As chance would have it, I happened to meet a representative from a confined animal feeding operation (CAFO). Seaboard Foods, an integrated producer of premium pork products, is one of the top ten pork producers and processors in the United States.CAFOs are an interesting evolution in business. Think "Henry Ford makes bacon... lots of bacon." Factory farming is a logical extension of product manufacturing invented in the Industrial Revolution. This means it comes under the scrutiny that all mass production now requires and it also brings a host of ethical questions.
Because I strive to hybridize sustainable business practices I feel it is not only appropriate but necessary to engage the people from the CAFO industry. We may agree to disagree but surely we can have conversations and learn about each other and maybe, just maybe find some common ground for the mutual benefit of those in the present and those of future generations. Sustainability begins with a conversation and that begins by listening. We all want to be heard.
