tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40278784571562105742024-03-05T14:33:52.032-08:00St. Croix Alliance for Environmental SustainabilityThis blog includes information concerning existing and planned confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) or factory farms in St. Croix County. Additionally, it includes a variety of news and information concerning CAFO operations across Wisconsin and the nation and the impacts on the environment, economy and quality of life.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger125125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-17760830450386218132011-02-21T12:28:00.000-08:002011-02-21T12:34:52.115-08:00Carnac on the TEA Party<b><i>What do the TEA Party Kool-aid drinkers in Hudson, Madison and Washington D.C. shout when they hear that Carnac is back?</i></b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2iamRCod9QFt0gAIMJmxtWAlwuK5y_QJvQlwsRJ8JHIMkMHqvaNjb5mHilxzxsy9vU0jOnP3-4q02Om1UThBZV-26QHtZOy3rMdpEYBRmTdz1I067Vc89hUD5thDMBCVGNejaYIQiH2X/s1600/spongenac.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 143px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2iamRCod9QFt0gAIMJmxtWAlwuK5y_QJvQlwsRJ8JHIMkMHqvaNjb5mHilxzxsy9vU0jOnP3-4q02Om1UThBZV-26QHtZOy3rMdpEYBRmTdz1I067Vc89hUD5thDMBCVGNejaYIQiH2X/s200/spongenac.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576243592767825042" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Is he eating bean soup or his own barf?</i></b><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-37700908579050062712011-01-27T18:44:00.000-08:002011-01-27T18:44:00.526-08:00That Doesn't Sell Books<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMY0mAbxv4D4RhmX_SrWdLqN7jlwNNoFTxIZVr5oNkaJVyD0tDLI5DIU-flONW9dC-2OQzVjamZLcxGsyH3VkjERDXWe3nXw4KU7hVTrAEG__6HephG0P28Dry4JbdVuuDN6n5xkzqAMDL/s1600/diveristy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 334px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMY0mAbxv4D4RhmX_SrWdLqN7jlwNNoFTxIZVr5oNkaJVyD0tDLI5DIU-flONW9dC-2OQzVjamZLcxGsyH3VkjERDXWe3nXw4KU7hVTrAEG__6HephG0P28Dry4JbdVuuDN6n5xkzqAMDL/s400/diveristy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566320194048950194" /></a><b><i>"This is America, where a white Catholic male Republican judge was murdered on his way to greet a Democratic Jewish woman member of Congress, who was his friend. Her life was saved initially by a 20-year old Mexican-American gay college student, and eventually by a Korean-American combat surgeon, all eulogized by our African American President."</i></b><br /><br /><b>Mark Shields</b><br /><i>PBS News Hour</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-41312887464268328112011-01-08T07:22:00.000-08:002011-01-08T07:28:27.020-08:00Wisconsin Governor Walker A Friend of CAFOs<b><i>"...Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, where in 2009 animal waste contaminated more than 100 wells in a single town, the legislature had been considering a bill that would allow the state's Department of Natural Resources to set limits for how much animal manure can be spread on fields in areas with porous limestone karst that makes it easy for the waste to seep down and spoil the groundwater. Those areas would include Brown County, which has 15 dairy CAFOs with more than 1,000 cows each, and where many residents drink bottled water to avoid well water contaminated by manure. However, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">newly elected Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who has called the Department of Natural Resources "out of control," is unlikely to let these groundwater protections become law.</span>..."</i></b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGicZGQ4f0ztI_BtYLy4fFnhQ4a3HGg1EmBgC5Czv1LqTF6aatXwF6gS9AZ8W_saAGtMdYfIfjpm2RTA2pROOcxDwCSnFPU1561dosmZYmsOJuZnI_f2RnkQZJZr4PLExT85MzuSOUtJo/s1600/poison+water.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGicZGQ4f0ztI_BtYLy4fFnhQ4a3HGg1EmBgC5Czv1LqTF6aatXwF6gS9AZ8W_saAGtMdYfIfjpm2RTA2pROOcxDwCSnFPU1561dosmZYmsOJuZnI_f2RnkQZJZr4PLExT85MzuSOUtJo/s400/poison+water.