If you are aware of this problem and in the position to do something about it, it is time to step up, make changes to your consumption patterns, and encourage others to do the same. For every dollar spent on animal products a portion of that goes right back into defending the system through lobbying, advertising, and other means. It is not our fault as individuals that this has happened, but in the real world, those responsible for problems rarely care to fix them. Waiting for governments to address this while funding the exact opposite is a recipe for failure, and for the sake of everyone, we cannot continue to fail.
The number of environmental and academic organizations that advise shifting away from animal products is vast, and it is supported by an incredible amount of research.
I’m frankly amazed there are any farms below 10 acres. Farming has been about scale for a long time. I’m not in the US but where I am, my family had 3 acres 120 years ago and four cows. They earned enough to pay the bills and feed the kids. Fifty years ago family friends had a 100 acre dairy farm, and it was big enough for three generations to work and live off at the same time (grandfather just helped when it was busy time, kids helped after school). But now, I think a minimum sized dairy farm is probably closer to 400 acres. This is with a much higher intensity of stock on the farm.
If the drive keeps going to increase scale and intensity, then that means the farmer isn’t earning enough on the smaller farms, which to my mind means that they aren’t being paid enough for their products. I think consumers should pay more for goods that cost the planet, but also the people in the middle are screwing the producer and the consumer.
2 comments
If you are aware of this problem and in the position to do something about it, it is time to step up, make changes to your consumption patterns, and encourage others to do the same. For every dollar spent on animal products a portion of that goes right back into defending the system through lobbying, advertising, and other means. It is not our fault as individuals that this has happened, but in the real world, those responsible for problems rarely care to fix them. Waiting for governments to address this while funding the exact opposite is a recipe for failure, and for the sake of everyone, we cannot continue to fail.
The number of environmental and academic organizations that advise shifting away from animal products is vast, and it is supported by an incredible amount of research.
[World Wildlife Fund](https://planetbaseddiets.panda.org/)
[Defenders of Wildlife](https://defenders.org/magazine/summer-2018/living-lightly)
[Stanford University](https://news.stanford.edu/report/2021/05/06/embracing-plant-based-diet/)
[United Nations](https://www.un.org/en/actnow/food)
[World Health Organization](https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/349086/WHO-EURO-2021-4007-43766-61591-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y)
[Audubon Society](https://www.audubon.org/news/green-guru-what-are-environmental-effects-eating-meat)
[Ocean Conservation Trust](https://oceanconservationtrust.org/how-going-vegetarian-can-help-our-ocean-world-vegetarian-month/)
[Rainforest Alliance](https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/everyday-actions/is-a-plant-based-diet-the-key-to-slowing-climate-change/)
[Jane Goodall](https://news.janegoodall.org/2017/04/28/why-i-went-plant-based-and-why-we-should-all-eat-less-meat/)
Some resources for making a change. Collectively, we can make Earth a much better place.
[Sustainable eating is cheaper and healthier – Oxford study](https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2021-11-11-sustainable-eating-cheaper-and-healthier-oxford-study)
[How to Maintain a Balanced Diet as a Vegetarian or Vegan](https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/how-to-maintain-a-balanced-diet-as-a-vegetarian-or-vegan)
I’m frankly amazed there are any farms below 10 acres. Farming has been about scale for a long time. I’m not in the US but where I am, my family had 3 acres 120 years ago and four cows. They earned enough to pay the bills and feed the kids. Fifty years ago family friends had a 100 acre dairy farm, and it was big enough for three generations to work and live off at the same time (grandfather just helped when it was busy time, kids helped after school). But now, I think a minimum sized dairy farm is probably closer to 400 acres. This is with a much higher intensity of stock on the farm.
If the drive keeps going to increase scale and intensity, then that means the farmer isn’t earning enough on the smaller farms, which to my mind means that they aren’t being paid enough for their products. I think consumers should pay more for goods that cost the planet, but also the people in the middle are screwing the producer and the consumer.