Resources on Animal Agriculture

Meat scientists are passionate about what they do. They are spread throughout the food chain working to bring safe, high quality protein products to your table. Many of our friends, neighbors and colleagues have questions about various attitudes and misconceptions about agriculture, the way our food is raised and the methods used to bring it to you.

Here is a list of resources we believe you will find helpful as you try to sort out the messages you receive about the meat you eat and about agriculture in general. These resources are based in science and come from the perspective of the people who raise, harvest and process your food every day. All of the sites were recommended by one or more meat scientists from across the world.

Clicking on the following links will open a new browser window.

General Information on Animal Agriculture

www.safefoodinc.com: This web site focuses on the state of the art technology employed by the meat supply chain to insure the safest possible product for the you. It was put together by several organizations consisting of livestock farmers and the people that harvest and process meat products.

www.explorebeef.org - Here is the perspective of the beef farmers, most of them family operations who raise the cattle for our meat supply.

www.dairyfarmingtoday.org - This one is not directly meat-related, but does highlight the efforts of another sector of animal agriculture. Brought to you by the dairy farmers of America.

www.animalagalliance.org - Animal Ag Alliance: This is a membership organization of individuals and companies. They have some very good material available on their web site regarding current ag issues, animal care principles and a set of nutrition links. 

www.ofac.org - Ontario Farm Animal Council. There is a lot of good information on the web site itself. In addition, they have compiled dozens of excellent links. Place the pointer on “Issues Centre”, select the issue of interest and then click on links. There are many excellent Canadian and U.S. web sites listed there.www.farmissues.org is also maintained by OFAC.

www.beeftechnologies.com - Growth Enhancement Technology Information Team. Here is one from the people who research and produce medicines and nutritional products for animals that has ample information on the processes employed in developing medications, the impact on the environment and food safety and a host of other FAQs and white papers on the subject.

www.bestfoodfacts.org - Here is a resource from the Center for Food Integrity. It takes questions contributed by the public and uses a panel of contributing experts in food and animal science to post answers.

www.conversationsoncare.com - Focusing on animal care, this web site is produced by the American Farm Bureau.

itisafact.org - Farmer-led,  industry sponsored group called American Farmers for the Advancement and Conservation of Technology (AFACT). There are several white papers here on antibiotics, vaccines, hormones and biotechnology use in agriculture.

www.nationalchickencouncil.com/consumerInfo/ - National Chicken Councilinformation on raising poultry. Of particular note is a paper entitled "An Introduction to Chicken Production: A brief insight into the modern chicken and egg industries."

www.eatturkey.com/consumer/raising/raise.html - National Turkey Federation.This page gives a good overview of turkey production practices and answers some frequently asked questions from consumers.

Food Safety

www.fsis.usda.gov/Food_Safety_Education - The USDA Food Safety Inspection Service has compiled an extensive library of information on the systems that safeguard the nation's meat supply

dofoodsafely.health.vic.gov.au - Victoria, Australia Department of Health'straining site for foodservice workers.

Video/Multimedia Information

The Meat News Network: http://www.youtube.com/meatnewsnetwork - Videos on various aspects of the meat supply chain including the role of meat in the diet. Produced by the American Meat Institute.

History Channel Videos

Hot Dog Tech: Ever wonder how your favorite ballgame hotdog is made? Take a tour of the Cloverdale meat factory in Mandan, North Dakota to find out. http://www.history.com/shows/food-tech/videos/hot-dog-tech

Modern Marvels: The Pig: Modern Marvels shows us three things that we didn't know about pigs. Check out this very interesting clip on pigs and see some of the facts that will leave you pondering. Learn about where the bacon comes from and how they mend broken hearts.http://www.history.com/shows/modern-marvels/videos/the-pig#the-pig

Three things you didn't know about cold cuts: Modern Marvels shows us meat turned into cold cuts. Celebrating ingenuity, invention and imagination brought to life on a grand scale.http://www.history.com/shows/modern-marvels/videos/the-pig#three-things-you-didn't-know-about-cold-cuts

Specific Resources Addressing Concerns from the Movie Food Inc.

These resources were developed in response to the specific assertions raised in Food Inc.