While I can appreciate the author's nostalgia, I cannot really agree on some of the criticism:
The manure problem is a problem at any size of farm, the amount of manure per cow is somewhat constant. So concentrating all the cows in some factory farm doesn't really make anything worse as long as the total number of cows is somewhat constant.
The undocumented immigrant labour problem isn't as big a problem as the family farms' systemic problem of child labour and child exploitation. Which the author glosses over in his point of view.
To feed a growing population on earth, we do need industrial farming. Maybe not so much cattle. But in general, higher efficiency and more professional operations should be applauded. Yes, that means that family farms will be gone at some point.
The manure problem is a problem at any size of farm, the amount of manure per cow is somewhat constant. So concentrating all the cows in some factory farm doesn't really make anything worse as long as the total number of cows is somewhat constant.
The undocumented immigrant labour problem isn't as big a problem as the family farms' systemic problem of child labour and child exploitation. Which the author glosses over in his point of view.
To feed a growing population on earth, we do need industrial farming. Maybe not so much cattle. But in general, higher efficiency and more professional operations should be applauded. Yes, that means that family farms will be gone at some point.