Were Those the Days, My Friend?

Improvements in animal breeding and genetics over the last 50 years have helped provide food for growing populations. With the increasing demand for animal products in the developing world, the efficient production of animal protein will continue to be an important component of international food security.

Click "like" to vote for this video in the American Society of Animal Science Video Competition. Voting ends June 1, 2012. First place receives $1,250 and will be recognized at the Joint Annual Meeting in July.

• Category

  Science & Technology

[Clifton Murphy]

Outstanding! Very well presented, with professional intermixing of statistics and photos with very effective backup vocals!

Wonderful to see and hear some GREAT NEWS in support of scientific research and its impact upon the starving.

[The5chwarrz]

I don't know about you but I can't eat hay, or grasses for that matter, to survive. It is all about utilizing resources that we cannot by ourselves. Not all land in this world can farmed to produce grain and vegetables. Some areas are too desolate, dry, rocky, and steep, for example, to till. This is where animals like cattle, sheep, and goats come in to produce food, efficiently, from rangeland that would otherwise be non-harvestable.

[beaelliott]

If the video is supposed to be factual and educational...It sites "enviropig" as a means towards more "productivity".Anyone can google to see that enviropig was shelved for being a wasteful, unfeasible & inferior "science".

Now-The idea that days were long for humans then.Imagine how very long life is for nonhumans now!Most never seeing anything but the face across the isle as you're trapped in your few inches of space!

Rose colored glasses!They have short miserable lives.And bitter unjust ends.

[beaelliott]

Meat and milk "essentials"?Why have Asians lived on a primary plant based diet since at least the 7th century?Why & HOW am I still alive without flesh and cow's milk?

And why is it that the vegan food markets and sales doubled in 10 years? Are you saying consumers and entrepreneurs are making unwise decisions when those business are the only ones thriving?

Why is it that Bill Clinton has the best health care in the world and his doctors approve of his plant based diet?

Are you a nutritionalist?

[beaelliott]

What about unsustainable water issues? Certainly a bathtub of water per day per cow to drink is not efficient - Let alone the endless "misters" to keep them cool. I know human families who don't use that much water in a week!

And the pigs - In climate controlled buildings?Many of us go without those comforts of a "perfect" temperature-For the sake of the environment and the monetary cost!

And enviropig was abandoned because of consumer concerns.

Misleading video-Romanticizing archaic animal ag.

[MsAlvane]

The proportion of undernourished people actually dropped from 33% in 1970 to 16% in 2010, despite population growth. In 1970 there were 958 million undernourished people in the world, and in 2010 there were 925 million. However the world population almost doubled during that time from 3.6 billion to 6.8 billion. This number of hungry people would be far greater today if it had not been for improvements in the efficiency of plant and animal agriculture.

[Kim Barker]

If all these "advances" have any value, why are there tens of millions more hungry people than in 1950? How many more chemicals, and drugs are used today? How much more pollution? Who had the most nutritious food, 1950, or today? This is nothing but propaganda that ignores the reality of industrial agriculture.

[lemauxpg]

Very effective at presenting the advances that have been accomplished through the application of modern genetic information. Whether you, yourself, are a meat eater or not, you have to stand in awe of the increases that have been realized and what this has done for food availability worldwide. And the means of imparting this knowledge was very artfully done. Great job! From someone on the other side of the supply chain - working to provide the grain for the animals to eat.

[unchang1]

Great job putting this video together and great job feeding the hungry while being environmentally responsible. Don't be distracted by negative comments. Human has been genetically omnivore for millions of years. Meat and milk are essentials. Providing the essentials in the most efficient and the most environmentally friendly manner should be greatly appreciated. I gather that some people may wish to transform human into herbivore. Don't know if that is genetically probable or practical.

[MegaGigi4444]

Creative lyrics & great historical pictures depicting 50 years of advancement in animal technology. Learning to be efficient with the resources & time we have is very important. We have many more people to feed due to population growth, but less land for producing food (animals & plants). Thus, efficiency is so important to human survival.  I'm grateful for this improved technology! Thanks for working so hard to develop more efficient ways to produce farm animals for human consumption.

[jlaser12]

Ha, kook indeed. I'd have to suggest you take your own advice on this one. Get a grip on reality.

[Maddison Easley]

Do you know ANYTHING about the livestock industry? These animals are not being tortured. They take resources that humans can't and/or wouldn't ever want to consume and in turn provide nutrients for us in a more appetizing and efficient form. We are omnivores not herbivores for a reason. There is not enough land or resources to provide a "vegan" diet for the entire population. This video isn't promoting the livestock industry anyway; it's educational and shows how the industry has changed.