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559836149666057618" /></a><br /><br /><b><i>"Ending last year's pitched battle between industrial dairy's desire to avoid regulation and the public's right to clean, safe drinking water, New Mexico's new Republican governor, Susana Martinez threw out regulations intended to control the continuing discharge of poisonous dairy waste into the state's water supplies. According to the state environment department, at least two-thirds of the groundwater underneath or adjacent to New Mexico's dairy CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) has been poisoned by nitrates. When other pollutants are included, estimates of water contamination by these factory farms can rise as high as 90 percent. No wonder New Mexico's legislature voted to have regulations drawn up to prevent this ongoing groundwater pollution..."<br /></i></b><br />Read more @<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/regina-weiss/new-mexico-governor-susan_b_805853.html">Huffington Post</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-83406760568512202362010-12-11T18:44:00.000-08:002010-12-11T18:44:00.233-08:00What's In Your Neighborhood?Check out the interactive map on the link below...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.factoryfarmmap.org/">Factory Farm Map</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhVRBW0qlXhwy9UOePO-fJ9QJ_NZX8Yoic6Ug0HDhzQuVkuEQ8V6Xiyr5hPn3-Ha7UrJVgfjH5sc13HJFlJMvqO-f7DPUikIBr5jzk2TdIBj9B3q3UsktkLkPsoA1RW7urqk4lah3NLUd/s1600/factory+farm+map.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 372px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhVRBW0qlXhwy9UOePO-fJ9QJ_NZX8Yoic6Ug0HDhzQuVkuEQ8V6Xiyr5hPn3-Ha7UrJVgfjH5sc13HJFlJMvqO-f7DPUikIBr5jzk2TdIBj9B3q3UsktkLkPsoA1RW7urqk4lah3NLUd/s400/factory+farm+map.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548508252793408962" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-80119525244202684492010-12-09T10:34:00.000-08:002010-12-09T10:43:22.086-08:00Obama: Take A Walk On The Supply Side<strong>Talk about ditching the political liabilities on the far left, Obama has embraced the supply side economics theory. Read on...<br /><br /><br /></strong><strong><p></strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxhSDCuHsNNGFG0KRX75I6THdd6YF7U9xHHhuOh864FU0QXj_SJlwjDK0KPZBVPkrClN7EE6DrjAx5XOTfMbFSHcLJlWCXzE7BF64g1IP3dj1Yb4qThrPzQfcaiR9Fxq41Luj-QbzWjse/s1600/National-Debt-GDP.gif"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 245px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548753012770673730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxhSDCuHsNNGFG0KRX75I6THdd6YF7U9xHHhuOh864FU0QXj_SJlwjDK0KPZBVPkrClN7EE6DrjAx5XOTfMbFSHcLJlWCXzE7BF64g1IP3dj1Yb4qThrPzQfcaiR9Fxq41Luj-QbzWjse/s400/National-Debt-GDP.gif" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Check out the remarks made by President Obama in Meeting with the President’s Export Council today (12/9/10):<br /><br /><em>"...The bipartisan framework that we’ve forged on taxes will not only protect working Americans from seeing a major tax increase on January 1st; it will provide businesses incentives to invest, grow and hire. And every economist that I’ve talked to or that I’ve read over the last couple of days acknowledges that this agreement would boost economic growth in the coming years and has the potential to create millions of jobs. The average American family will start 2011 knowing that there will be more money to pay the bills each month, more money to pay for tuition, more money to raise their children.<br /><br />But if this framework fails, the reverse is true. Americans would see it in smaller paychecks that would have the effect of fewer jobs.<br /><br />So as we meet here today to talk about one important facet of our economic strategy for the future, I urge members of Congress to move forward on this essential priority.