The Poultry Evolution

Visiting Georgie Cartanza’s poultry farm was an interesting experience that I am lucky to have had during my college career. I have visited a poultry farm once before, however I had never been to an organic farm. With organic chicken being on the rise, I felt it was important to my knowledge and understanding of current agriculture to be aware of the exact meaning of organic and antibiotic free. Organic implies antibiotic free, meaning the chickens harvested have been off of the antibiotics long enough for them to be completely out of their system. A step above antibiotic free, or ABF, is NAE. NAE stands for no antibiotics ever, and instead growers rely on things like vinegar and oregano to combat sickness. Additionally, the better housing conditions such as nipple drinkers, automatic feeders, and temperature control panels have contributed to the health overall health improvements that the poultry industry has seen over the past few decades, allowing chickens to live a healthier life overall, antibiotics or not. Georgie’s farm has allowed me to see the evolution of poultry farms as it is occurring, and I am definitely interested in seeing what we as an agricultural community will be driven towards next.

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