No more bailouts for factory farms

by: desmoinesdem

Mon Aug 10, 2009 at 18:06:09 PM PDT

In contrast, if your factory farm contributes to excess production of pork, high-level elected officials will ask the federal government to bail you out. I learned from Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement today that last week nine governors, including Iowa's Chet Culver,

requested $50 million of taxpayer money from the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) to buy over-produced pork off the market.  This follows similar requests made by the National Pork Producers Council in early May and Iowa Secretary of Ag Bill Northey in June.

The hog factory industry, though, has received two recent taxpayer-funded bailouts from USDA -- one for $25 million in March 2009 and the other for $50 million in April 2008 -- to buy over-produced pork off the market. [...]

Ag economists have warned for months that the pork industry must stabilize prices by trimming the fat and reducing the herd size.  But the pork industry has ignored basic economic rules and continues to increase supply as demand goes down.  This is the result of continuous government subsidies and bailouts to the factory farm industry.

"Corporate ag receives government subsidies and guaranteed loans that promote the expansion of factory farms on the front end," said CCI member Lori Nelson of Bayard.  "And then, when they produce too much pork, they ask the government -- that's us -- to bail them out with huge amounts of taxpayer dollars. The factory farm industry is a house of cards that would crumble as soon as you take away taxpayers propping them up."

The governors of Nebraska, Colorado, Michigan, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Illinois and Oklahoma joined Culver in signing the appeal for federal aid. According to DTN/The Progressive Farmer, "Representatives from the Iowa and the National Pork Producers Councils, Tyson Fresh Foods, Hormel Foods and Paragon Economics support the letter's three proposals for aid."

I've posted the full text of Iowa CCI's press release after the jump. There's no reason to exempt corporate agriculture from basic laws of supply and demand. Taxpayers already pay too much to subsidize factory hog farms, not to mention the hidden environmental costs of air and water pollution.

ACTION: Help preserve public input on Iowa CAFOs

by: desmoinesdem

Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 12:14:58 PM PDT

The Iowa Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) is considering new rules that would limit public input during the permit approval process for confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in Iowa. Up to now, members of the public have been able to speak before the EPC concerning proposed new CAFOs. Under the new rules, only representatives of the entity applying for the permit, the county board of supervisors, and the Department of Natural Resources would be able to speak at EPC hearings on CAFO permits. People and entities that might be affected by downstream or downwind pollution from the proposed CAFO would not be allowed to speak at such hearings.

The public can submit comments on the new rule through this Thursday, August 6.

After the jump I've posted action alerts sent out by 1000 Friends of Iowa and Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. They contain some talking points for public comments and contact information for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Iowa CCI also mentions two points worth preserving in the new rule, which industrial agriculture interests are apparently trying to have removed.

Comments must be received by Thursday, so if you are using the regular mail, please send your letter as soon as possible. There are also three DNR public hearings this week in Spencer, Des Moines and Ainsworth (details below).

I've also posted two pieces containing further background information after the jump. These may help you prepare comments to submit to the DNR. Shearon Elderkin discusses a controversial EPC decision last summer, which prompted the rewriting of the rules on the CAFO permit application process. Elderkin served on the EPC from August 2008 through April 2009. She had to step down when Iowa Senate Republicans blocked her confirmation for the position.

The final document you can find below is by Cedar Rapids attorney David Elderkin, Shearon's husband. He covers the legal issues at hand in more detail.

Please take a few minutes to submit a public comment on this issue by Thursday, August 6. Please forward to any friends or relatives in Iowa who might be willing to comment as well.

New limits on winter manure application take effect in Iowa

by: desmoinesdem

Wed Jul 01, 2009 at 11:35:56 AM PDT

You'll be pleased to know that amendments greatly improved Senate File 432 before the final version passed the Iowa House in April. Governor Chet Culver then signed the bill into law, and it takes effect today along with a bunch of other measures approved during the 2009 Iowa legislative session.

On principle I dislike legislative efforts to interfere with DNR rulemaking. However, knowledgeable people tell me that the new law includes tougher restrictions on liquid manure application than the rules that the DNR would have eventually produced. So, this law is on balance good news for water quality in Iowa and downstream from us.

It's important to note that these restrictions apply only to liquid manure, which comes from hogs. Iowa's cattle farmers face no new limits on spreading solid manure over frozen or snow-covered ground. I've been told that cattle farmers turned out in large numbers for the DNR's public hearings on the winter application rules.

Policy wonks can find the full text of Iowa Senate File 432 and bill history here.

