Well J. Fred, I don't know how the Social Contract enters in but I live in a county with more swine [ 4 legged ] than people. Not that we don't have people, we have 2 universities, 3 colleges, 2 major manufactures and a car plant, plus the worlds 1st and fifth largest insurance companies. But we still have more pigs.
A mega raiser has 50,000 or more hogs, all confined in a building. We have 7 of these. Now that is a lot of pig shit to get rid of. The pay ain't all that bad and it's all locals, but they have shut off the small farmer and the crap is a problem. Used to be the small farmer had a few dozen he took to the local plant for slaughter, now they are sent 100s of miles away. So much for the local butchers.
In Fulton county, Illinois, there is a big cattle feeder, they send their cattle to Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Peoria slaughter yards are twenty miles away but they own the Green Bay plant.
I am some what fortunate to live here as some small farmers still have livestock and I know the locker plants. I had some excellant bacon today and will have a prime Porterhouse when I'm over the flu.
A few years, shit, 25 years back, a friend and I bought a live hog. Killed it, dressed it, made bacon, sausage, hams, lard, chitlins and jowels, all for 36 cents a pound. Right good too. |
