More CAFO Catch up
Okay, as the piles of paperwork begin to subside so I can actually see my computer monitor again, I see a few things out there that should be noted here in the CAFO arena:
First, the Fayette County meeting on the proposed pig farm has been changed. A local correspondent (and potential neighbor of the farm) notes that the meeting is at the City Hall at 500 N. Central, Connersville at 7:00 on April 19th.
The Iowa DNR has determined that the shit of Iowa’s pigs doesn’t stink. Specifically, it determined, after a 3 year study, that farm management practices had more to do with odor concerns than farm size. Here is coverage in Brownfields. From the IDNR: Results of the Iowa DNR Animal Feeding Operations Odor Study (PDF) & A Review of The Science and Technology of Odor Measurement (PDF). The Brownfields article notes that complaints about livestock farms to the IDNR dropped from 492 in 2001 to 301 in 2005, attributing the drop to better management practices. I did not check, but I think Iowa was one of those states that adopted the Farm Bureau’s requested legislation that requires people who complain about CAFO’s to identify themselves (which might deter some neighbors) and, if they file multiple complaints, pay for the expenses of the investigation if the complaint cannot be substantiated (which should deter just about anyone from complaining).
Of course, odor problems can be in the nose of the beholder, so what about Airborne antibiotic resistant bacteria from a hog factory farm, or Hogging It! Estimates of Antimicrobial Abuse in Livestock.
Finally, the Meatrix II is out!
