This may be a tough pill to swallow for some but it's a fact of life and must be addressed. That is the issue of antibiotics use in meat production. At the end of the day big agricultural farmers have a business to run, bills to pay and mouths to feed. Many people out there may not support the ways in which big ag farmers get their daily income but it's a part of life. 

It's easy to demonize big ag farmers for raising animals in close quarters or giving them antibiotics when sick but there is always a flip side to every coin. It is important to tell Chuck Wirtz's story because he puts a face to an issue that many people are against; antibiotic use in meat production. Farmers are business people, sick animals can be detrimental to large farming operations and can potentially destroy a farmer's livelihood. For someone like Chuck Wirtz though, moving away from the industrial agriculture system would be next to impossible at this point in his career so antibiotics are his only solution for sick animals. It's too big of a risk not to treat them with antibiotics using his current farming methods. Don't blame Chuck though, the industrial agriculture model is to blame. Farmers produce meat to keep up with the consumer's demand. If we as consumers demand different meat and allow ourselves to accept the higher price, farmers like Chuck can afford to alternate their farming methods.