A turning point in the industrialization of agriculture was the discovery that adding vitamins A and D to animal feed meant that animals could be kept indoors all year long instead of being restricted to outdoor seasonal production. The intense indoor confinement of livestock that begun after World War II led to high rates of death and diseases, which was overcome by the addition of antibiotics to feed and water- whether or not the animals were actually sick. Since the independent farmers were less able to afford these technologies, the confined operations began to emerge tended to be large and well capitalized.

These concentrated animal feeding operations, commonly known as factory farms, or CAFO#s, have spread throughout the country#'s rural areas. The factory farm model of production relies on isolated regions in large part because of cheap land, cheap water, and lax enforcement of state and local laws. A key ingredient in the proliferation of CAFO#s is corporate concentration.

As the livestock industry has grown it also has consolidated, with a few companies dominating the market. This translates into significant economic and political power; this power allows them to get their way when it comes to farm policy, and environmental laws.

Connie Randolph

Montezuma