Proposal: the McCattle Island.

The McDonald's franchise has infiltrated the world at a phenomenal rate, creating complex relationships as a multinational corporation. These complex relationships bring global consequences, understood best through cultural, social, economic, and political lenses. Mappings revealing the influence of McDonald's as a global force within ideas such as purchasing power and refugee origin can be found here.

One of the major global consequences formed through the McDonald's franchise, and other multinational fast food operations, becomes a high demand for beef. The beef supply for these franchise operations becomes hard to meet due to the large amount of beef required, but also because the beef must be homogenized so that the Big Mac may taste the same with disregard to geographic location.

map of global beef production

The supply of this extremely high beef demand becomes fulfilled through a form of industrialized farming: the feedlot system.

the feedlot system

The feedlot, developed post World War II in the United States due to the rise of fast food operations, enables the cattle to gain weight faster through grain feeding and protein supplements, in order that the cattle may reach mature slaughter weight at a much faster rate than traditional grazing methods, while taking up less area than required in traditional grazing methods. The feedlot system, however, displaces cattle from a species-appropriate environment into a confined area where feeding takes place through mechanized trough-like systems. The feedlot also relies on a grain-fed method to fatten the cattle, disregarding the cattle's ruminary nature. While feedlot systems provide inexpensive and readily available meats to supply the world's high beef demand, pasture-fed beef becomes a more sustainable system for the environment.

The feedlot system allows all of the beef supplied from a feedlot to become homogenized due to the similar nature of the grains that the cattle are fed, instead of allowing the cattle to retain the flavors of the vernacular grass species found in the cattle's original location, as is the case with traditional farming methods given by pasture-fed cattle. The current feedlot market is controlled by four main corporations, including Cactus Feeders and ConAgra. The ConAgra feedlot has a one-time occupancy of 440,000 cattle head, with each cow remaining on the feedlot approximately 110-150 days.

map of feedlot facilities within United States

map of meat-packing facilities within United States

The McCattle island proposal seeks to "naturalize" beef production within the multinational fast food industry. Since the beef that McDonald's uses comes from industrialized farming systems where cattle are raised through feedlot systems, the McCattle island focuses on eliminating the need for this particular system in favor of pasture-fed cattle production. Research regarding beef production methods can be found here.

The parameters of this man-made McCattle Island become a direct reaction to the implications formed through the existing feedlot system. The proposed McCattle Island becomes located off of the coast of Houston, primarily due to the existing infrastructure found within Houston and the proximity of Houston to the areas with high volumes of beef production in the United States.

beef production map with world's largest ports overlaid. the high-volume of the port of Houston combined with its location in the "beef belt" makes Houston a prime location for the McCattle Island.

existing railroads and interstates within houston

scale comparison of McCattle Island to Houston and an average ConAgra feedlot

The McCattle Island allows cattle species-appropriate diets and environment, while maintaining the level of beef production necessary to satisfy the demand of fast food operations. Weaned cattle arrive at the periphery of the McCattle Island through railway transport and stay on the McCattle Island for approximately two years, the length of time it takes for the cattle to reach mature slaughter weight. One island will contain enough pasture (4,733 square miles) to support the production of the current largest feedlot business. Each herd would contain 1000 head of cattle, with the appropriate amount of pasture needed per month per herd provided over the two-year life cycle of the cattle on the McCattle island. Since the United States is the top producer of feedlot beef, the McCattle island has major potential in changing the practice of global beef production.

railway connection of the McCattle island back to the port of Houston

designation of the amount of pasture needed per herd per month

The McCattle Island facilitates traditional grazing methods while directing the cattle into the center of the island, where the meat-packing facility is located. The connection back to the port of Houston's existing infrastructure allows the weaned cattle to be delivered and the packaged meat to be exported through the same line of transportation, lowering the level of disease born through transport from the feedlot to the slaughter house and allowing immediate distribution of the packaged meat.

collage showing the McCattle Island

McCattle Island relative to the continent

The rotating center-pivot volumes serve a variety of purposes:

[1] method of maintaining proper grazing patterns, allowing the pasture to be consumed and rest on the given schedule necessary for the particular species of grass. These rotating volumes allow the cattle to move from the periphery of the island to the center of the island;

the series of rotating fences, divided based on the amount of pasture needed per herd per two year cycle. therefore, each "pie wedge" becomes representative of the area needed for the two-year duration on the McCattle Island.

animated gif illustrating the twelve simulatneous grazing patterns found on the island, given by the month of the cattle's arrival (click on the image to see the rotations).

all of the grazing patterns over a two-year time period. the green areas represent the consumed grass, and the gray areas illustrate the grass not consumed.

[2] method of irrigation, as inspired by the center-pivot irrigation systems found in the great plains and western parts of the United States;

center-pivot irrigation system

[3] method of raking the pasture for proper fertilization;

the rotating volume would contain prongs, like that of a rake, to distribute manure found in the pastures and properly fertilize the pastures

[4] method of transport into the center of the island via semi-truck or car;

section showing the movement of a semi-truck through the McCattle island

[5] method of isolation for injured or sick cow. The cattle that need to be quarantined can be quickly ushered into the rotating volume so that the rest of the herd does not risk infection.

section showing the isolation of cattle from the rest of the herd

Through the McCattle island, the standard of living currently found in the McDonald's countries could still be maintained, and the five basic freedoms of animal rights could be achieved by allotting the cattle species-appropriate living conditions and diets, instead of training the cattle to feed on grains they are not naturally designed to eat through mechanized trough-like feeding systems. The McCattle Island serves as a testament to the social and cultural conditions of society today by illustrating the amount of land needed to produce the same amount of beef produced through industrial farming methods. The need for a method of poly-culture farming becomes necessary for the future in order to avoid a social, cultural, and economic hegemony.

section showing the connection/transportation from port of Houston to the McCattle island