ABSTRACT
In other chapters I have described some of the changes in American agriculture that have been taking place over the past 50-60 years that have led to fewer farmers and bigger farms, resulting in specific and unique requirements for animal agriculture that has specialized buildings for poultry operations, dairy farms, swine facilities, and horses. Because of the larger size and the way these buildings look some people refer to these buildings as “factory farms” (even though they are mostly owned by an individual family), in contrast to the small diversified family farm of the past where relatively small groups of animals – horses, cows, swine, and poultry – were cared for by the individual family alone.
