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Thesis advisor: Brian J. Gareau / This study explores efforts by the farm animal protection movement to pass anti-CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation) farm animal protection legislation in Massachusetts and Rhode Island from 2012 to 2015, aiming to understand why successful outcomes were limited, through the theoretical lenses of collective identities and collective action frames. CAFOs, the predominant source of food animals in the United States, rear animals in intensely confined conditions, which raises significant animal welfare concerns, and also exact serious damage on workers, the environment, public health, and rural communities. Given the animal cruelty inflicted by CAFOs, animal protection organizations have invested much time and effort into passing legislation to ban intensive confinement practices, yet have encountered significant challenges in doing so in some states. This thesis aims to help explain why and how some of these challenges arise, and how they might be avoided or overcome in future efforts. To this end, I describe the collective identities of Massachusetts and Rhode Island farmers and professional farm animal advocates, and analyze the ways that these collective identities interact with and inform framing strategies. I conclude that some elements of the farm animal advocate identity conflict with farmer collective identity, and, further, that consequent advocacy framing strategies at times significantly hinder attempts to pass farm animal protection legislation.

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Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Original typescript. / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

This cross-sectional study described antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in healthy pigs in 20 Alberta and Saskatchewan herds. All herds used antimicrobials; the daily probability of antimicrobial exposure was 0.8 for nursery pigs and 0.3 for grow-finish pigs. Salmonella spp. (n = 468) were isolated from nursery, grow-finish pigs and sows while <i>Escherichia coli</i> (n = 1439) and <i>Campylobacter</i> spp. (n = 405) were isolated from grow-finish pigs. <p>Fifty-nine percent of the Salmonella were pansusceptible. Isolates from sows were more likely to be pansusceptible than those from other production phases, while Salmonella from nursery pigs were more likely to be multiresistant. All Salmonella and E. coli were susceptible to ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin, drugs critically important to human medicine, while one E. coli was resistant to ceftiofur. Resistance was most common to tetracycline and sulfamethoxazole (Salmonella, 35% and 27%; E. coli, 68% and 46%). Although often considered an indicator organism, <i>E. coli</i> AMR was a poor sentinel for Salmonella AMR at the herd-level. <p>Antimicrobial resistance genes, described in 151 <i>E. coli</i>, were associated in two sets: aadA1 / sul1 / tetA and blaTEM / strA strB / sul2 / tetB. Associations between genes consistently matched associations between phenotypes suggesting phenotype data may be useful for predicting co-selection. Demonstrating dose-response relationships between various antimicrobial exposures and resistance phenotypes in E. coli reiterated the importance of co-selection. Significant predictors included exposures in other production phases and to unrelated drugs. Four <i>E. coli </i> resistance-phenotypes were associated with macrolide exposure; the most commonly used antimicrobial class in study herds. Additionally, 70% of the Campylobacter were resistant to a macrolide and this resistance was associated with macrolide exposure in nursery pigs. Study herds did not use quinolones. Despite this, 15% of Campylobacter were resistant to a quinolone. Both Campylobacter and <i>E. coli</i> AMR clustered within herds, indicating on-farm interventions could mitigate AMR in pigs.<p>This study described AMR in enteric bacteria from healthy pigs. Identifying dose-response relationships between antimicrobial resistances and exposures to unrelated drugs, and exposures of pigs in different production phases, emphasize the importance of judicious antimicrobial use in pig production.

This thesis is a design of a sustainable family farm within the context of drastic changes is rural areas over the past century and the coming changes of the future century. The design explores the integration of farm culture, farm architecture, and farm sustainability. It uses the creative architecture to solve common farm problems. The thesis is organized into three major chapters relating to the three major areas of research; architecture precidents, context, and farming approaches, along with a design chapter. Chapter one looks at precedents for the unusual proposition of an architect designing a farm which is usually left to vernacular architecture. The farm design is related to the evolution of the villa ideology using James Ackerman. Chapter two explores the context of agriculture. It maps the historical changes due to industrialization and cheep fossil fuel energy. It continues to map the current beginnings of change due to rising energy costs and environmental concerns. These issues are expressed in the local conditions of the 150 acre site in Middlesex County, Southern Ontario. It places the thesis within contemporary issues of sustainability. Chapter three explains the design of the Woven Lea Farm. It describes the architecture of the farm as a total ecosystem design. The woven Lea Farm gets its name from the many complexities woven together and the pasture or lea rotation system which is an essential part of the design. Chapter four explores agriculture approaches and resulting technologies. It is a critique of artisanal, industrial, certified organic, and organic practices. This chapter explains the design as a hybridization of all these theories and explains many of the processes involved in the Woven Lea Farm. The design presents the agriculture environment and a critique of available practices. The design is a holistic approach including energy cycles, animal and landscape management, and passive building systems. This thesis is not only a design solution but can be used as a reference for many potential practices and creative problem solving methodologies available to farmers.