Essay About Acre5Excrement Managementsummers And Major Chicken Producers

Polyface Case Study
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[pic 1]Question 1Reflect on the differences between Polyface and the industrial mode of food production. How would you characterize the key differences between the two?The industrial food production focused on specialization and productivity maximization by narrowing their scope to single product operation. Animals were bred so that individual animals were of nearly same size and proportion which allowed for quick automated processing. Breeding techniques also focused on maximizing breast meat which consumers preferred. Polyface has much larger varieties of product and lower volumes. Polyface approach to production recognized animals’ inclinations and took advantage of their physiological distinctiveness. Management intensive grazing systems, all natural composting and mineralization techniques were key focus areas of the operation.  Customers are increasingly willing to pay more for local and pastured foods. BeefS. No. IndustryPolyface1Weight of calf600 lbs450 lbs2Final weight of cow900 lbs1050 lbs3Time given to mature6 months10 months4FeedCAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation): 75% corn, 25% hay, grasses, grains, soybeans, by-products; Corn is not their natural food; increases acidity in their digestive systems thereby promoting growth of pathogens like E. colifresh, unsoiled grass growing in paddocks; ate 16 inch grasses till they became 4 inches; well managed grazing system sized paddocks based on herd composition, forage quality & cow days per acre5Excrement managementSummers: Allowed soil to absorb excrement directly in appropriate amountWinters: allowed barn floor (made of wood chips) to absorb the excrement; got it aerated and mixed by pigs thereby turning a potential pollutant into a nutrient rich fertilizerThroughout the year: Cows stood either in proximity to or in their own excrement in the arrays of pens with thousands of other cattle; tractor operated manure scrapers removed excrement after regular intervals to dump into large manure lagoons6Weight gain rate1.5 lbs/day3 lbs/dayChickenS. No.ParameterIndustryPolyface1Supply chainVertically integrated supply chain with control of nearly all the steps between egg and consumer – breeding, hatching, growing, processing and retailing. Dominated by few major chicken producers. Growing, processing (max 20000 birds per year as a result of Wholsome Poultry Act of 1968), selling directly to customers. Purchase chicks from hatcheries. 2FeedA mixture of corn and animal renderings to mimick the birds diet in the wild. Some companies also added supplements such as arsentic to promote poultry growth.Grass. Broilers moved everyday to ensure that they ate grass at optimal growth stage (4 inches). To supplement the grass diet, chickens were fed a mixture of non-genetically modified grains.3Growing mechanism The growing houses could house approximately 27000 chickens with average size of 20000 square feet. Mechanical devices like augers and large fans were installed to keep air circulation and steady stream of feed and water. 14000 broiler chicks were incubated in brooders for 2 to 3 weeks post which birds were brought to pasture for 5 to 6 weeks and housed in open air pens measuring 12x10x2 feet. Each pen contained 80-90 birds to get to desired weight gain.4Growing capacity1 pound of chicken meat/1.6 pounds of feed500 birds/acre5Processing rate90-30 chickens/minute50 chickens/hour6Inedible parts Inedible parts were sent to rendering facilities, where they were ground up into animal feed and waste was either treated and discharged into sewer system or removed by a waste mangement service.inedible parts were composted for use as fertilizer. 7Threat and prevention of diseasesChickens were not encouraged to leave the house for fear that they would contract diseases and as a result of living in such close quarters quickly contaminate the entire flock.  New born chickens were often injected with antibiotics and other medications. No specific measure mentioned EggsS. No. ParameterIndustryPolyface1Avg no. of eggs produced by 1 hen2504202Henhouses(1) spread across 22,000 sq ft(1)Two pairs of “eggmobiles” that followed the cows from paddock to paddock with a lag of 3 days (2) tiers of wire cages (similar to filing cabinets) carried 5-8 birds each(2)  cohabitated with rabbits during winters in raken houses3Natural behaviour of hensHighly restricted due to space constraints; hens became aggressive; had to be debeaked to prevent them from feather pecking and cannibalizationallowed to roam; instinctual scratching motion used to incorporate cow & chicken droppings into the soil; hens also being used to debug cow droppings thus preventing infections to reach cattle4Excrement managementSummers: Allowed soil to absorb excrement directly in appropriate amount Winters: allowed barn floor (made of wood chips) to absorb the excrement; got it aerated and mixed by pigs thereby turning a potential pollutant into a nutrient rich fertilizerThroughout the year: Cows stood either in proximity to or in their own excrement in the arrays of pens with thousands of other cattle; tractor operated manure scrapers removed excrement after regular intervals to dump into large manure lagoons5Weight gain rate1.5 lbs/day3 lbs/day