raisedabovetheconcreteflooroftheshed.Thecalvesare
tetheredby achain aroundthe necktoprevent themfrom
turningintheirstallswhentheyaresmall.(Thechainmaybe
removedwhenthecalvesgrowtoobigtoturnaroundinsuch
narrowstalls.)Thestallhasnostraworotherbedding,since
thecalvesmighteatit,spoilingthepalenessoftheirflesh.
Theyleavetheirstallsonlytobetakenouttoslaughter.They
arefedatotallyliquiddiet,basedonnonfatmilkpowderwith
vitamins,minerals,andgrowth-promotingdrugsadded.Thus
thecalvesliveforthenextsixteenweeks.Thebeautyofthe
system,fromtheproducers’pointofview,isthatatthisage
thevealcalf mayweighas muchasfourhundred pounds,
insteadoftheninety-oddpoundsthatnewborncalvesweigh;
andsincevealfetchesapremiumprice,rearingvealcalvesin
this manner is a profitable occupation.
ThismethodofraisingcalveswasintroducedtotheUnited
Statesin 1962 byProvimi,Inc.,afeedmanufacturerbasedin
Watertown,Wisconsin.Itsnamecomesfrom the“proteins,
vitamins, and minerals” of which its feeds are
composed—ingredientsthat,onemightthink,couldbeputto
better usethan vealraising.Provimi,according to its own
boast,createdthis“newandcompleteconceptinvealraising”
and it is still by far the largest company in the business,
controlling 50 to 75 percent of the domestic market. Its
interest in promoting veal production liesin developing a
marketforitsfeed.Describingwhatitconsidered“optimum
vealproduction,”Provimi’snowdefunctnewssheet,TheStall
Street Journal, gives us an insight into the nature of the
industry, which in the United States and some European
countries has remained essentially unchanged since its
introduction: