Most people want food that has been produced responsibly and with respect for all living things. But what is fact and what is myth where animal agriculture is concerned? How do agricultural practices today differ from those used in the past? And do practices that lead to higher productivity conflict with the idea of caring for livestock and producing wholesome products?

Caring producers and others in the animal agriculture industry have valuable information to share about good livestock production. This information is based on life-long learning, the best research conducted in the world, and a commitment to animal agriculture as a "living business".

In 1995, "Animal Agriculture, Our Living Business," a 13-minute video and companion booklet, was produced by FACS to provide straightforward information about Saskatchewan's livestock industry. With the assistance of Saskatchewan Education, the kit was distributed to all schools and libraries across the province. Check your local library for a copy. 

Information from the booklet follows . . . 

• Early Every Morning
• Animal Care is the Bottom Line
• Rules of the Game
• Seeking the Best of Both Worlds
• Wholesome Inputs, Wholesome Outputs
• Responsible Care
• Health and Disease Prevention
• A Holistic Approach to Well-Being
• Growing through Knowledge
• Check it Out!

Early Every Morning,

. . . producers on livestock farms in Saskatchewan are awake tending their animals. It's a life that brings pride and fulfillment. As well, it is an industry which provides billions of people with affordable, wholesome food and hundreds of other products we use every day. In our province, producers are stewards of over 66 million acres of farm land. That's 524 times more land than the area occupied by Saskatchewan's twelve cities. Yet only 3% of Canada's population have direct ties to the family farm. Consequently, most people are not familiar with agriculture or the care and attention producers devote to their livestock.

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Animal Care is the Bottom Line

On farms, pastures, at veterinary facilities and in processing plants animal care is a concern. People in the animal agriculture industry are always looking for better ways to raise a reliable supply of healthy livestock for food and other products. Consumers are concerned with having a good selection of wholesome food at affordable prices. Both share a common goal, wanting all food to be produced responsibly and with respect for all living things.

But as the world population has grown, the planet's arable land base has decreased. It has become increasing important to achieve higher productivity in agriculture - more eggs per hen, more milk per cow, healthier piglets, and more robust steers. In grain farming, higher yield - more kernels per stalk - has become the thrust of agricultural research.

Do practices that lead to higher productivity conflict with the idea of caring for livestock and producing wholesome products? Not at all. Animal agriculture is a living business. Because their livelihood depends on how well animals prosper, producers today spend a considerable amount of time thoughtfully housing, feeding, handling and treating their herds and flocks.

Producers are always learning about sustainable animal agriculture - agriculture practices that can be upheld now and in the future. Groups such as the Foundation for Animal Care Saskatchewan work to promote the responsible use of animals to meet our needs for wholesome food. Likewise, Canadians are becoming better informed about agriculture issues.

The bottom line is . . . producers care and consumers care when it comes to sustainable animal agriculture.

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Rules of the Game

Visiting a favourite restaurant, we expect cheerful staff, a clean environment, and a menu full of affordable selections with our favourite burger prepared the same way every time we order. Restaurants have strict public health and product standards for serving the public. Owners know that if they don't stick to the rules, it's bad for business - their consumers rely on their integrity. Furthermore, when restaurant owners learn better ways of doing things, like wrapping burgers in paper rather than styrofoam containers, product standards for the whole industry are improved.

The standards that producers follow are similar. They want to do things that are best for their animals. Their practices improve as better methods are discovered. Consumers rely on the integrity of producers to raise healthy livestock for quality food using the highest operational standards known. 

Canadian livestock producers operate under standards found in Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Recommended Codes of Practice. First drafted in 1984 by a diverse and expansive group of livestock authorities, the Codes are regularly updated based on scientific evidence and farming experience.

These standards have become more than rulebooks. They are invaluable tools that provide producers with background information on preferred animal care, nutrition and environmental needs of each livestock species. This is sensible reference material to use when making management decisions or changes to farm operations. The Codes establish minimum standards and following them is voluntary. But those who use the Codes know that the recommendations make for good business.

In research institutions and universities, there is another stringent set of standards. Under the Canadian Council of Animal Care, protocol committees are formed to ensure research methods are appropriate and do not create unnecessary suffering for the animal. It is critical that research is never done at the expense of humane practices. Research helps animal agriculture by finding new and better ways of caring for animals.

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Seeking the Best of Both Worlds

Many livestock species are raised in some form of controlled housing. Producers can, in clean well serviced barns, carefully control proper feeding, watering and disease outbreaks.

