Is Intensive Farming an Outdated Idea?
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If you are thinking about starting your own farm or perhaps investing in an existing farm, then it’s important to be aware of the strategies that are used for farming. Intensive farming used to be a key strategy that was used on many farms, but there are signs that this is starting to change. Let’s explore why this is and why it might be true to say that intensive farming is a relic that must remain in the past.
What Is Intensive Farming?
Intensive farming is a simple concept. Through this strategy, farmers push to achieve the greatest levels of input and output by each unit of agricultural land area. In doing so, the aim is to ensure that profits remain high. This has become difficult in recent years and we’ll discuss this more a little further down.
Intensive farming can be used to farm both livestock and crops but it’s the former where it can be particularly problematic.
Why Was Intensive Farming Necessary?
Intensive farming became a necessary option after farms began to struggle to make enough money to survive. Part of the reason for this was supermarkets dropping the price on products like milk due to consumer demand. Essentially, customers demanded that farming products were cheaper to buy, supermarkets obliged and farmers were hit hard. It’s always been a struggle at certain points for farmers to make a profit. But the new pressure from supermarkets seemingly made it impossible, forcing them into a difficult situation.
Why Is Intensive Farming Dangerous?
There are various debates that rage on about whether intensive farming does mean a poor quality of life for the animals at the farm. One of the reasons for this is that they can be kept inside all year around. Veterinary professionals have also often expressed concerns that intensive farming may make it more likely that issues such as disease will spread and develop within livestock populations. There is also controversy about whether this type of farming provides the same quality of livestock or the same quality of crops.
What’s the Alternative?
Free range farming is the alternative to intensive farming and it does seem to be more popular than ever. This is certain true when you explore companies like Superior Farms. The company is known for providing high quality lamb products to the market where livestock is farmed on open pastures. It’s not just a hit with farmers either. There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that consumers these days are more willing to pay more for high quality products that come from free range farms. This started with eggs from chickens but is quickly spreading to virtually every type of farm imaginable.
If you invest in a free range farm then you could see tremendous benefits. You might notice an increase in demand for the business and you will be able to sleep easier knowing that a business you invest in will be taking the right steps to farm the right way. This is beneficial for everyone from the farmers to the people who are buying these products.
