ABSTRACT
With each year that passes, the importance of the agricultural economy to the general economy is reduced—and this is true not only at the national level but also at the state and local levels. Not only is agriculture as a whole becoming a less important feature of our total economy, but Harold Breimyer, a prominent economist in Missouri, asserts that animal agriculture seems to be slipping in importance. Another factor is the strong export market for feed grains and soybeans, which has caused many farmers to give up their livestock operations. When farmers and ranchers are confronted with the charges of the animal welfare movement, they tend to defend themselves by claiming that as livestock producers they naturally have the welfare of animals at heart. Consumers' demand for agricultural commodities is determined by their purchasing power, which in turn is affected by their employment status, their wages, and even the size of their government assistance checks.
