When supply chains shift: What beef-on-dairy means for beef sector's visibility
- ZISK
- Apr 10
- 1 min read
Over the past several decades, the relationship between the public and animal agriculture has changed dramatically. In the middle of the 20th century, a large share of the U.S. population lived on farms or had close connections to agricultural production. Today, fewer than 2 percent of Americans are directly employed in agriculture, and only a portion of those individuals work in livestock production. As the late philosopher Bernard Rollin noted, this demographic shift has profoundly altered how animals are viewed in society.
As the population has moved away from direct involvement in agriculture, animals have increasingly met new needs, including companionship, recreation and media representation. These experiences shape cultural expectations about how animals should be treated, often without direct familiarity with the realities of livestock production systems.
Ruth Woiwode
April 7, 2026
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