the McCattle archipelago

The McCattle archipelago proposal seeks to "naturalize" beef production within the McDonald's industry. Since most, if not all, of the beef that McDonald's uses comes from industrialized farming systems where cattle are raised through feedlot systems, the McCattle archipelago focuses on eliminating the need for this particular system in favor of pasture-fed cattle production.

The fact that a Big Mac tastes the same in every country reflects this grain-fed system. Traditionally, beef in Australia and beef in Argentina and beef in the United States would not taste the same due to vernacular species of grass available in each country, but through the feedlot system, the beef becomes homogenized through the grains that the cattle are fed. The McCattle archipelago proposes a return to the pasture-fed system, allowing the beef to retain its natural and local characteristics. 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. Since traditional grazing methods typically require more acreage than feedlot systems, the McCattle archipelagoes provide a method to produce the same amount of beef needed to supply the global fast food industries through more sustainable and natural methods.

the feeding method in a feedlot system

Through the McCattle archipelagoes, our system's standard of living 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 two collages below illustrate the utopic view of the McCattle archipelagoes: one in sunny weather and one in rainy weather, where the retractable, umbrella-like structures begin to provide protection and shelter for the cattle during inclimate weather.




GENERAL PROGRAM FOR McCATTLE ARCHIPELAGO:

A. McCattle pasture islands

• Connection to the meat-packing island - a movable gate would separate the cow island from the meat-packing island. when the cattle achieve their mature weight for slaughter, the gate would be raised allowing for ease of herding from cow island to the meat-packing island. Also, livestock transportation to and from the meat packing facility is eliminated, due to the direct connection of the meat packing island to the cow island. This significantly reduces the risk of diseases born through transportation to the slaughterhouse, as well as significantly reducing transportation/freight costs.
• Each island would contain the following:

1. movable electronic fences to facilitate proper grazing rotations for cattle herds;


2. trees and other vegetation that would provide proper shading for the cattle;

1. a retractable covering or other type of movable device with the capability of protecting the cattle from inclimate weather;
   


2. fencing around the perimeter of the island.

• Islands would be modifiable in size and terrain at inception in order to accomodate demand for particular breeds, particular desired herd sizes, and various grass species.
  
• Elimination of the use of pesticides since grains would not be used to feed the cattle.

B. Meat-packing island

• Facilities would include meat packing factory with separate clean piped water system, waste water treatment plant, rendering plant, and veterinarian stations.
• Landing strip to be constructed within the meat packing island in order to accomodate immediate flight distribution of the beef.

C. Connection to Port

• Connection allows farmers and meat-packing facility staff to enter and exit archipelago.
• Ease of distribution due to existing infrastructure within the port cities, such as railroads and interstates, which can be used to facilitate distribution. Also, the fact that the archipelagoes exist within bodies of water becomes an opportunity to utilize immediate shipping of the packed beef products through freight ships.

proposal for American McCattle archipelago to reside off the coast of Texas:

specific program elements:
A. McCattle sub-islands per archipelago

• The four major beef feedlot corporations are:

1. Cactus Feeders, LLC (one-time capacity = 500,000 cattle)


2. Contibeef, LLC (one-time capacity = 450,000 cattle)


3. ConAgra Cattle Feeding Company (one-time capacity = 440,000)


4. Caprock Cattle Feeders (one-time capacity = 290,000)

• One archipelago will contain enough pasture acreage (2,800,000 acres) to support one-time capacity of 500,000 cattle, fulfilling the production of the current largest feedlot business. With approximately four or five archipelagoes, the entire United States' feedlot industry could be fulfilled. Since the United States is the top producer of feedlot beef, these archipelagoes have major potential in changing the practice of global beef production.
  

B. Centralized meat packing facility

C. Connection to the Houston, TX port

• Houston is currently the second largest port in the nation by tonnage.
  
• Houston currently contains both railway and major highway infrastructure, creating the possibility of immediate distribution of the packed beef products.

In terms of advanced modeling tools, I have found that the texture mapping tool as well as the image displacement tools have become really useful in order to illustrate the program within the model. Terrain meshes really help the pastures become different than a flat two-dimensional surface. It has been an interesting step within this project to work within form-z rather than sketch concepts with pencil and paper. While I sketched initially, I am beginning to realize form-z's capabilities as a sketching tool, although I am still not completely comfortable with this method.