The 33 Healthiest Foods Aren't Sold By ADM or Kraft

by: Curtis Abbey

Mon May 25, 2009 at 15:43:45 PM PDT

Pineapple, Blueberries, Spinach, Red Bell Pepper, Broccoli, Tomato, Apple, Artichoke, Arugula, Asparagus, Avocado, Blackberries, Butternut Squash, Cantaloupe, Carrot, Cauliflower, Cherries, Cranberries, Green Cabbage, Kale, Kiwi, Mango, Mushrooms, Orange, Papaya, Plums & Prunes, Pomegranate, Pumpkin, Raspberries, Strawberries, Sweet Potato, Watermelon, and Banana.

What a Summer with My Little Sis Taught Me about Big Ag

by: wide eyed lib

Wed May 20, 2009 at 14:41:09 PM PDT

I typed a long response to Joanne then decided to make it a diary instead. Ergo...

Hell Yeah Congressman Hinchey! You Tell 'Em! (Plus, A Look at the 2010 Obama Ag Budget)

by: Jill Richardson

Fri May 15, 2009 at 13:00:00 PM PDT

Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., told Vilsack at a House appropriations subcommittee hearing on Wednesday that livestock are "jammed together" in "very, very nasty circumstances." ...

Hinchey asked Vilsack if there is an effort to "reform" livestock farming to "stop these animals from coming so close together."

Vilsack's response? A very diplomatic statement about how most farmers care very much about their livestock and that the USDA is looking into it. Mmm hmm. This is the same thing we hear from factory farmers and their lobby groups constantly. They talk about how well they treat the animals and they frequently use the words "wholesome" and "high quality." What's so wholesome about animals standing shoulder to shoulder, ankle deep in their own manure?

This hearing was on the 2010 budget for the USDA. Vilsack provided testimony outlining the Obama administration's budget requests. I'm going to turn to the experts to understand the budget, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. Highlights from their email on the budget are below.

Reuters Fights Conspiracy Theories - But Misses the Facts

by: Jill Richardson

Fri May 01, 2009 at 06:00:00 AM PDT

Dead pigs in China, evil factory farms in Mexico and an Al Qaeda plot involving Mexican drug cartels are a few wild theories seeking to explain a deadly swine flu outbreak that has killed up to 176 people.

Nobody knows for sure but scientists say the origins are in fact far less sinister and are likely explained by the ability of viruses to mutate and jump from species to species as animals and people increasingly live closer to each other.

Aha! People who think that the swine flu might come from swine are as crazy as people who think that Osama bin Ladin caused it! Fortunately, a HuffPo piece by David Kirby gives us the facts. To refute the Reuters claim that "Some of the rumors mentioned noxious fumes from pig manure and flies, neither a known vector for flu viruses," Kirby says:

Last year, the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Practices issued a landmark report that described air emissions - or "noxious fumes"- measured outside large concentrated animal feeding operations, (CAFOs), or factory farms. In addition to toxic gases such as ammonia, methane, hydrogen sulfide and others, scientists also measured high levels of particulate matter and bioaerosols blowing out from the giant vents at the end of each massive animal confinement.

"Particulate matter associated with CAFOs is composed of fecal matter, feed materials, skin cells, microorganisms, and the products of microbial action on feces and feed," the report said.

He adds that:

La Gloria, Veracruz, thought to be the epicenter of the pandemic, is close to a massive hog complex that generates the same amount of raw sewage as a small city every day.

Oh, and the flies? Yeah, turns out those can carry the flu virus too.

What Swine Flu Tells Us About Factory Farms

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Apr 30, 2009 at 19:37:18 PM PDT

NYT Tells It As It Is About Red Meat

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Apr 30, 2009 at 18:30:20 PM PDT

Talk about cutting straight to the point! That is from the New York Times article "Personal Health: Paying a Price for Loving Red Meat." It focuses on a topic I've written about before, a recent study that found increased risk of mortality from daily beef and pork consumption. So what's the health advice the NYT dishes out?

To prevent premature deaths related to red and processed meats, Dr. Popkin suggested in an interview that people should eat a hamburger only once or twice a week instead of every day, a small steak once a week instead of every other day, and a hot dog every month and a half instead of once a week.

I think this really misses the point because there's no mention of HOW we produce our red meat, or any other kind of meat. I don't think it's accurate to paint all red meat with one broad brush. There's factory farmed red meat (and chicken and fish) and then there's pasture raised meat and wild fish. The nutritional profile of the meat differs based on what the animal ate and how it was raised. And I think it's very telling that everyone touts fish as the healthy option, and fish are the last meat left in our diets that we catch from the wild and allow to eat the diets they evolved to eat. Furthermore, I'd be interested in more information on differences in nutrition between wild and farmed fish.

