Chapter 6, "On the Range"

1) What are some of the problems facing cattle ranchers? Cattle ranchers these days face an enormous amount of problems. Most of them become bankrupt because they don't make money off of selling their cattle, or they might even lose money. The rising land prices, and the roller-coaster beef prices also contributes. Because of the fast food industry and the use of the meat packing industry, ranchers are constantly pressured into selling their land.

2) What impact has the consolidation of the meat packing industry had on cattle ranchers? Big fast food industries are seeking uniformity, unlike how they used to operate they no longer buy meat from local farmers. They now buy from a select 5 or 6 meat packing industries, so their food tastes identical. This is giving the cattle ranchers very little income. The meat packing industry sets the price for cattle, while making sure the ranchers get the lowest price. This leaves many of the ranchers selling their land to the big industries. "The top 4 meat packing industries slaughter 84% of the nations' cattle."

4) What was the impact of the Chicken McNugget on the poultry industry? The Chicken McNugget turned chicken into something easily eaten in the car. "It turned chicken farmers into little more than surfs." More and more poultry was being consumed, and not in the whole form (as was the usual before the McNugget) but as strips and nuggets. Many fast food restaurants now offered chicken at their restaurant, which many thought was healthier than the hamburgers... (WRONG!)


This chapter went into detail on how horrible our once beloved farmers are treated. Their prices for their cattle are determined by the big-shot industries, which are not very high. The farmer is becoming an extinct species.