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simple step can make animals less vulnerable while not imposing
costs on the people involved in implementing it.
The reports from both organizations discuss some of the bet-
ter-researched housing alternatives, including hoop barns for hogs.
A hoop barn is a semi-permanent structure with four-foot-high
wood or concrete sidewalls fi tted with a tubular arch, across which
stretches a tarp made of opaque, ultraviolet-light-resistant polypro-
pylene. Most of the fl oor space inside contains bedding of straw,
cornstalks, or other crop residues. Part of the fl oor is a concrete
slab where feeding and watering occurs. Hoop barns allow hogs to
express their natural behaviors to burrow and root, and the open-
ended construction provides natural ventilation, thus reducing the
concentration of hydrogen sulfi de, methane, and ammonia. The
bedding absorbs waste, and it can be composted and used for fertil-
izer. In short, hoop barns provide a more humane environment for
hogs, with far less toll on the environment. Production compares
favorably with intensive housing systems.^33 Hoop barns have also
been used successfully with beef and dairy cattle and poultry.
I mention hoop barns to illustrate one especially effective agri-
cultural practice that can make animals less vulnerable in disas-
ters. Pasture-based methods for raising cattle and hogs can even
be applied to chickens, using easily moved structures. These meth-
ods would also make animals less vulnerable in disasters. However,
they require more land, and production under these conditions
might be more variable than it is under industrial conditions.
Pasture-based methods would also increase the amount of labor
involved in raising all animals and thus require more training in
animal husbandry. Consequently, we need research that can help
farmers incorporate profi table, sustainable practices. The UCS rec-
ommends research to determine the following:
- Which breeds will produce the best meat or eggs in dif-
ferent climates - How many animals can be produced on pasture without
compromising the environment or animal health