<br /><br />Now, the top priority of my administration since I took office has been to get the American people back on their feet and back on the job in the aftermath of the most devastating recession in our lifetime. That’s job one. But as I said in greater detail on Monday, we’ve also got to ask ourselves how do we position our economy to be strong, growing and competitive in the long run..."<br /><br />What did Bush and Reagan do? Cut taxes and increase spending, i.e., suppy side economics. </em></strong></p><p><strong><em><br /></em></strong><a href="http://dailynewsbeat.com/news-1246-headlines/?p=518">Read more...</a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-14703874942920242362010-12-08T18:25:00.000-08:002010-12-08T18:32:32.197-08:00Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Near Schools May Pose Asthma Risk<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrciP1L4uPG66hzgT6cs6q3myAi4iZhQgmEjCipjmM95Rf9d11xL5lkN-x9mgi8WWljjqSCsjVtqlaWYpWBpT9PkhW20w4hSSOzS97jFdEy7GejDqdDpa5Xvjjjb9RujL0G3NSR_3nCia/s1600/dairy+health+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrciP1L4uPG66hzgT6cs6q3myAi4iZhQgmEjCipjmM95Rf9d11xL5lkN-x9mgi8WWljjqSCsjVtqlaWYpWBpT9PkhW20w4hSSOzS97jFdEy7GejDqdDpa5Xvjjjb9RujL0G3NSR_3nCia/s400/dairy+health+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548504707607978370" /></a><br />Children who attend school near large-scale livestock farms known as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) may be at a higher risk for asthma, according to a new study by University of Iowa researchers.<br /><br />The study, led by Joel Kline, M.D., professor of internal medicine in the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, appears in the June issue of Chest, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians http://www.chestjournal.org/.<br /><br />“Previous research has shown increased rates of asthma among children living in rural areas of Iowa and the United States,” said Kline, who also is deputy director of the Environmental Health Sciences Research Center (EHSRC) in the UI College of Public Health, which helped fund the study. “Given that CAFOs release inflammatory substances that can affect the health of workers at these facilities and the air quality of nearby communities, we were interested in whether there was a connection between CAFOs and increased rates of asthma among kids in rural areas.”<br /><br />Researchers surveyed the parents of kindergarten through fifth-grade students attending two Iowa elementary schools to compare the prevalence of asthma among students. The “study” school was located a half-mile from a CAFO in northeast Iowa; the “control” school was in east-central Iowa, more than 10 miles away from any CAFO (generally classified as a livestock facility that houses more than 1,000 animal units). Sixty-one participants responded from the study school, and 248 participants responded from the control school.<br /><br />Study results indicated a significant difference in the prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma between the two schools: 12 children (19.7 percent) from the study school located near a CAFO and 18 children (7.3 percent) from the control school. The overall rate of physician-diagnosed asthma reported for Iowa is around 6.7 percent, the study authors noted.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.c3es.org/?p=104">Read more..</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-20465271150849945902010-10-12T13:22:00.000-07:002010-10-12T13:22:00.678-07:00Big CAFO to Southern Wisconsin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC0C-PrIowCADvrnJJQiG1356hSd2ZYVXBRj6zMiwxTPovE89PDssa-L83R00lQZzIYqIfzEIPPOOaHbG8B-3qMq-p28m7pUAXLzWWY75bCXFFwIxSGM8jRLHuUpW9g6az8gkspcIPIjUg/s1600/manure+problem.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 326px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC0C-PrIowCADvrnJJQiG1356hSd2ZYVXBRj6zMiwxTPovE89PDssa-L83R00lQZzIYqIfzEIPPOOaHbG8B-3qMq-p28m7pUAXLzWWY75bCXFFwIxSGM8jRLHuUpW9g6az8gkspcIPIjUg/s400/manure+problem.