CAFO In Alabama

In the article America’s Food Crisis and how to fix it by Bryan Walsh it talks about how people are packing in animals into confined pens with a bunch of other animals of its kind. All the animals are dosed with antibiotics to keep from getting sick. The article explains that the waste that the animals produce on the factory farms gets disposed into open air lagoons and how it can contaminate nearby streams and creeks.

Horrigan, L., Lawrence, R., & Walker, P. (2002). How sustainable agriculture can address the environmental and human health harms of industrial agriculture. Environmental Health Perspective. In this article, Horrigan agrees with Pollan that there is definitely a problem with using corn-based feed for animals who are to then be fed to human beings. Specifically, Horrigan examines both animal feed and the danger of other forms of pollution which have an impact on human food production and eventual consumption. The authors make the claim that animal consumption itself is highly dangerous and perhaps should be universally abolished in order to help the environment in terms of pollutants and to help humans in their health concerns.

In the past century there has been a substantial change in the way human beings raise and keep animals meant for food. While in the past there were great numbers of widely spaced small individual farms, now there are relatively few, but extremely large industrialized farms. And as the numbers of animals kept and slaughtered for human consumption increases, these industrialized farms, known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations or CAFO's, are having more and more of an impact on the environment and people around them. The concentration of animals causes a major problem with the waste products they produce, as well as the gases, chemicals, and other types of byproducts. And the increased use of antibiotics in the animals is beginning to have a profound effect on the health of not only the environment but the communities that exist around these industrialized farms. CAFO's, and their secondary industries, are also a large consumer of oil, gasoline, and other fuels which can have an indirect, but devastating effect on the environment. Luckily there are some who have come to recognize the problems, and potential future problems, involved in this type of animal farming and have begun to inform the public to the dangers these farms pose. And in response to this information, the public is beginning to force changes in the way these CAFO's operate and the impact they have on the environment and

Factory farming is the industrial production of raising animals such as cattle, poultry, swine, and sheep for meat. Many questions and concerns within the field are based on animal treatment and the cleanliness of the factory farm facilities. These questions and concerns are needed to guarantee the safety of both the animals and consumers. The unhealthy living environments combined with excessive antibiotic use in factory farms causes concern in the meat processing industry.

Soil is the most important element for agricultural ecosystems. Healthy soil comes with beneficial microbes and insects. Unfortunately, these are often killed off by the abuse of pesticides. Healthy soil can produce strong crops that are less vulnerable to pests. Damaged soils often need strong fertilizers application to produce a high amount of crops. Soil quality can be amplified in many ways, including leaving crop remainders in the field after harvest and adding composted plant material (Union of Concerned Scientists) Compared to industrial agriculture, companies continue to damage and consume natural soil. While intensive plowing and monocrop (does not rotate) agriculture systems have caused nutrient exhaustion and soil erosion. Excessive application of fertilizers and pesticides has contaminated soils and polluted waterways (Grace Communications Foundations)

The cows would roam freely on the hillside and chickens look for food around the red, wooden barn. If you step back into the present you may realize that most farms today are very different than that of the past or what we would see in a painting. According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) there are more than 20,000 factory farms nationwide. This is a 30 percent increase from 2003. These farms are industrial-scale facilities where animals are treated as a product rather than a living creature. Thousands of animals are kept in these factories resulting in disease and contamination. In the widely acclaimed documentary Food Inc., directed by Robert Kenner, Carole Morison declared that “This isn’t farming. This is just mass production like an assembly line in a factory.” In fact there are so many animals that workers cannot even process the 1.3 billion tons of waste that is produced annually. To solve this problem, waste is piled into large open pools and sprayed onto the land resulting in health problems for not only the workers but the people who live nearby. Rivers, streams and groundwater may also get polluted from this process.

The problems arising from factory farms are only getting bigger and more disastrous to the environment. These farms raise hundreds or thousands of animals in close confinement; otherwise know as concentrated animal feeding operations or CAFOs. “Large CAFOs are controlled under federal and state pollution regulations because they produce massive quantities of animal waste that can pose environmental and heath hazards if mishandled” (Weeks, 3). So why would farmers be farming this way it is so dangerous? The answer is simple; these farms can produce large quantities of food cheaply. If a farm can produce more hogs or calves, its profit is larger. In order for farmers to stay on their land, they are forced into poorly paid off-farm employment (Food). “Livestock farmers are told that they must adopt the new industrial technologies that make CAFO’s feasible, if they expect to have a future in farming” (Kallen, 64). The byproducts of such farms are producing harmful odors. The runoff from these farms “pollutes streams and groundwater with antibiotics, insecticides, pathogens and emits poisonous gases that are hazardous and create offensive odors” (Weeks, 2). The question now becomes, is factory farming the only way out? Is an industrial approach to agriculture needed to feed the poor and hungry of the world? The answer

