On Tuesday, July 15, 2003, at 11:10  PM, Adrienne Smith wrote:

> Seems most on this list would rather consume organic, grass-fed meats
> as
> opposed to feed-lot  if it was convenient to buy and reasonably
> priced.  Anyone
> know when feed-lot practices started in the US or has meat always been
> raised
> that way here?  Also, anyone know when hormones and antibiotics were
> first
> routinely used in meat production here?
>

Feedlot feeding started big time (farmers had always used some grain to
fatten animals before market) about in the fifties, after the
government began researching ways to get rid of the ag surplus caused
by price supports. They had mountains of grain piling up and didn't
know what to do with it, so they asked the ag colleges to come up with
ways to get rid of it. Feeding it to animals was one of the solutions.

Hormones, early 70s, if memory serves, I was still a kid then.

Antibiotics, same, early 70s I think. I recall my Dad using it in baby
pig feed sometimes. But it was too expensive then to use continuously.

These are rough figures, from memory, someone else might be more
accurate.