The quote highlights the disconnection of corporate farmers from their responsibilities, portraying them as absent figures more engrossed in larger business concerns than the welfare of their animals. This detachment suggests they lack a personal investment in the lives and well-being of their livestock, treating them as mere commodities rather than living beings with needs.
The analogy of the hired hand emphasizes the danger this poses, as they lack the inherent motivation to protect what they don't truly care for. This raises ethical questions about the treatment of animals in modern farming practices and urges a call for greater compassion and responsibility in the stewardship of livestock.