Last, if we know we are producing a product that kills us, maybe its time the government got involved to get us off our corn, oil, and factory farmed meat addictions? I'm not saying the government should dictate our diets, but its naive to think that the government isn't largely behind our current food system that promotes cheap, bad-for-you meat, and that means it requires government intervention to move us away from cheap, bad-for-you meat too. Perhaps its time to write another LTE (letter to the editor) to the NYT.

Hat tip to Asimbagirl for sending me this story.

Garden & Flower Pics, Frontline Video Poisoned Waters

by: Curtis Abbey

Tue Apr 28, 2009 at 19:22:07 PM PDT

This is a strawberry flower. These are my top performers in the garden right now. They have gotten quite tall and are just reaching up towards the sky.

Crossposted at the Daily Kos

Swine Flu & What You Should Know About the Hog Industry

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Apr 27, 2009 at 18:00:00 PM PDT

The number of hog farms fell by more than 70 percent between 1992 and 2004, whereas the hog inventory remained stable. The average hog operation grew from 945 head in 1992 to 2,589 head in 1998 and to 4,646 head in 2004. The share of the hog inventory on operations with 2,000 or more head increased from less than 30 percent to nearly 80 percent. Operations with 5,000 or more head held more than 50 percent of the hog inventory in 2004. - The Changing Economics of U.S. Hog Production

What about Mexico? It seems that Mexico also experienced consolidation of the hog sector during the same period of time. NAFTA is what allowed Smithfield to buy up Mexico's top hog company. Smithfield aimed for vertical integration in Mexico and planned to capitalize on cheaper labor costs in Mexico to produce pork on the cheap and then export it to the U.S.

As for the flu itself, hogs get the flu the same way people do. Just like your chances of getting the flu go up if you hang out in a preschool class where the children sneeze on you and don't wash their hands (my mom teaches preschool, I would know), pigs are more likely to contract a disease in the crowded unsanitary conditions of a factory farm - FAR more disgusting than your average preschool class.

My point is that we haven't been factory farming hogs for very long, and it took only about a decade to produce a deadly disease (or two, if you count MRSA). Perhaps that should be telling us something?

Swine Flu and Factory Farms

by: Ellinorianne

Sun Apr 26, 2009 at 21:20:28 PM PDT

Well, David Kirby makes a connection that seems obvious to me, Swine Flu Outbreak -- Nature Biting Back at Industrial Animal Production? but of course it's better to hold judgment until there's evidence, right?

Follow me...

Last day to help end "factory farm bailout"

by: desmoinesdem

Fri Apr 17, 2009 at 08:03:04 AM PDT

Food Democracy Now sent out an action alert on Thursday reminding supporters that comments on making EQIP work for sustainable and organic farmers must be received by the USDA by the close of business on April 17 (today).

You can fax your letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack (202-720-4265) or submit your comments online (Food Democracy Now has instructions on that process).

Click here and scroll down the page for talking points and a sample letter on this issue. However, it's always better to put these things in your own words if possible. I've posted Food Democracy Now's sample letter after the jump. If you are writing your own letter, make sure it goes to the correct address and says this near the top:

Re: Docket Number NRCS- IFR-08005 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Final Rules

Organic vs Monocropping: Age-old questions answered by study

by: Curtis Abbey

Sat Apr 11, 2009 at 23:02:47 PM PDT

An age-old argument between supporters of organic farming and those who prefer the monocropping methods of modern agriculture may have been resolved.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Michael Fields Agricultural Institute have found that traditional organic farming techniques of planting a variety of plants to ward off pest infestation, is more profitable than monocropping.

"In our study we found that diversified systems were more profitable than monocropping," said Joshua Posner, of the University of Wisconsin, in a statement.

The study of species-diverse pasture and organic systems was carried out at two sites in southern Wisconsin between 1993 to 2006 and examined a variety of test cases.

I know a lot of agribusinesses that are not going to be too happy to hear about this study. Michael Pollan makes the case that monocropping is a dangerous process. It REQUIRES fertilizers to be brought in, while multicrops could provide those essentials in house. The other danger is if everyone plants the same crop, like corn. When that happens the price goes down, causing farmers to plant more corn, and it's a self defeating cycle. This study backs up the theme of Pollan's it-book Omnivore's Dilemma.

Follow below the fold for all the news I found worth passing on.  

Ethanol's Antibiotics Problem

by: StrandedWind

Sat Apr 11, 2009 at 17:39:32 PM PDT