These organizations and resources are intended to provide you with comprehensive and current information on animal husbandry issues and to direct you to a wide variety of tools and support.

Animals and Welfare

Animal Welfare Institute The welfare of farmed animals is related to the extent to which they can adapt without suffering to environments designed by humans. Increasingly, farm animals are raised in close confinement in "factories" where they suffer severe deprivation. AWI works to halt these intensive farming practices and replace them with methods which are both humane and economical.

New Farm reaches a global community of food producers to exchange valuable “farmer-to-farmer know-how.” NewFarm.org presents compelling success stories with expert resources for crop and livestock production, direct marketing, local food systems, policy campaigns and community-building collaborations.

Environment and Sustainability            [ top ]

Sierra Club - Factory Farms Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation. Giant livestock operations are a growing public health threat all across the nation. These corporate-controlled units -- where tens of thousands of animals are "produced" in factory-like settings -- are polluting America's water and air.

WaterKeepers Alliance is a leading legal advocate for the public’s right to clean, safe waterways. Waterkeeper Alliance connects and supports local Waterkeeper programs to provide a voice for waterways and their communities worldwide.

Communities and Economics                 [ top ]

The GRACE Factory Farm Project (GFFP) works to create a sustainable food production system that is healthful and humane, economically viable, and environmentally sound. When invited by regional or grassroots groups, the GFFP offers comprehensive assistance to rural communities, family ranchers and farmers around the country to oppose the spread of new factory farms, and close down existing operations that adversely affect the health and well-being of communities.

Health and Nutrition                              [ top ]

Health Care Without Harm is working with hospitals to adopt food procurement policies that provide nutritionally improved food for patients, staff, visitors, and the general public, and create food systems which are ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially responsible. By adopting food procurement policies that are ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially responsible, health care systems demonstrate an understanding of the inextricable links between human, public, and ecosystem health.

IATP Food and Health
Antibiotic Overuse - Antibiotics are routinely fed to livestock and poultry that are not sick to promote growth or to compensate for stressful, crowded and often less-than-sanitary conditions. An estimated 25-75 percent of feed antibiotics pass through the animal unchanged into manure.
Factory Farms and Health - Modern food production is increasingly industrial and factory-like. Industrial characteristics include: raising livestock and poultry under confined indoor conditions, which concentrates manure and manure-related pollutants; excessive use of antibiotics.

For Consumers                                     [ top ]

Ask For Change! Campaign - AFC! seeks to help people make informed and conscious choices about the meat they eat. Raising awareness of how choice in meat can be a force of change or a vote for the status quo, and helping to formulate specific questions and an understanding of the answers to find the best meat choices.

Eat Well Guide (www.eatwellguide.org) is a project of GRACE and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, is an online directory of sustainably-raised meat, poultry, dairy and eggs. Consumers simply put in their zip code to find sustainable products from, stores, restaurants and farms in their area.

Sustainable Table is a consumer campaign launched to help fill in the gaps in the sustainable food movement, and to help direct consumers to the leading organizations who are working on the issue. InsboXdkgreend of becoming overwhelmed by all the problems surrounding our food supply, Sustainable Table celebrates the joy of food and eating.

For Buyers                                             [ top ]

Farm Locator helps consumers, brokers, resturanteurs and other farmers find the farm services they're looking for. New Farm's 'Farm Locator' finds farmers who can supply your restaurant with farm-fresh produce and meat, or retail store.

Meat of the Matter (Chef's Collaborative) – is an initiative that looks at modern meat production and sustainable alternatives (and their quirks) so culinary professionals can begin to incorporate these products into their menus. The program provides not only product information, but also education about new butchering skills and a variety of new and creative recipes and techniques to help chefs use underutilized cuts of meat.