Do Dodge City meat packing plants kill the animals right there in town ??? (Garden City: real estate, apartment)

[FiveHorses]

Originally Posted by laidoffreporter

I'll just adjust to the situation and be grateful.

I'd like to wish you every success.

[tlawwife]

I think that you might want to look at Cimarron. It is not too far to the west. Quite a few people have left Dodge to live there. I don't know how far away you can live for your job but I think that would be a good alternative for you. I don't know where you will be working but you shouldn't HAVE to drive by the plant no matter where you go. Most businesses that I know of would not put you going past the plant from Cimarron. There is a plant on the highway that goes through town although there are good alternative routes to miss that.

I hope that you find western Kansas welcoming. You will certainly have the opportunity to experience the culture you are interested in if you so choose.

[catwoman66]

I absoultely loved your response to KevK!!! You are an extremely quick witted and talented writer!

Congratulations on your new job! There are so many people out of work right now, and many of them are very talented also. I think you have a great attitude about it~being grateful for it.

I don't know if a trailer would be a good idea in western KS. It has been many years ago that I lived in Hays, and I became very accustomed to tornados. I'm in the eastern part of the state now and we still get them, but if memory serves me correctly, most houses out there were built with basements for a reason. So, you may want to research that a little more.

Although you cannot escape the "industry" out there, I personally think you would be happier living in one of the smaller surrounding towns. There would be less exposure to things and less crime.

I'm a vegan, & a nurse with a Masters degree psychology as well. Most of us were not born vegan (although I agree that we are herbivors by nature), but became vegan due to experiences that increased our awareness of animal suffering. If you are uncomfortable with just the idea of living around the meat industry, maybe the subject is something that you will explore within yourself further someday. Maybe being exposed to it more will be an experience that will initiate personal growth and motivate you to use your talent to help end the suffering of the animals by increasing awareness in others. It is a possibility. I just wanted to make the point that even though aspects of the area may be unappealing, good things may come out of those aspects down the line.

I'm the one the wrote the comment in another thread about hearing the animals cry. I was saying that I myself could not live out there because I would imagine that a person could hear them. I would think of it constantly and I didn't mean that I had actually ever heard them. I do know the ugly details of what goes on inside a meat processing plant and I will spare everyone, but I wanted to clear that up for you.

Also, I wanted to make the point that this doesn't have to be a permanent situation. If you don't like it for any reason, you can take your time looking for something better, while still being paid. It could be a stepping stone thing; as someone else said.

It is always scary to go to uproot and move, but I think you will have the best experience if you just continue to focus on the positive aspects of the situation for now; you have a job again!!! Good Luck!

[laidoffreporter]

Thanks so much for responding. There's such a difference between reading various threads on this site due just to interest in a town or topic - and reading replies to one's own urgent requests for info when worried about a sudden move. It really makes a difference, knowing that strangers will take the time to try and help, and/or simply express good wishes and a welcome. Thanks FiveHorses and tlawwife.
And thanks so much to catwoman66 - I can see that we have a lot in common, including, presumably, cats Your kind words cheered me considerably. I hope that someday I'll have the guts (and the editor) to do my part in helping to bring about an end to the suffering of animals. One reason I avoid the issue, though (besides the fact that, like you, I can imagine their suffering so vividly) is that I have a professional responsibility to be completely unbiased, so if I do have a personal bias, I should avoid covering that story if possible - and if there's no one else to cover it, I should bend over backwards to be even more objective than I would otherwise be. People count on journalists to do that (or they used to, back when the media deserved that trust), so the mere perception of bias can destroy a reporter's general credibility. Of course, this raises bigger ethical questions about the legitimate distinctions between professional standards and a broader human responsibility. I haven't figured that one out yet, and I can see I've gotten way off the topic, so I'll shut up now.
Any other advice is very welcome! I'm loading up the wagon and heading for the wide open spaces in a week.
(Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll bump into Dusty and Lefty from A Prairie Home Companion out there. Last I heard, they were heading north from Amarillo) -

[OhioUberAlles]

I would have figured they killed the animals in Costa Rica or Alaska and trucked the meat in...




Who would have thought they'd kill animals on-site at a slaughter house...






Sorry if that's a bit too sarcastic but honestly, your question is the equivalent of asking if a water treatment plant treats the water on-site.

[FiveHorses]

Originally Posted by OhioUberAlles

Sorry if that's a bit too sarcastic but honestly,

No, sorry - there's no "oh honestly" - it's out of line.

For every one person that can give me a clear account of "field to table" I'll give you ten more that cannot.

At the very least, the OP has the SENSE and the MATURITY to understand his situation and to try go about his business in a way that allows him to live peaceably in an area that he may not have otherwise lived in. Personally, he's earned my respect. No whining, no moaning, no "oh woe is me" - he's getting on with his life. An individual with a sense of personal responsibility is a rare find these days and Dodge City is the winner in this case.

Read the thread, this has all been done and it wasn't funny the first time.

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by laidoffreporter

I just got a job in Dodge City, and I'm due to start work in a couple of weeks. I checked a few threads, and most mention a horrible smell from the meat packing plants. Now, I'm kind of freaking out, because it's dawned on me that they are talking about live animals (okay, I'm a little slow), which must mean that the cows are killed right there in the town.

Maybe if you lobbied them effectively, you could get them to set up a firing squad for the steers (I doubt they're slaughtering very many cows, but steers are likely) somewhere out in the sticks, rather than execute them right in town and all. You could make the point that it's bad for tourism if people think that a Steerlocaust is occurring as close as fifty yards away.

[kansas sky]

Originally Posted by j_k_k

Maybe if you lobbied them effectively, you could get them to set up a firing squad for the steers (I doubt they're slaughtering very many cows, but steers are likely) somewhere out in the sticks, rather than execute them right in town and all. You could make the point that it's bad for tourism if people think that a Steerlocaust is occurring as close as fifty yards away.

Have you read any of the other posts by this person? They are adjusting to things they are not used to, and haven't experienced. And they are doing so in a graceful and nonjudgemental manner. They've already been snarked at plenty, there's no need for more.

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by kansas sky

Have you read any of the other posts by this person? They are adjusting to things they are not used to, and haven't experienced. And they are doing so in a graceful and nonjudgemental manner. They've already been snarked at plenty, there's no need for more.

Oh, good lord. It's called 'kidding.' At what point did all jests become reclassified as snarks? If the OP has a problem, he or she can take it up with me in a variety of ways. I've lived in the West all my life, and the ability to take a bit of ribbing has always been a form of passage, especially when one has just asked a spectacularly silly question.

[hoohoohaa13]

Originally Posted by laidoffreporter

I just can't stand to be in proximity to that kind of suffering. I really have to take this job, and I was very happy to be moving to southwestern Kansas until I read those threads. I'm hoping someone will tell me something that will ease my mind - like, the cows are butchered elsewhere and then processed in town, or some new painless method is used to kill them (but please don't post any details)

I don't think you would suffer if someone was to walk up behind you and put a bullet in your head. They do not use guns, but a method similar. While it is not for the reasons many "tree-huggers" would hope for, many of the slaughter houses do indeed use humane/painless methods (the ones I have seen, according to what I have seen and the executives I've talked with). When cattle get agitated, hormones are released, and it affects the quality of the meat. It is in the best interest for the profitability of the company to provide as quiet and serene an atmosphere as possible. I know not every place follows the same guidelines, but there are places following humane protocols. Somehow, I don't think you would go on a tour to see for yourself, though. Good luck