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525774444914267234" /></a><br />BRADFORD TOWNSHIP — <b><i>The Bradford Town Board on Tuesday will get its first look at plans for a 4,600-cow dairy on the Rock Prairie east of Janesville.<br /><br />Nebraska dairy farmer Todd Tuls asked to be on the agenda for Tuesday night’s regular board meeting so he could share information about the project, Clerk Sandra Clark said.<br /><br />Tuls is considering a 160-acre parcel on the northeast corner of Highway 14 and Scharine Road in far eastern Rock County.<br /><br />The parcel is owned by Tom and Sue Metcalf, according to Rock County records.<br /><br />If it happens, the dairy herd would be the biggest in Rock County.<br /><br />Tuls is Nebraska’s biggest dairy farmer, Dairy Council of Nebraska spokeswoman Stacey Fletcher has said. He milks 10,000 cows on two sites near Shelby, Neb., about 80 miles west of Omaha, Fletcher said.<br /><br />Ralph Wetmore is one Bradford Township property owner who toured Tuls’ Nebraska operation.<br /><br />The size of Tuls’ barns is a little overwhelming, Wetmore said...</i></b><br /><br />Read: <a href="http://gazettextra.com/news/2010/aug/20/bradford-board-hear-plan-4600-cow-dairy/">Bradford board to hear plan for 4,600-cow dairy</a><br /><br /><a href="http://gazettextra.com/weblogs/latest-news/2010/aug/25/large-dairy-farm-could-be-2011/">http://gazettextra.com/weblogs/latest-news/2010/aug/25/large-dairy-farm-could-be-2011/</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-51372366724316179292010-10-10T13:15:00.000-07:002010-10-10T13:15:00.317-07:00Dairy + Wisconsin = $$$$$$$$<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXWchYkUPoGnuDdVMwDQduY91VD-m8Cn8b3LkxaC6kqUikLJysckQ2YZUuoLGGrZx52C6ok_y12PFxINCg5AjmHq7jsJzxmk0PDJMFia69iN47fLxGjWtkvknS26fWg-RTRpAHsLT2Zph/s1600/WeWantFactoryFarmingStoppedACartoon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXWchYkUPoGnuDdVMwDQduY91VD-m8Cn8b3LkxaC6kqUikLJysckQ2YZUuoLGGrZx52C6ok_y12PFxINCg5AjmHq7jsJzxmk0PDJMFia69iN47fLxGjWtkvknS26fWg-RTRpAHsLT2Zph/s400/WeWantFactoryFarmingStoppedACartoon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525772105948103858" /></a><br /><b><i>"...Agriculture is a key part of Wisconsin’s economy. To be exact, Wisconsin’s farms and agricultural businesses generate $59.16 billion in economic activity and provide jobs for 353,991 people, according to a recent study conducted by University of Wisconsin-Extension based on data for 2007.<br /><br />“This study clearly demonstrates agriculture’s huge role in our state’s economy and the importance of having a diverse agricultural portfolio. No other sector is so broadly based across the entire state,” says Rod Nilsestuen, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.<br /><br />The findings show that Wisconsin agriculture contributes in a significant way to the state’s economic base despite the acute financial pressures caused by low prices for several products including milk and cheese as well as high input costs. Results indicate agriculture’s economic activity increased 14.9 percent, up from $51.5 billion, from a similar study conducted in 2004 using data for 2000..."<br /></i></b><br />Read: <a href="http://www.dairyherd.com/news_editorial.asp?ts=nl1&pgid=675&ed_id=9187">Study: Ag contributes billions to Wisconsin’s bottom line </a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-43763995899444806192010-10-08T14:26:00.000-07:002010-10-08T14:26:00.708-07:00Dairy Cows & Factory Farms<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_EzzIq5iUUVdPtmC5aIOVzvEM6r26jSqL2-ZAoLk9J6k70VV-pFmToaHUZygUfEVVtMrsekRde6fSLvYok-UIKvtQyXTnu2ltzP-hS5oOsfdn0ctpqBIJOzwpRfyMLxgEBbc0hEW4SmC/s1600/factory+farm+dairy+cows.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_EzzIq5iUUVdPtmC5aIOVzvEM6r26jSqL2-ZAoLk9J6k70VV-pFmToaHUZygUfEVVtMrsekRde6fSLvYok-UIKvtQyXTnu2ltzP-hS5oOsfdn0ctpqBIJOzwpRfyMLxgEBbc0hEW4SmC/s400/factory+farm+dairy+cows.