing websites that are very educational. I also featured my english essay on this website to further convince my audience to end factory farming.
This tapped into perspective because I really had to look into what one perspective thought and hope to shift the other perspective. My project was all about finding the anti-factory farming perspective and highlighting it's advantages. During my research I had to look into why people thought this way and how changing perspective can be difficult. I really enjoyed looking into perspective and because this was such a controversial topic, the perspective side was brought out way more.
Below are my posters, enjoy!
For my website, I created a page to further educate people on factory farms. Now and days, most posters have a website you can visit so I figured mine could use one too. On the website, i talk about the basics of factory farming and give some amazing websites that are very educational. I also featured my english essay on this website to further convince my audience to end factory farming.
This tapped into perspective because I really had to look into what one perspective thought and hope to shift the other perspective. My project was all about finding the anti-factory farming perspective and highlighting it's advantages. During my research I had to look into why people thought this way and how changing perspective can be difficult. I really enjoyed looking into perspective and because this was such a controversial topic, the perspective side was brought out way more.
Below are my posters, enjoy!
English
Many years ago back in elementary school, I wrote 2 argumentative pieces about factory farming. These pieces not only inspired my english essay but also inspired my whole project. Those projects gave me a baseline for my project today. Because of these essays I had lots of background knowledge on factory farming which helped with research. When deciding on a topic I thought about what I wanted my product to be. Ultimately I decided I wanted to write another essay about factory farming. Not only would this allow me to see my skill progression over the years but it also allowed me to write about something I'm very passionate about. Factory farming has always been close to my heart because of my love for animals.
Research for this project was relatively easy because of my prior knowledge. I was able to apply my former essays format and reasoning to help construct a new one. After building my essay I was able to critique it and make it the best I've written. My essay is focused on the dangers of factory farming which include the effect on public health, the effect on the environment, and animal mistreatment.
My essay looks from the perspective of anti-factory farming. I really had to look through different views and angles to find what fit best for my essay. I decided to look through the anti-farming perspective because it had a far greater argument in my opinion. I got to look into both perspectives though which i found very eye-opening. It allowed me to understand others more. Overall, this project allowed me to view many different perspectives and was very enjoyable.
Below is my finished essay titled "The Dangers Behind Factory Farming".
Research for this project was relatively easy because of my prior knowledge. I was able to apply my former essays format and reasoning to help construct a new one. After building my essay I was able to critique it and make it the best I've written. My essay is focused on the dangers of factory farming which include the effect on public health, the effect on the environment, and animal mistreatment.
My essay looks from the perspective of anti-factory farming. I really had to look through different views and angles to find what fit best for my essay. I decided to look through the anti-farming perspective because it had a far greater argument in my opinion. I got to look into both perspectives though which i found very eye-opening. It allowed me to understand others more. Overall, this project allowed me to view many different perspectives and was very enjoyable.
Below is my finished essay titled "The Dangers Behind Factory Farming".
Central York High School
The Dangers Behind Factory Farming
Lena Mickley
Apollo Honors English 2
Wesley Ward
Oct 26, 2023
Would you subject a toddler to a miserable short life in a factory? Then why would you subject a pig, who is far more intelligent than a toddler, to it? It's been scientifically proven that pigs are intelligent beings and are smarter than a toddler. Factory farms, where animals like pigs are slaughtered, are cruel, and should be eliminated from our food system.
Do you value the lives of animals? Then I'm sure you dont support factory farms, right? Factory farms are large scale operations that force animals into confined spaces. In factory farms, profit is valued over the welfare of the animals. According to Farm Sanctuary, 99% of all animal products come from factory farms. Animals should not be subjected to this mistreatment and factory farms should be shut down. Not only are factory farms bad for the environment,and bad for human health, but they are also horrible for animals.
One of the growing concerns of factory farms has much to do with their negative effects on the environment. Farm Sanctuary writes, “It (factory farming) produces more than 500 million tons of manure annually in the US, emitting toxic gasses into the air and polluting water” (Sanctuary 5). Because of factory farms, toxic gasses are released and watersheds are becoming extremely polluted. When millions of animals are confined into small buildings, their waste has to go somewhere. Factory farms often don't follow the loose regulations and allow millions of pounds of toxic waste to harm the environment. Flesher writes, “Environmental groups say fields often can’t handle the volumes of manure produced, leading to runoff. Such pollution is exempt from regulation under the 1972 Clean Water Act, even though agriculture is the biggest contaminator of rivers and streams, according to the EPA” (Flesher 23). In the factory farming system there is an excessive amount of manure. They try to use it as fertilizer, but they often use too much, causing runoff. This runoff can be deadly to local ecosystems. Clearly factory farming is dangerous for the environment. If we don't end factory farming soon, our planet could suffer even more.
