What Is a Factory Farm?
The term “factory farm” is a loaded one. For some, it brings disturbing images to mind, like sprawling manure pits and filthy, overcrowded cages. Others say that modern farming has become so large and consolidated that the term “factory farming” is no longer enough to describe our food system. Whatever your feelings about it, the official definition of a factory farm is quite vague:
factory farm noun
: a large industrialized farm
especially : a farm on which large numbers of livestock are raised indoors in conditions intended to maximize production at minimal cost
Source: Merriam-Webster
What exactly is a “large number”? The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prefers the term “concentrated animal feeding operation,” or CAFO. The USDA considers a medium-size CAFO to be one that has at least 200 cows used for dairy, 300 cattle raised for beef, 750 pigs, or 9,000 chickens. Large CAFOs have exponentially more.
A factory farm or CAFO is also typically characterized by keeping animals in confined spaces for at least 45 days in a 12-month period and providing animals with feed instead of permitting them to graze.
The bottom line? Factory farms prioritize production and profit over everything else.
Why does it matter?
An estimated 99% of all animals used for food are raised at factory farms. Data shows that these farms are not only here to stay—they’re getting bigger. The 2022 Census of Agriculture reveals a bleak truth: Our food system is consolidating into “mega factory farms” so rapidly that it’s becoming harder and harder for small-scale farmers to keep up.
“The factory farmification of the American food system dates back about a century and accelerated post-World War II. But today’s factory farms have taken on an even more extreme dimension. Forty years ago, a facility raising 100,000 chickens per year would have passed for a large factory farm; now more than three-quarters of chickens live on massive complexes that sell more than 500,000 animals annually. These mega factory farms, as some observers have called them, look more like chicken megalopolises. The same pattern holds for other animals raised for food, like cows and pigs.”
—Marina Bolotnikova and Kenny Torrella for Vox
Regardless of whether an industrial farm is called a “CAFO,” a “factory farm,” or something else, our food system has a big problem.
How Transfarmation Can Help
We know that our industrialized food system is bad for farmers, the planet, consumers, and animals. That’s why Transfarmation™ works with farmers stuck in this exploitative system. By helping them transition their operations, we’re improving conditions for everyone.
A growing majority of people from all walks of life recognize that factory farms are a problem. In a 2019 poll, eight out of 10 people surveyed were concerned about related air and water pollution, worker safety, and health problems. The time has come for widespread farm transitions, and we’re proud to be a prominent part of that movement.
