Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Mike Resnick

Posted by Rusty Published in 2000's, Free, Hugo Awards, Mike Resnick, Online, Printable, Science Fiction Short Story Reviews, Short Story, by Famous Authors

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

by Mike Resnick

• Word count: 5695
• Page count: 15

Old MacDonald Had a Farm is a science fiction short story that puts an ethical spin on one of humankind’s oldest questions: how can we feed the world’s poor?

It is a short story about a reporter who visits a farm where millions of genetically engineered animals are raised to help alleviate the world’s food shortage. What he finds there is both brilliantly wonderful and tragically disturbing.

The farm spread out before us, green and rolling, dotted with paddocks and water troughs. It looked like the kind of place you wish your parents had taken you when you were a kid and the world was still full of wonders.

Well, the world may not have been full of wonders any longer, but the farm was. Problem was, they weren’t exactly the kind you used to dream of–unless you were coming down from a really bad acid trip.

Old MacDonald Had a Farm was first published in the September 2001 edition of Asimov’s magazine. It was nominated for the 2002 Hugo for Best Short Story. You can read it online for free at Asimov’s web site.

If you liked this story you can learn more about the author, Mike Resnick, on his website.

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