Farm kid here. While it's true that farmers have an incentive to keep their animals in good condition, that's not the only incentive toward profit, and the bottom line often results in a pretty stressed, unhealthy animal that's in good enough condition to keep producing. If you can save $X by providing a minimum feed ration and leaving the cows in the care of the cheapest, least-caring employees you can find, and that reduces your milk check by less than $X, that's what's going to happen in a lot of cases, especially the larger operations.
(Not unlike human employers who have an incentive to treat their employees well but often don't.)
Farm organizations like to say farmers have every reason to keep their livestock in the best condition, implying that they're frolicking on pasture in peak health, but that's not really true. A lot of times it means miserable condition on concrete or a freezing feedlot. Livestock animals, like humans, are resilient and can keep producing through some pretty terrible treatment. The only ways to combat that seem to be A) customers who actively seek out farms that practice good animal welfare practices, or B) reasonable animal welfare laws.
(Not unlike human employers who have an incentive to treat their employees well but often don't.)
Farm organizations like to say farmers have every reason to keep their livestock in the best condition, implying that they're frolicking on pasture in peak health, but that's not really true. A lot of times it means miserable condition on concrete or a freezing feedlot. Livestock animals, like humans, are resilient and can keep producing through some pretty terrible treatment. The only ways to combat that seem to be A) customers who actively seek out farms that practice good animal welfare practices, or B) reasonable animal welfare laws.