Editor, Times-Union: “CAFOs have failed us. They have damaged our farming communities, degraded our natural resources and polluted our watersheds.” This was a quote by Environmentally Concerned Citizens of South Central Michigan.
We are at the same point of time in Indiana. With better educational guides, this county is waking up to the fact that we must be vigilant to save our clean air and water. Some organizations, who are proponents of CAFO factory farming, would have us believe that this practice is necessary and that CAFOs and CFOs are the wave of the future. We hear that we must grow more food, to feed the world, at any cost to the environment. Many of us are touting sustainability because this is the only way we can make sure that natural resources are not depleted, or permanently damaged, so we can farm into the future.
Factory farms threaten the health of lakes and streams and we have several organizations keeping watch and trying to reverse the damage. IDEM keeps records of manure spills and illegal discharges into ditches and waterways. These records are open to the public.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Indiana ranks fifth, nationally, in hog production. CAFO opponents do not want to see CAFO production of any kind, increase, in our county or state.
CAFOs make terrible neighbors. Flies and stench replace good breathable air and get into our water supply. We have some enterprising farmers who are trying to impose this filth on southern Kosciusko County, at this time. You will be hearing the tired old song and dance about sophisticated filters to make sure the emissions, from huge fans, come out clean. According to the people at the Department of Agriculture and Biosystems and Engineering, from Iowa State College, some of the technology can reduce the emissions but none can eliminate them. The manure will be put on land near the proposed CAFO. The amount produced by over 8,000 hogs is 20 times more than what is produced by humans. Anyone within a five mile radius of the proposed hog barns will be victims of all they bring with them.
It is the duty of each family to see that we are protected from this type of business. Farming is getting a black eye because it is no longer sustainable. The future of clean air and water is the responsibility of us all. Take action!
