Commentary: Some facts about how your food is raised by farmers

Cattle are fed a corn-based diet for 100 to 150 days. The average animal will eat 3,500 pounds of feed while at the feedlot. (Photo by Ellen M. Blalock |
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on February 21, 2013 at 6:00 AM, updated February 21, 2013 at 12:25 PM

Lisa Kriese-Anderson is a 1979 graduate of C.W. Baker High School in Baldwinsville and a 1983 graduate of Cornell University with a degree in animal science. At present, she is an associate professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at Auburn University in Alabama.

By Lisa Kriese-Anderson, contributing writer

In 1960, the average American farm produced food and fiber for 25 people. In 2012, the average American farm produced food and fiber for 155 people. The average size of the 2.1 million American farm is 420 acres. In New York, the average farm size is much smaller at 194 acres. Only 40 percent of today’s farmers list farming as their sole occupation. Most work off the farm for health insurance and additional income to make ends meet. Ninety percent of farms are owned by individuals or families. Another 6 percent are owned by partnerships, and 3 percent are corporations. However, more than 90 percent of farm corporations are owned by families.

The average age of an American farmer is 57. Return on investment is fairly low, and risk is high. Most farm because they have a deep love for the land and animals and are proud of their efforts.

But how is meat, raised in America?

When it comes to beef, many people are involved from in the process. It starts on a cow-calf farm. Here, each cow gives birth to a calf approximately once a year. The average calf weighs 75 to 95 pounds at birth. Calves stay with their mothers until they are 6 to 9 months old. Milk is their primary source of nutrition for the first three months
After that, calves get additional nutrition from the same feeds their mothers are fed, primarily grass, silage and hay. At weaning, calves will weigh between 450 and 700 pounds. After weaning, calves may spend another 4 to 6 months on pasture, gaining additional weight before going to the feedlots. Most feedlots want cattle to weigh 750 to 900 pounds before arriving. Cattle are fed a corn-based diet for 100 to 150 days. The average animal will eat 3,500 pounds of feed while at the feedlot. This produces beef with a mild flavor preferred by many Americans, with marbling (tiny flecks of fat within the muscle that affects flavor and tenderness) and a white colored outside fat covering. Cattle can also be finished on grass. This produces beef with a stronger flavor. The meat generally does not contain as much marbling, and the outside fat may have a yellow color due to the carotene in grasses. The average weight of a beef animal ready for slaughter is 1,250 to 1,350 pounds and will yield approximately 600 pounds of beef.

The average cow-calf farmer in the United States owns fewer than 30 cows. In 2011, there were 734,000 farmers raising beef calves, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These calves are sold to farmers who have additional grass or forage resources. Approximately 33 million beef calves each year will be fed in 800 feedlots and slaughtered in 60 major beef plants.

Swine and poultry operate differently from beef farms. Female pigs, or sows, give birth to 9 to 13 piglets at a time and on average, give birth 2.5 times a year. Piglets will weigh 2.5 to 3.5 pounds. at birth. Sows and piglets are kept together in farrowing crates until 28 days of age. Farrowing crates prevent mothers from injuring their piglets by accidentally laying on them or from eating them. At about a month, piglets are weaned and weigh 15 to 17 pounds. They may be transferred to another farm at this point. Piglets are fed a corn and soybean meal based diet until they reach market weight, which is 250 to 280 pounds. This takes approximately 150 days and 700 pounds of feed. A typical market pig yields 144 pounds of pork. In 2011, there were about 69,100 pig farms in America. More than 85 percent of swine farms produce 2,000 or more piglets each year. The efficiencies in large swine operations allow meat costs to remain fairly low to American consumers while still providing excellent care for the pigs.

At poultry farms raising chickens for meat, the chicks eat a corn and soybean meal diet. Chicks will reach market weight in 6 to 8 weeks weighing 4 to 6 pounds. Again, the average farmer raising chickens for meat will raise 10,000 or more per year. With both swine and chicken production, animals are kept in barns to optimize temperature and significantly reduce predators.

Methods used to raise livestock in the United States are based on scientific discovery and research at land grant universities and colleges, such as New York';s land-grant school, Cornell. Cooperative Extension takes this research to farmers, enabling them to adopt practices proven to produce more and safer food, while keeping food costs low. The majority of food in America is raised via the systems described above.