Another major concern is that factory farms are bad for public health. The Humane League writes, “Animals are often given antibiotics throughout their lives as a preventative measure against illness…Trace amounts of these bacteria may be eaten directly by consumers of factory-farmed products” (League 29). When in factory farms, animals are pumped full of antibiotics. The overuse of these antibodies causes bacteria to start to become immune. As the bacteria learns to fight back, human health is put at risk. If we can't treat people with antibiotics they could be subjected to painful illness. PBS states, “Jeff and Gail Schwartzkopf say after a hog mega-barn was built a quarter-mile from their home in northern Iowa, they developed burning and itching eyes, throat soreness and body rashes. They fear the manure odors are making them sick and ruining their home” (Flesher 34). In this situation, two individuals have become sick after a factory farm was built near their home. Many citizens have reported similar issues with mass farming operations. If factory farms are seriously affecting human health, we may need to rethink our ways. Are animal products really tradable for public health? We need to find a solution that allows us to stay healthy and keep our environment clean. With climate change and pollutants, we need to be protecting our environment as much as possible and factory farms aren't the way to go.
The final major issue with factory farming is its effect on animals. Almost all animals going through the industry will go through some type of painful experience whether it be tail-docking or gestation crates. According to the Humane League, “These procedures are generally carried out without anesthetics, forcing animals to endure immense pain. In fact, certain regions have banned tail-docking entirely because of the long-term pain it causes farm animals” (League 10). In factory farms, animals like chickens and pigs are subjected to harsh treatment. Procedure like tail-docking, which is the removal of an animal's tail using a hot knife, is done without any pain relief. Many animals get infections or other illnesses from this procedure and it causes them an immense amount of pain. The Animal Welfare Institute writes, “Pregnant sows spend each of their pregnancies confined to a gestation crate—a metal enclosure that is scarcely wider and longer than the sow herself. Unable to even turn around, sows develop abnormal behaviors, and suffer leg problems, bladder infections, and skin lesions” (Farms 3). In factory farms, all animals are faced with confined quarters, especially pigs. Mothers are locked inside a crate with no room to even use the bathroom. They stand in pools of their own blood with no help in sight. Animals in the factory farming system are subjected to pain that no animal should go through. Imagine if you received surgery with no medication or were locked in a crate for the majority of your life. Imagine if your child was taken hours after birth. Animal mistreatment is never the way to go no matter the creature.
Factory farms are bad for the environment, public health, and animal welfare. The system is corrupt and if we maintain this, everyone suffers. So let's take a stand against factory farming and start living a healthier life. You can begin to cut animal products out of your diet slowly. You can also start to live sustainably and look into where your products come from. If we can live healthier lives, everyone benefits. So why not try it out and see if it could work for you?
Art
For my art piece I was greatly inspired by the work of Sue Coe. Sue is an artist that creates pieces that often highlight issues that people don't want to talk about. Many of her pieces are about factory farming or the food industry and I was instantly fascinated by them. They often look at animal rights and the patriarchy in the food system.
I took inspiration from 2 pieces by Coe titled 'Cruel' and 'Red Slaughterhouse'. In 'Cruel', Coe depicts a a goat bleeding out with the word 'CRUEL' in bright letters above. As the goat is bleeding out its blood is slowly turning to money and landing in the hands of a greedy businessman whose laying in a pile of money. I was most inspired by this piece because it really represents how animals are only seen as a profit. I created my own version but instead of 'Cruel', I wrote the word 'Mercy'. I also have the mouth of the pig bleeding into a large pile of money much like Coe's piece. In 'Red Slaughterhouse', Coe uses different shades of red to depict a slaughterhouse with a hanging pig. In my piece i incorporated the hanging pig and the use of browns and reds in the pig to represent the wounds faced by animals in factory farms.
I started with a very basic sketch but eventually I decided to create a painting. My painting is titled 'Mercy', and is meant to represent the cruelties faced by animals but especially pigs in the factory farming system. I featured a hammer which is there to represent the punishment for pigs. While researching, I discovered that pigs are actually punished by being hit with a hammer on the head. When I found this out, I was disgusted but I knew I needed to feature it in my project. The affects of the hammer are also represented on the dead pigs body. You can see marks where the pig was hit and where the blood is still running. I also featured a stun-gun, which is the device used to kill cows in the factory farming system. The "gun" is placed between their eyes and it shocks their brain dead. Stun-guns are often black or white and are in the shape of a fat version of a gun. Another item I pictured was the tags that go in the ears of animals. These tags are put in almost immediately after birth and are very painful if they become infected. Because most workers don't care for the animals, they often become infected and sick as a result of these tags. The last series of items I included are a pill, medicine bottle, and syringe. These items are meant to represent the antibodies that are pumped into animals in factory farms. These antibodies are meant to make them grow larger faster. These drugs often can create drug-resistant bacteria that can even make humans sick too.
This project allowed me to look into many different perspectives, especially Coe's. I looked at how she thought and what inspired these feelings. I also looked at how these feelings get conveyed into art. Perspective was what inspired her and it was very interesting to see why she had this perspective and how her work shifter others perspective. I enjoyed learning of these different perspectives and understanding them.
This art piece means a lot to me and I am very proud of it. I hope you enjoy 'Mercy'.