Animal Feed

As farming has industrialized, the interdependent agricultural cycle of plants and animals has been disconnected. Animals raised for meat and other products are given feed formulated to speed their growth to market weight, rather than the grasses, insects, seeds and other foods they would naturally eat.

Advocates of industrial farming argue that today’s feed is specially formulated to supply all essential nutrients; however, such grain-based diets can produce serious and sometimes fatal digestive problems in ruminants (including cows, goats and sheep), whose stomachs are evolved to naturally digest grass, not grain. For hogs and poultry in confinement, both the formulation of feed and the frequency of feeding are designed to accelerate growth at unhealthy rates.

The Political Economy of Feed

Current industrial farming practices rely heavily on grain, particularly corn and soybeans. Conventional animal feed is composed largely of these grains, because together they provide the carbohydrates and protein necessary for bringing animals quickly to market weight, and because they are cheaper than other feed options as a result of government subsidies. According to a 2006 study by the Tufts University Global Development and Environment Institute (the last time these numbers were crunched), the market prices of chicken and hog feed, made mostly of corn and soybeans, were 21 and 26 percent below the cost of production of these grains. Feed accounts for 60 percent of broiler chicken production costs; therefore, the price difference in the 2006 study reveals that total costs of broiler production were 13 percent lower than they would have been had the grains been priced at their full costs. This “discount” saved the broiler chicken industry an average of $1.25 billion annually between 1997 and 2005. The savings to large hog operations was $1 billion in the same period. For industrial dairies, beef and egg producers, plus hogs and broilers, the combined total savings over the nine years was nearly $35 billion. Also note that pricing grain below cost is bad for grain farmers, even when some of the difference is made up by subsidies or crop insurance.

Independent livestock farmers trying to compete with industrial production, supplementing their animals’ grazing with hay, food scraps, minerals or other feedstock not made of corn and soybeans, are at an economic disadvantage, because these stocks are not subsidized in the same way. In fact, according to the Tufts study, the cost advantages to industrial producers would be significantly reduced, if not eliminated, were they required to pay full cost for feed.

Confinement feed is also subsidized in many states by a tax exemption on the sale of livestock feed. This exemption benefits any farmer buying feed, but provides an increased benefit to large confinement operations, which buy all of their feed. Conversely, individual farmers who pasture their livestock and who therefore do not purchase much feed do not receive much benefit. State sales tax exemptions are also common for other staples of CAFOs, including livestock bedding, poultry litter and pollution control (meaning in practice the construction and management of manure lagoons). Such incentives to large operations also result in losses of state revenue.

Health Implications of Feed Types for Animals and People

Feeding animals foods they cannot naturally digest has consequences for both the animals and the people consuming their meat and other products.

Cows are ruminants, which means that they can digest the cellulose in grass in their multi-chambered digestive tracts. ¹⁸ If the diet does not include enough protein, it can be supplemented with a protein-rich feed mix. Chickens raised on pasture eat insects and seeds, though various feed mixes make up the bulk of their diet, especially in winter. ¹⁹

For human health, there is a growing body of evidence that products from pastured animals are healthier than those from animals raised in confinement. Beef from grass-fed animals has lower levels of unhealthy fats and cholesterol and higher levels of vitamins, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, which are better for cardiovascular health.

• Look for beef and dairy products labeled “pasture raised” and “100 percent grassfed” or bearing a comparable designation of no supplemental grain feeding. The label “certified Organic” on pork, chicken and eggs indicates, among other practices, that all of the feed eaten by the animals was grown organically. Products bearing the Animal Welfare Approved label have met rigorous certification standards, including for feed.
• Learn more about food labels from our Food Label Guide.
• If you purchase animal products at a farmers’ market, you can always ask about their feeding practices.