1. Ch. 1, Slaughterhouse Blues Donald Stull & Michael Broadway
Setting the Table
Ch. 1, Slaughterhouse Blues
Donald Stull & Michael Broadway

2. Transition from a vibrant rural landscape of small farms & ranches
100 years ago, a typical woman in the US spent 44 hours per week preparing meals
By the 1950s, they spent less than 20 hours
1990s, even less
Food companies responded by processing foods into ready-to-eat meals
ConAgra

3. 3 Agricultural “Revolutions”
1. Southwest Asia 10,000 YA
Development of domesticated plants & animals
Fed more people on less land
Permitted formation of permanent settlements & urban centers

4. 2. Industrialization in Western Europe in late 18th C.
2nd agricultural revolution replaced subsistence production
Creation of surplus & profit
Agriculture became tied to industry

5. 3. Agricultural industrialization in the US at the beginning of the 20th C
Creation of economies of scale
Acquisition of inputs (chemicals, machinery) from non-agricultural sectors
Substitution of capital for labor (via mechanization)
Adding economic value to agricultural products through processing & packaging

6. 1980 farmers received 31% of the money Americans spent on food
Processors, wholesalers, distributors, retailers absorb the rest
Vertical Integration: Is most evident in the poultry industry
Tyson controls each step of the production process, from egg to boneless chicken breast
Supplies Chicken McNuggets to McDonalds

7. Eat In or Out?
Americans eat fewer meals at home & spend less time preparing them
% of food dollars were spent eating out
% were spent eating out
The microwave – in 90% of homes – provided a technological fix for those without time or inclination to cook

8. Armour Perfectly Seasoned Pork
“Several different cuts that are perfectly seasoned in a variety of succulent flavors. They are sealed in convenient packages that can be used for future use. When you are ready for a perfect meal just empty the contents into a baking pan place in the oven and your meal is ready in minutes…and you don’t even have to get your hands dirty!”

9. ConAgra’s Healthy Choice
20 different ready-to-eat meals…
“that are convenient & flavorful, leaving you time to do the things you want to do…in only 8-12 minutes you’re sitting down to a full spread of fulfilling entrees”
Supplies french fries to McDonalds

10. Agricultural Industrialization
1. Intensification: Farmers increase purchase of nonfarm inputs
Production costs increase faster than prices received so farmers increase output
Government subsidies guarantee prices
Subsidies disrupt agriculture in poor countries

11. 2. Concentration: Fewer but larger units produce a larger share of commodities
Producing calves on a ranch with 500 cows costs 50% less than one with 50 cows
Or a farm with 3000 hogs costs 1/3 less than one with 500 hogs
This favors factory farms

12. 3. Specialization: Farmers focus on a narrower range of commodities
Concentration in certain regions:
Cattle in the high plains grain belt
Pork production in the corn belt
Poultry production in the South (mild climate)

13. Consequences for the Meat & Poultry Industry
US poultry industry pioneered vertical integration & became a model for the beef & pork industry
Integrators (processors) own the animals & contract growers to raise
Custom-built feedlots, hog barns, chicken houses
Tyson contracts 7600 farms in 16 states
“Feed-conversion ratio” = birds grow to slaughter weight with the least feed possible

14. IBP, ConAgra, Excel, Farmland own 81% of US beef slaughter
Hogs & cattle used to be shipped to urban centers (Chicago, etc.)
1960 IBP (now owned by Tyson) moved to Denison, Iowa near feed supplies & created disassembly lines
1967 IBP in Nebraska introduced boxed beef, rather than ship whole carcasses
Fabricated into smaller cuts, vacuum packed

15. Beef production shifted to High Plains, but lacked labor
ConAgra bought Armour
Cargill bought Excel
Beef production shifted to High Plains, but lacked labor
Recruited immigrant labor
Hog production moved from Midwest to North Carolina & Oklahoma in 1980s
Poultry plants began to replace African-American labor with Latinos in Southern states

16. CAFOs
Concentrated animal feeding operations produce massive amounts of manure
Nitrogen & phosphorus enter water systems

17. Feed People, Not Cows!
As countries become wealthier, people eat more animal protein
Farmers change from food production to feed production

18. What’s for Dinner?
Beef consumption peaked in the 1970s then reduced due to medical warnings about cholesterol
Books such as Rifkin’s Beyond Beef also placed beef production under scrutiny
There has been an explosive increase in chicken consumption

19. US Per Capita Consumption (lbs.)
Year
Beef
Pork
Chicken
1930
48.6
66.6
21.5
1950
62.6
68.2
20.3
1970
113.7
66.4
41.4
1990
96.1
67.0
72.2
2000
99.3
67.6
91.0

20. Food poisoning from contaminated meat results in 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,200 deaths/year
Heavy use of anti-biotics is an important cause of antibiotic resistant diseases
E Coli Breakout Traced To ConAgra