Livestock Antibiotics

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kkise

Well-Known Member
Jun 25, 2008
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Ankeny, Iowa
The vast majority of livestock producers don't give antibiotics excessively. People need to understand that I'm not running out and giving all my calves an antibiotic once a week. I treat one when it is sick, but most of my cattle will never have any sort of antibiotic. I don't think consumers want to eat animals that have been sick most of their lives.
Good point.
 

intrepid27

Well-Known Member
Oct 9, 2006
5,665
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Marion, IA
Both sides need to work together on this one. Pork producers do not spend money on antibiotics unless they need to. In the past several decades there have already been several families of antibiotics that have been taken away from livestock and reserved for humans. This issue will become more critical as diseases jumping species becomes more common.
 

Bobber

Well-Known Member
Apr 12, 2006
8,880
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Hudson, Iowa
Well if were going to happen that rapidly, it would have. Antibiotics did not just start being used 5 years ago.

I don't think so. It takes years for things to develop resistance. Did you see the little sub article about tests on drug resistant bacteria before and after the ban in Denmark?
 

clonefarmer

Member
Apr 16, 2006
435
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I'm just a grain farmer so I'm no expert on this. One thing to keep in mind is that all antibiotics must be withdrawn from use in an animal for a prescribed period of time before that animal can be sent to slaughter or it's milk can be delivered to the processor. This withdrawal time ensures that the consumer is never ingesting any antibiotic, which really would be a concern in the devlopment of resistance to antibiotics. And farmers really do take these withdrawal periods seriously.
 

Tre4ISU

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Dec 30, 2008
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I don't think so. It takes years for things to develop resistance. Did you see the little sub article about tests on drug resistant bacteria before and after the ban in Denmark?

I just don't think this stuff is going to happen overnight. I guess I would worry more about the problems created by the things that are currently controlled by antibiotics.
 

Marc936

Member
Oct 25, 2009
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Go look at an organic farm and go look at a ordinary feedlot. You won't feel like eating the organic product.

You say chemically built. Exactly what does that mean? Have you never had a vaccination? Have you never taken vitamins or some other sort of supplement? So much of this organic movement is based so much on ignorance it's not funny.

i was more along the lines of cows being corn fed and given growth hormones. Vaccinations, fine, but other than that no so much.
 

RandomFan

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Aug 11, 2009
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For anyone really concerned about this, there are options. Farmland brand All-Natural pork products receive no antibiotic growth promotants, no added hormones, no injections of any kind the last 30 days prior to slaughter, and are all born and raised in the US. They also receive no tetracycline 15 days prior to slaughter and no sulfa drugs 100 days prior to slaughter.

So my question is, if options like this are already available, why do we need these added restrictions?

Also, there is a key statement in the story that is easy to overlook: "Proper cooking kills drug-resistant bacteria in meat".
 

rebecacy

Well-Known Member
Jan 31, 2007
4,507
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For anyone really concerned about this, there are options. Farmland brand All-Natural pork products receive no antibiotic growth promotants, no added hormones, no injections of any kind the last 30 days prior to slaughter, and are all born and raised in the US. They also receive no tetracycline 15 days prior to slaughter and no sulfa drugs 100 days prior to slaughter.

So my question is, if options like this are already available, why do we need these added restrictions?

Also, there is a key statement in the story that is easy to overlook: "Proper cooking kills drug-resistant bacteria in meat".
We don't have a finite number of antibiotics -- innovation will solve this resistance issue -- the anti's are creating another costly over-reaction.
 

Tre4ISU

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i was more along the lines of cows being corn fed and given growth hormones. Vaccinations, fine, but other than that no so much.

Cows typically wouldn't be given a growth hormone but that is beside the point.

Trust me, a growth hormone is not negatively affecting a human. Those hormones are also implants, not something that is fed. Those growth hormones simply make the animal more efficient. They don't add anything.
 

asmosis

Active Member
Jul 6, 2010
557
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Minneapolis
First off, we do NOT have the cheapest and most safe food supply in the world. We have the cheapest. Our food is so full of toxins, dyes, hydrogenated oils, sugars and junk it cannot be called safe.