The emission impacts include the loss of fresh water, rainforest, air and water pollution, soil erosion, acid rain, loss of habitat and climate change. Large quantities of pesticides and chemical fertilizers are used on crops that are fed to the Factory Farm animals; the pesticides and chemical fertilizers can wash into waterways polluting rivers and oceans. According to the “Make it Possible” campaign, 4,800 litres of water is used to produce 1kg of pork. The pollution from animal waste causes skin infections, nausea, respiratory issues and even death for people that live near to the Factory Farms. According to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) research, the widespread use by Factory Farms of antibiotics, can lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria that threaten human health. The costs to the public from ecological damage and health problems created by Factory Farms are not considered any more than the law requires, and Factory Farm businesses have found it is less expensive to pay the fines than alter their

Factory farming reduced the amount of land needed for meat production, however, these farms are a serious water pollutant. The waste of these animals ends up in the surrounding water and poses the constant threat of drinking water contamination. Runoff from factory farms and livestock grazing are one of the leading causes of pollution in rivers and lakes. The EPA notes that “bacteria and viruses can be carried by the runoff and that groundwater can be contaminated.” The huge quantities of animal waste runoff produced by these operations leech into the water supply and affect the natural aquatic life cycle. Livestock manure is rich in nitrogen, phosphorous, and other fertilizers. These chemicals eventually work their way into our stream, rivers

For centuries farming was primarily done by small farms owned by the families that lived there. Over the last few decades though the industry has shifted away from family farms and to CAFOs. CAFO stands for concentrated animal feeding operations and they are large commercial farms meant to maximize the amount of possible production. Since the 1960s the industry has shifted to CAFOs significantly. These facilities keep their animals tightly packed often in large buildings as close as possible while birds are often stacked on top of one another. Maximizing space, capacity and production being the goal, not living conditions.

As a result of using such means to achieve a large quantity of product, animals and the environment suffer in the process. For example, the vast amount of waste livestock produces provides a breeding ground for disease. Farmsanctuary.org’s article “Factory Farming” elaborates on the harmful effects of excessive animal waste and states, “To counteract the health challenges presented by overcrowded, stressful, unsanitary living conditions, antibiotics are used extensively on factory farms, which can create drug-resistant bacteria and put human health at risk.” The Huffington Post also elaborated on this claim in “9

In some parts of the world, human waste is being used as agricultural fertilizer and it is known as biosolids. We have biosolids due to the wastewater treatment process. There are many advantages and disadvantages to the use of biosolids, however, I believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Biosolids create job opportunities, promote farming, is free and is a cost effective of disposal. Using biosolids can cause odours in the area and may affect health as well. Although biosolids can cause odour problems, farmers see it as a free source of fertilizer. It helps produce ample crops. Creating biosolids is a form of recycling which prevents humans from dumping it in landfills. Biosolids have been

Concentrated animal feeding operations, also known as CAFO’s, are large industrialized agricultural operations that confine thousands of animals in an enclosed location for feeding, breeding and production farming purposes. These operations are taking over smaller, family run farms that are raising animals ethically and environmentally friendly. CAFO’s are raising beef cattle, dairy cattle, poultry, fish and other animals for mass production to feed the ever growing demand for meat and poultry consumption. These large-scale operations are cutting out the small farms that cannot compete in the food production industry.

When you talk about animal waste from agriculture farms being a health hazard to the public and to the environment you are not talking about the type of farms I grew up on and still live by to this day. Animal waste from your average livestock farm is not harmful at all, but when you start talking about mega farmers then that is a different story. I don't consider mega farmers to be farmers at all, they are nothing more than an animal factory that does not treat the animal humanely in any way. These type of animal factories produce animal waste at levels that are potentially dangerous to the public and the environment. Animal waste can contaminate water supplies such as rivers,ponds, and groundwater, with phosphorus making the water not safe

This article talks about the problems with manure on factory farms. They generate so much manure that the “lagoons” the manure is kept in can leak or have runoff which contaminates the ground and the water. This manure is also very bad for the air. Workers and people living near these factory farms are at risks for many health problems including respiratory illnesses.