Producers have learned to create an environment for livestock that maintains a comfortable temperature with good ventilation and adequate shelter from wind and sun. Free-range livestock was the normal practice in most countries in the past. However, with unsheltered living came problems of freezing cold, blistering heat, storms, water pollution and insects. Controlled environment for birds and hogs, and adequate wind shelters for cattle are some of the ways a caring animal agriculture industry has overcome many housing problems .

Well-engineered housing helps manage manure so it can be recycled efficiently as fertilizer, ultimately supporting other food production. When animal waste is properly collected and spread over farm land, producers support a balance between crop and grazing land.

For grazing animals like cattle and sheep, producers provide a different kind of controlled environment which also benefits the land. Grazing animals spend most of their time on outdoor pastures, with shelter from the wind and access to quality food and water. Most pasture land is unsuitable for crop production but cattle and sheep have an important role in grassland habitat. Rangeland managers rotate herds to help protect the land from erosion and nutrient depletion. Livestock also provide a way to use grains from weather damaged crops that are unsuitable for human consumption.

With modern animal housing, producers can work close to their animals to monitor health. As a result, consumers benefit by enjoying the safe, wholesome meat, milk, eggs that they've come to depend on - and at grocery costs among the lowest in the world.

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Wholesome Inputs, Wholesome Outputs

Saskatchewan producers work with other leaders in animal agriculture to find out how pesticides, veterinary medicines, and growth enhancers affect the nutritional makeup of the food that comes from animals. In partnership, the University of Saskatchewan, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Prairie Swine Centre, and Veterinary Infections Disease Organization (VIDO) are addressing food safety and nutrition issues that affect both animals and humans.

Given Canada's low tolerance for drug residue in animal products, it is in the producers best interest to provide all things contributing to an animal's good health. When producers use livestock vaccination products to prevent disease and medications to treat illness, strict product guidelines and withdrawal times ensure that virtually no drug residues remain in the meat, eggs and dairy products we eat. These strict regulations and procedures give Canada's meat inspection system the reputation of being one of the best in the world.

Partners in animal agriculture work to increase their knowledge of farming, science and health to improve food quality and quantity as they strive to feed more people. Today, they are better able to meet consumer's expectations for a wholesome menu. They've learned that in the food chain, wholesome inputs, mean wholesome outputs.

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Responsible Care

Livestock respond to handling, light, motion, sound, smell, and other animals in distinct ways. Easily frightened, birds, cattle and hogs can suffer from stress and the results are lower weight gain, reduced reproductive performance, and inability to fight disease. Proper handling leaves animals more content and improves productivity.

The Recommended Codes of Practice offers detailed guidelines for animal handling. New methods are based on animal's needs and responsible care to attain high productivity. All attendants working with animals must understand and accept their duty to prevent avoidable suffering for animals.

Producers have learned to provide the right amount of light to make an animal comfortable in its environment. Quiet noise rouses animals into action - and music often helps calm them down. Most chutes are now curved without sharp turns where animals are apt to crowd. Cages temper aggressive tendencies and ensure proper nutrition and disease control. Animals are allowed to follow their leaders at their own paces as part of innate herd behavior. These are only some of the ways producers care for their livestock.

Dedicated to their profession, producers take pride in what they do by being good stockmen, raising productive and healthy animals. From the farm to the kitchen, animal care is recognized as critical in maintaining vibrant industry.

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Health and Disease Prevention

These are good times! Because of increased nutrition, a more knowledgeable industry, and better husbandry, animals are more productive and food prices are lower than ever before.

These productivity gains suggest animals raised on farms today are maintained in better health and are more content. Interestingly, animal health also directly affects humans. Today, disease immunization and good food have also become a regular part of our lives.

Less than 50 years ago:

• a sow gave birth to 5 or 10 piglets in one litter each year
• a cow was milked for 2200 to 2700 kilograms of milk each year
• only 1 bred beef cow in 2 had a calf in the springy
• early, a hen might lay 173 eggs
• a veterinarian was only consulted in a crisis
• and men and women lived about 66 years from birth

In Saskatchewan, in the '90s:

• a sow will have a total of 22 to 24 healthy piglets in two litters each year
• each dairy cow will produce over 6800 kilograms of milk annually
• 85% of bred beef cows deliver calves each spring
• yearly, a hen can lay 285 wholesome eggs
• veterinarians are part of the farm team providing regular animal checkups and treatment
• and we can be expected to live an average (between men and women) of 78 years from birth