Go look at an organic farm and go look at a ordinary feedlot. You won't feel like eating the organic product.

You say chemically built. Exactly what does that mean? Have you never had a vaccination? Have you never taken vitamins or some other sort of supplement? So much of this organic movement is based so much on ignorance it's not funny.

It's not that pigs and cows are being given supplements and vitamins, it's that they are being pumped full of antibiotics just to be able to digest food they were not meant to eat, or to combat the ill-effects of being raised in a high-stress/over-crowded/filthy environment. Corn and soy are fed to cattle because it is a cheap high-protein food source. However, cattle have to be given antibiotics because they are not able to digest the corn and become very sick. They have to be given the antibiotics to survive eating corn for the 150 days or so they are alive.

Organic + GRASS FED cows are given the natural diet that cows have always consumed. They grow to maturity slower and produce less milk, but the food is considerably more nutrient rich and safer. Where do you think all the antibiotics go that are given to corn-fed beef??? It does not all get crapped out.

Also, I'd love to hear your Organic food movement based on ignorance arguments.


For anyone really concerned about this, there are options. Farmland brand All-Natural pork products receive no antibiotic growth promotants, no added hormones, no injections of any kind the last 30 days prior to slaughter, and are all born and raised in the US. They also receive no tetracycline 15 days prior to slaughter and no sulfa drugs 100 days prior to slaughter.

So my question is, if options like this are already available, why do we need these added restrictions?

Also, there is a key statement in the story that is easy to overlook: "Proper cooking kills drug-resistant bacteria in meat".

That has to be the most hypocritical sentence I've ever read!!! How the **** can you call that "all-natural"???


The reality about our food system (and every industry) is that it is controlled by money. This is not always a bad thing. It is a bad thing, however, when the pursuit of money is the deciding factor for every decision. Healthy, safe and consistent food, or more food that comes to market 3-times faster that has to be pumped full of crap to pass the safe test??

The bottom line is that every person has to be comfortable with the food they consume. Personally, I am not comfortable feeding my family processed foods, antibiotic-injected meats, fruits and veggies grown/sprayed with chemicals, milk that contains rBGH, etc.. Sure, our family pays a premium for our food choices and in reality it means I don't have a fancy cell-phone, or premium options on my car, or we don't go out to eat as often. But the trade off is our health and our peace of mind.
 

MoreCowbell

Well-Known Member
Apr 23, 2009
1,901
165
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i was more along the lines of cows being corn fed and given growth hormones. Vaccinations, fine, but other than that no so much.
Have you done any research on your own outside of what Food, Inc. or Eating Animals has told you? That's the kind of misinformation that people spew when they want to sound like they know what they're talking about on a "trendy" topic, but really have no clue.
 
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rebecacy

Well-Known Member
Jan 31, 2007
4,507
270
83
First off, we do NOT have the cheapest and most safe food supply in the world. We have the cheapest. Our food is so full of toxins, dyes, hydrogenated oils, sugars and junk it cannot be called safe.



It's not that pigs and cows are being given supplements and vitamins, it's that they are being pumped full of antibiotics just to be able to digest food they were not meant to eat, or to combat the ill-effects of being raised in a high-stress/over-crowded/filthy environment. Corn and soy are fed to cattle because it is a cheap high-protein food source. However, cattle have to be given antibiotics because they are not able to digest the corn and become very sick. They have to be given the antibiotics to survive eating corn for the 150 days or so they are alive.

Organic + GRASS FED cows are given the natural diet that cows have always consumed. They grow to maturity slower and produce less milk, but the food is considerably more nutrient rich and safer. Where do you think all the antibiotics go that are given to corn-fed beef??? It does not all get crapped out.

Also, I'd love to hear your Organic food movement based on ignorance arguments.




That has to be the most hypocritical sentence I've ever read!!! How the **** can you call that "all-natural"???


The reality about our food system (and every industry) is that it is controlled by money. This is not always a bad thing. It is a bad thing, however, when the pursuit of money is the deciding factor for every decision. Healthy, safe and consistent food, or more food that comes to market 3-times faster that has to be pumped full of crap to pass the safe test??

