To understand whether wealth maximization will work to advance the protections of nonhuman animals, and farmed animals in particular, it is important to first evaluate whether, on a theoretical level, valuing human interests can achieve such protections. Accordingly, part II of this article discusses the basic principles of Posner’s wealth maximization theory. Part III discusses the extent to which humans can provide for nonhuman animal protection through economic evaluation. Part IV changes course from the theoretical to the practical and discusses the attempts of animal advocates to influence the market and the need for legislation where the economic system fails to reflect human valuation of nonhuman interests. Part V discusses the first of what may become many animal welfare measures for farmed animals: the Florida ban on gestation crate usage in pig production. Part VI examines the economic aspects of this ban, including the efficiency of alternative housing methods and the elasticity of demand of the pork market. Part VII draws the conclusion that the economic arguments for animal welfare protections might weigh in favor of those protections, and that it is essential that animal advocates make strong economic arguments to gain protections as quickly as possible for the billions of farmed animals that need help each year.