As someone who grew up on a dairy farm, it's easy to see why many are troubled by the disappearance of family farms (“Milk price slump crushing dairy farms,” Oct. 30). As factory farms replace independent farms, both rural heritage and animal welfare suffer.

Across the country, factory farms keep millions of cows in unhygienic, barren conditions. Genetically manipulated for high production, the cows are also given antibiotics and growth hormones to produce a grossly unnatural amount of milk.

These animals suffer from a number of welfare problems, including often painful udder-related diseases and lameness.

Each one of us can help prevent this type of cruelty. For more information, visit HumaneEating.com.

Erin Williams

Washington, D.C.

Williams is outreach coordinator for the Factory Farming Campaign of The Humane Society of the United States