Breeding has become very popular for farmers over the world, but because of this, we put the original breed into extinction. Sure, the genetic breeds are tasty and divine, but we’re losing sight of what is right and what is wrong. Throughout these past years, there has been the extinction of ninety original farm animals and even today there are fifteen hundred breeds that are endangered worldwide. Imagine, just in fifteen years, all those animals have suffered just for the sake of our taste buds. The following list includes some of the most successful breeds that have been genetically created:
*60% of beef contains: Angus, Hereford or Simmental breeds
*83% of cows contain: Holsteins and Dairy breeds
*60% of contain four different breeds and 40% Suffolk-breed sheep
Fortunately, some farmers have seen the light and have started their heritage and heirloom breeds. Heritage is mainly the reservation of breeds, while the heirloom is mainly the reservation of the plant/crop breeds. Throughout this whole mess, there are some advantages for both the heritage and heirloom breeds such as lower chance of disease, reserve traits, gain new traits and conquer harsh conditions (ex. weather).
Apart from all the extinct and endangered animals and plants, there is also a health hazard towards us as well! We need to pay more attention towards sustainable and industrial agriculture. Industrial is the factories that use all those chemicals to feed and grow livestock, while sustainable agriculture does things a little more naturally. If you don’t have a sense what sustainable farming is, just think one word: organic. It’s the natural way of planting and breeding. Instead of using chemicals, they use fertilizer from the animals! Instead of using pesticides that cause cancer for us, they produce natural foods that are healthy for the animals! Instead of contaminating the waters around the area, they make sure they only use the water they need! These are the type of farmers we need to put our faith in.
Now the question is if this new method can feed billions of hungry mouths. Well, that is really up to us to decide. We have so many factors that we have to think about, we have habits that we need to change for our earth to be healthy, so we can be able to grow and breed for generations to come. There’s also global warming that we have to think about as well. Already, we are having climate changes, and that affects a huge part of agriculture. Apart from all the problems we have to fix, it’s going to take a great push to feed every mouth. I believe one day we can feed and save the lives of the growing population is we use what we need, grow the healthiest livestock and start saving our earth.
Content: Feeding a World of Nine Billionhttp://www.peopleandplanet.net/?lid=26107§ion=34&topic=44
*60% of beef contains: Angus, Hereford or Simmental breeds
*83% of cows contain: Holsteins and Dairy breeds
*60% of contain four different breeds and 40% Suffolk-breed sheep
Fortunately, some farmers have seen the light and have started their heritage and heirloom breeds. Heritage is mainly the reservation of breeds, while the heirloom is mainly the reservation of the plant/crop breeds. Throughout this whole mess, there are some advantages for both the heritage and heirloom breeds such as lower chance of disease, reserve traits, gain new traits and conquer harsh conditions (ex. weather).
Apart from all the extinct and endangered animals and plants, there is also a health hazard towards us as well! We need to pay more attention towards sustainable and industrial agriculture. Industrial is the factories that use all those chemicals to feed and grow livestock, while sustainable agriculture does things a little more naturally. If you don’t have a sense what sustainable farming is, just think one word: organic. It’s the natural way of planting and breeding. Instead of using chemicals, they use fertilizer from the animals! Instead of using pesticides that cause cancer for us, they produce natural foods that are healthy for the animals! Instead of contaminating the waters around the area, they make sure they only use the water they need! These are the type of farmers we need to put our faith in.
Now the question is if this new method can feed billions of hungry mouths. Well, that is really up to us to decide. We have so many factors that we have to think about, we have habits that we need to change for our earth to be healthy, so we can be able to grow and breed for generations to come. There’s also global warming that we have to think about as well. Already, we are having climate changes, and that affects a huge part of agriculture. Apart from all the problems we have to fix, it’s going to take a great push to feed every mouth. I believe one day we can feed and save the lives of the growing population is we use what we need, grow the healthiest livestock and start saving our earth.
Works Cited
Content: Feeding a World of Nine Billionhttp://www.peopleandplanet.net/?lid=26107§ion=34&topic=44
Heritage, Heirloom and Traditional Breedshttp://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/heritage/
Sustainable versus Industrial: A Comparisonhttp://www.sustainabletable.org/intro/comparison/
Blogs I Commented:http://adorablogs.blogspot.com/2010/12/love-organic-then-love-yourself.html#comment-form
