Do Dodge City meat packing plants kill the animals right there in town ??? (Hays: houses, living in)

[thriftylefty]

Western Kansas is kinda desolate, you would have to drive in from pretty far to get away from that industry, and you would find your self in a place smaller that Dodge city which is small in its self. all the towns around there are farm communities and have some kind of operation that would include beef. I wouldn't try to escape it, it wouldn't be worth the aggrevation to be trying to avoid any aspects of the beef indusrty out there.

[bluewatergirl888]

Originally Posted by Samantha S

The industry is not a cruel one (IMO, although some will argue.) Human beings are omnivores by nature (although some choose not to be)

Human beings are herbivores by nature (although some choose not to be).

[todd00]

the industry is certainly a cruel one, but i wont go into any particulars because thats not the topic. if you are going to be stuck there awhile, i guess you will have to adjust. do like others do, close your eyes to problems and go about your business. try contacting their chamber of commerce, ask your perspective employer about places in newer areas. they will probably be best able to help you with suggesting a newer apt complex or areas outside of town. usually these smaller towns with packing plants have more crime than youd think. so you want a safe place as well as one without odors.

i agree, if pple dont have anything helpful to say, dont bother exercising your digits. good luck.

[laidoffreporter]

Of course you're absolutely right, Irishtom.
I'm no social aristocrat, that's for sure! I come from a blue collar background , and many of the sharpest, most insightful and stable people I've known lack a formal education or a good income. At the same time, there's certainly no shortage of mediocre intelligence and general whackiness amongst those with advanced degrees and/or wealth.
In retrospect, I guess I mentioned that I'm a professional because people with my views re. animals are used to those opinions being dismissed as nutty, and I hoped to be taken seriously.
Thanks for making such a good point.
Thanks very much to Gunluvver as well. I know exactly what you mean about the NYC subway - the only thing worse than a packed car during rush hour is one that stops for 20 minutes when the power goes out!
I'm sure I'll find much to enjoy about Dodge City. Anyway, the most important aspect of any place are the people, and people are not really all that different, no matter where they are. Most are decent and good, and I look forward to my upcoming adventures in Dodge

[laidoffreporter]

Oh! I just want to thank thriftylefty and todd00 as well. You have given me good advice, and a lot to think about, as I'm now realizing that the meat packing plants are evidently everywhere in the region, not just in Dodge City. Hhmm... I was offered this job unexpectedly, and was so grateful to get it, I just accepted it immediately (since I was laid off a couple of months ago, and half the people I know lost their jobs this year). That's why I'm so uninformed about southwestern Kansas, because this happened so fast - I've driven around eastern and northern Kansas, and I thought the area around Dodge City would be more or less similiar

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by laidoffreporter

I've driven around eastern and northern Kansas, and I thought the area around Dodge City would be more or less similiar

Unfortunately, your inference is not correct. Southwest Kansas is a land of low humidity, high winds, and little rain. The vegetation is shortgrass prairie. Much of the surrounding area is used for irrigation agriculture for the nearby feedlots. Eastern Kansas and western Kansas have absolutely nothing in common.

[athfo]

Originally Posted by granitestater

unfotunately, your inference is not correct. Southwest kansas is a land of low humidity, high winds, and little rain. The vegetation is shortgrass prairie. Much of the surrounding area is used for irrigation agriculture for the nearby feedlots. Eastern kansas and western kansas have absolutely nothing in common.

qft

[KevK]

Q: Do meat packing plants kill cows?

Answer 1: No, they do not kill cows. They simply hand the cow a blade and urge it to commit suicide.
Answer 2: No, they wait for the cow to reach old age and then keep it in life support in a coma until the doctors determine that there just is nothing more that can be done for the cow and then the Father administers Last Rites.

[AnywhereElse]

Southwestern Kansas will be much, much different in every way then what you have already seen. I hope that you have read all the comments on this forum concerning the area. We researched both Garden City and Dodge City and sadly, now, we wouldn't even consider visiting Dodge City which we had planned to do. I do wonder if you realize though how small the town is and with the wind, well, smells do tend to travel. The towns that recruit the meat packing plants do so because that is pretty much all they can get to come in and they need jobs in order to exist. These plants are not everywhere in Kansas and most people feel just like you do about the industry but just block it out I guess. Perhaps this job can be a stepping stone to something better down the line.

[laidoffreporter]

Thanks for the additional info. I did know that the terrain in the southwestern part of the state is significantly different from that in the eastern region - I meant "similiar" in terms of agriculture. To the extent that I thought about it, I guess I assumed that irrigation technology is sophisticated enough to allow for a similiar agricultural economy in both regions. (I've driven through California's central valley, where irrigation allows for massive crop production in the desert). I also drove across North Dakota, and found the Great Plains very beautiful.
Anyway, my ignorance was probably a good thing, because a detailed awareness of the impact on regular daily life of beef production in the region would have caused me to hesitate about accepting the job - and I might have missed out to the employer's second choice candidate. I'll just adjust to the situation and be grateful.
Thanks again. For anyone who actually lives in or near Dodge City - can you reccomend a neighborhood where one can rent a small, nice house as far as possible from a packing plant? A nice mobile home would also be okay.
KevK, your writing talent and keen sense of humor are wasted on this site. Surely there exists a superior showcase for someone of your ability and compassion. There must be a roaming band of renegade junior high school cowboys, out past their bedtimes and riding the range, protecting the decent beef producers of southwestern Kansas from east coast vegetarian crybabies like me.
I bet they have their own interactive web site with a massive international readership, composed of 7th and 8th grade boys whose dedication to your posts will make you the king of every middle school playground between Dodge City and, um ... well, at least as far as the outer suburbs of Wichita.
Good luck, son!