b'Family Farms vs Factory Food: The Battle for the Future of MeatI GREW UPon a small family farm in Northern Wisconsin.animal welfare argument. All this is done in a bioreactor with a Before school, my brother and I pulled a few bales down fromheavy dose of antibiotics since the cells have no immune system, the haymow and filled the water tank. As kids, we tried to rideaccording to the National Institute of Healths National Center for the pigs (impossible!) and cursed the cows when they chewedBiotechnology Information. on the water hose. But in the end, the health and productivity ofFactory ownership concentration is also a concern. The these animals were our livelihood. worlds largest meat company, JBS, has invested close to $500 This upbringing is mirrored across the country. According tomillion in manufactured meat. Pair that with massive investments the USDA, family farms make up 98% of farming operations, gen- from ADM and others and it looks like the usual suspects plan to erate 88% of farm production and operate on 88% of the totalcontrol the manufactured meat market. Theyve also been able farmland. Farming and animal agriculture is a family affair! to grab tax-payer dollars from Israel, Singapore and Japan and But, its not without detractors. Opponents of the meat indus- Hollywood elites, like Leonardo DiCaprio. try use terms like factory farming and inflate farmings impactBut agriculture already has the solution! on climate. They fail to acknowledge the incredible productivityNew breeding techniques, like gene editing, are unlocking gains, such as the 34% increase in milk per cow since 1999 or themore of plants and our planets potential to produce more while 28% increase in average grain corn yield since 2001, both accord- using less. Less water, less land, less chemicals and less fertilizer. ing to Statista. Every farmer feeds 166 people today versus 26Improved nutritional composition of grains will reduce the acres back in 1960. needed for animal feed and better cover crops are improving The hyperboles are used to secure the billions of dollarswater quality and soil health across the country. This innovation is needed for massive meat manufacturing factories that proposejust getting started and the future is unlimited.to phase out animal agriculture.Lets not pour billions into meat factories to prop up global The manufactured meat processthe suggested alternativeag giants and celebrities. Lets invest those resources withinvolves harvesting stem cells from animals and then replicat- independent and university-based plant breeders working on ing them in a medium. The most common medium is fetal bovineclimate-friendly feed ingredientsas an example, ingredients serum, which is calf fetus blood. Getting this fetus blood requiresthat reduce methane emissions from cows or generate more killing a pregnant cow and bleedingoil per acre from soybeans. That investment will also support out the fetus. The manufacturedthe nations efforts on rural economic development. Successful meat industry is working tofamily farming operations support higher land values and replace the animal-basedincrease the diversity of our food supply. Those land values medium with a con- create the tax base for rural schools, keep Main Street busi-coction of plant andnesses open and encourages the next generation to stay on synthetic ingredientsthe family farm.in the future, accord- The battle for the future of meat will also decide the future ing to the Americanof family farms and rural America. Its in our national interest to Oil Chemists Society.continue to drive innovations in plant breeding and animal agri-I can see why. Thisculture. Together, with our nations famers, we can improve the process cuts directlyefficiency and reduce the environmental impact of farming and against the industryskeep the next generation on the family farm.JIM SCHWEIGERT PRESIDENT, GRO ALLIANCE @jim_schweigert|jim.schweigert@groalliance.com|GroAlliance.com28/ SEEDWORLD.COMJANUARY 2023'