English 1A-T11: Why Do We Raise Animals for Food Products?

In 4+pages explain the cause of, the result of, or the causes and results of why we raise animals for food and products. Three outside sources ar required; use proper MLA citations within the essay and add a Works Cited page. I will attach what I had started working on, I am struggling with content staying with the cause and effect method. Please change any information or sources as needed. Thank you.

English 1A-T11

November 16, 2015

Cause & Effect Sentence Outline

Title: Why Do We Raise Animals for Food and Products?

Introduction: Livestock animals have been a huge part of human existence since the beginning of our civilization. Humans have used animals for meat, milk, eggs, labor, and clothing for thousands of years. People all around the world take care of livestock every day. However, do we need animal agriculture?

1. The fact that humans use and eat animal products in the main reason most livestock animals are alive in the first place. Farmers help bring animals into this world and give them meaning and purpose as they leave it (food and products). The only question is if their life is worth being here in the first place based on the quality of life they have.
2. Environmental activists are calling for an end to eating meat (Abend).
3. Cattle raised in pastures grazing on only grass helps keep carbon dioxide in the ground and out of the atmosphere (Abend).
   1. Grassland would go to waste without livestock because some land is no suitable for crops, for example, the terrain on a slope.
   2. These animals help maintain the ecosystem converting grass into food for humans.
   3. Doing away with livestock products made from cattle; like medicines made from the skin, fat, brain and even the blood we would need to reinvent the infrastructure of our food supply and product supply, and this would be extremely costly.
      1. If livestock production ceased, the incentive for farmers t spend their lives caring for this animals would be gone, farmers no longer maintaining fences protecting them from predators, or caring for the sick.
      2. In the wild livestock animals would no longer be producing food, goods, and Labor for humans. Instead, they would become a nuisance in public places, road hazards.
      3. Even is sanctuaries existed for large numbers of animals; only a small amount would survive.
      4. Although tastes and preference vary tremendously throughout society, most people agree best-tasting foods involve animal products. Imagine how sad the world would be without burgers, steaks, eggs, milk, and ice cream.
         1. Meat, dairy, and eggs contain essential nutrients such as protein, calcium, potassium, B vitamins, iron, magnesium, and zinc. Because of livestock production these products are easy to access and low in cost.
         2. Thousands of people would be out of a job if animal agriculture went away. For example researchers, animal nutritionist, animal care technicians, USDA, college professors, Veterinarians.
            1. Colleges and universities around the world train people in different areas of livestock production. Abandoning all of that would be a waste of time and resources.
            2. Livestock industry provides massive economic benefits to many different countries around the world, in the US the numbers are as follows:
               1. 1,851,000 = jobs
               2. $346 billion in total economic output
               3. $60 billion in household income
               4. $15 billion in income taxes paid
               5. $6 billion in property taxes paid (SDSU IGrow)
4. Many are struggling economically, and agriculture is usually on the bright spots in an economy If animal agriculture were removed it would be devasting to the economy.  
5. Even though families could relocate and adapt to make a living apart from animal agriculture, it would be unfair and immensely costly to them.
6. Animal agriculture huge part of human history. Livestock farmers and ranchers view working with animals as more than a job. It is a lifestyle deeply ingrained in who they are and their purpose here on earth. Their children have been raised taking care of livestock to teach them how to do chores, develop a work ethic and spend time with their families.
7. Bottom line you can choose to avoid animal products for a variety of reasons. You can work to improve animal welfare. Moreover, you can continue to ask questions to help keep livestock farmers and ranchers in check. However, the practice of animal agriculture is a vital part of society.

10.  There are millions of livestock animals in the United States, these animals are provided plenty of food and water, they are never homeless, undernourished, or sexually abused. Most of their lives are spent eating, standing, lying down or sleeping. In most cases, they are protected from predators, harsh weather, and each other. The goal of every livestock farmer is to minimize stress as it results in the greatest growth in production.

11.  Animals in the wild spend them entire lives hunting for food and water. They endure disease, injury, illness and pain just like humans and livestock. Animals that are not at the top of the food chain is at risk of being eaten by predators and/or killed off by real animal power struggles.  The deaths of wildlife animals provide little to no benefit to humans regarding food or products (except hunting);(SDSU IGrow).

In conclusion: We live in the world full of suffering. We should be doing everything we can to help to reduce and eliminate this pain in every species around the world. However, we need to keep our priorities in check. We should do all we can to protect the environment and ecosystems of wildlife animals. Humans undergo the most suffering and abuse on the list. That is somber to me. We should do our best to take care of our own and think of helping others more than we think of pleasing ourselves. Reducing human suffering should be of the highest priority! Livestock animals, on the other hand, are among the creatures that undergo the least amount of pain on this list. So many people complain and point fingers at the treatment of these animals. Where is the uproar about human suffering? Why aren’t more people human activists instead of animal activists? There are ways we can improve our treatment of livestock animals and we should pursue those. However, to expect perfection in livestock production (or any of these categories) is unrealistic in an imperfect world. The use of livestock animals provides food, products, money, and labor to billions of people. Their lives (and inevitable deaths) are what many humans rely on to survive in poverty-stricken countries.

Most would agree that a human life is more valuable than any other life on the planet, but even if you disagree with that statement, you must realize that if you want to reduce suffering here on the earth, it has to start with humans. It has to start with us!

Works Cited

Abend, Lisa. "How Cows (Grass-Fed Only) Could Save the Planet." Time. Time Inc., 25 Jan. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.

SDSU IGrow. "Economic Benefits of the Livestock Industry." IGrow. South Dakota State University, 7 July 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.