The bottom line is that every person has to be comfortable with the food they consume. Personally, I am not comfortable feeding my family processed foods, antibiotic-injected meats, fruits and veggies grown/sprayed with chemicals, milk that contains rBGH, etc.. Sure, our family pays a premium for our food choices and in reality it means I don't have a fancy cell-phone, or premium options on my car, or we don't go out to eat as often. But the trade off is our health and our peace of mind.
You sound like you believe all you are saying -- I actually feel sorry for you and worry about the health of your family.
 

RandomFan

Well-Known Member
Aug 11, 2009
2,088
160
63
That has to be the most hypocritical sentence I've ever read!!! How the **** can you call that "all-natural"???


The reality about our food system (and every industry) is that it is controlled by money. This is not always a bad thing. It is a bad thing, however, when the pursuit of money is the deciding factor for every decision. Healthy, safe and consistent food, or more food that comes to market 3-times faster that has to be pumped full of crap to pass the safe test??

The bottom line is that every person has to be comfortable with the food they consume. Personally, I am not comfortable feeding my family processed foods, antibiotic-injected meats, fruits and veggies grown/sprayed with chemicals, milk that contains rBGH, etc.. Sure, our family pays a premium for our food choices and in reality it means I don't have a fancy cell-phone, or premium options on my car, or we don't go out to eat as often. But the trade off is our health and our peace of mind.

Um, I called it All-Natural because that's the name of the product. I didn't make it up, Farmland did.

And your last paragraph is exactly my point, we all have options, so why do we need more costly restrictions?
 

Bobber

Well-Known Member
Apr 12, 2006
8,880
575
113
Hudson, Iowa
You sound like you believe all you are saying -- I actually feel sorry for you and worry about the health of your family.

Would tend to agree. I never buy organic, sleep fine at night and my family is extremely healthy. That fellow represents the other end of the spectrum.
 

Bobber

Well-Known Member
Apr 12, 2006
8,880
575
113
Hudson, Iowa
Um, I called it All-Natural because that's the name of the product. I didn't make it up, Farmland did.

And your last paragraph is exactly my point, we all have options, so why do we need more costly restrictions?

Because the point of the article that resistant bugs could develop that would impact everyone.

Sometimes I think we all have our heads in the sand like an ostrich.

I'd rather be proacitive than reactive.

Listen, the Dane's are no feather weights when it comes to pork production. They've made it work fine, so I have no doubt it will work here.
 
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Marc936

Member
Oct 25, 2009
736
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Cows typically wouldn't be given a growth hormone but that is beside the point.

Trust me, a growth hormone is not negatively affecting a human. Those hormones are also implants, not something that is fed. Those growth hormones simply make the animal more efficient. They don't add anything.

considering growth hormones do a lot of side affects to humans, i'd rather not meat that has some

malodrol, one of the calmest pro hormones for human use has massive side effects if not used right :testosterone drop, gyno, liver damage, joint pain, etc. I have no clue what side affects it has in cows, frankly i wouldn't care enough to.


whether or not you think its safe, idc. It probably is safe, i just rather not it eat.
 

rebecacy

Well-Known Member
Jan 31, 2007
4,507
270
83
considering growth hormones do a lot of side affects to humans, i'd rather not meat that has some

malodrol, one of the calmest pro hormones for human use has massive side effects if not used right :testosterone drop, gyno, liver damage, joint pain, etc. I have no clue what side affects it has in cows, frankly i wouldn't care enough to.


whether or not you think its safe, idc. It probably is safe, i just rather not it eat.
You might want to learn the difference between steroid and protein hormones.
 

Marc936

Member
Oct 25, 2009
736
5
18
36
You might want to learn the difference between steroid and protein hormones.

in technical terms its a pro hormone, and legal to buy, steroids arent, i know a few people in ISU right now that take them. For cows, idk what exactly goes on with them when they take it


edit: anyways im back to doing other stuff, the whole organic vs non organic is dumb anyways, people will choose what they want to eat.
 
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