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514289960479665906" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Dairy cows are bred today for high milk production. For cows who are injected with Bovine Growth Hormone, their already high rate of milk production is doubled. Half of the cows in the national dairy herd are raised in intensive confinement, where they suffer emotionally from being socially deprived and being prohibited from natural behavior. Dairy cows produce milk for about 10 months after giving birth so they are impregnated continuously to keep up the milk flow. Female calves are kept to replenish the herd and male calves are usually sent to veal crates where they live a miserable existence until their slaughter. When cows become unable to produce adequate amounts of milk they are sent to slaughter so money can be made from their flesh. The cows are kept in a holding facility where they are fed, watered and have their waste removed mechanically and are allowed out only twice a day to be milked by machines.<br /><br />Read <a href="http://www.idausa.org/facts/factoryfarmfacts.html">Factory Farm Facts</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-63874233414719440792010-10-06T09:53:00.000-07:002010-10-06T09:53:00.341-07:00Cheap food comes at high cost<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMw7hEkwEkfvwXKcE8BngZPa5Qpw5_ZnFR9HptRYcIyvw7Ao10woCLjdSIM8UwG5fK4-Z8QVJQwfDC2pBT-ewGw2Z8SO5LOfQRXv68qmMZze9JsskPbXrkh4dCz57alkhXFzg6rTOvKaqd/s1600/cheap+eats.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMw7hEkwEkfvwXKcE8BngZPa5Qpw5_ZnFR9HptRYcIyvw7Ao10woCLjdSIM8UwG5fK4-Z8QVJQwfDC2pBT-ewGw2Z8SO5LOfQRXv68qmMZze9JsskPbXrkh4dCz57alkhXFzg6rTOvKaqd/s400/cheap+eats.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521267607772049234" /></a><br />CHICAGO, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- <b>U.S. consumers pay less for food than any others in the world, but that comes at a high price in lost jobs and health concerns, critics of "factory farms" say.<br /><br />The average American spent just 9.5 percent of disposable income on food last year, a lower percentage than in any other country in the world, U.S. Department of Agriculture figures show.<br /><br />Meat accounted for just 1.6 percent of that spending, with the majority of this cheap protein delivered by "factory farms" that house thousands of animals in confinement in concentrated animal feeding operations, producing mass quantities of food at low cost, the Chicago Tribune reported.<br /><br />But critics say the system can create disasters like last month's recall of half a billion salmonella-tainted eggs.<br /><br />The consolidation of food production has led to environmental damage, the loss of millions of small independent farms, rising healthcare expenditures and billions in tax-funded subsidies to produce cheap animal feed, they say.<br /><br />"Cheap is in the eyes of the accountant," researcher Daniel Imhoff says. "Somehow we've forgotten how to add the total costs of cheap meat production to our health, environment, the loss of vibrant rural communities with lots of family farms."<br /><br />Citing the recent egg recall, Imhoff says the relatively rapid consolidation of U.S. meat, poultry, egg and dairy production and processing greatly increases the potential for these "problems to spread fast and wide throughout the food system."</b><br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.upi.com/">UPI</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-6107189597822831292010-10-04T09:40:00.000-07:002010-10-04T09:40:00.179-07:00The High Price Of Cheap Food<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidS7VzWHCdd2dLxrPvMOoZzlu-oNSFaE9QYpA1JQwwrErW_lA6prtuHJYjcWXG1_bvD_7pDn0CcpH0RugTjnOkjPoPHXEBrLzo4JspGAXDOwNc013edqOUediVYQ8ddlSp_86y8Kko2QAw/s1600/food+graph.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 371px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidS7VzWHCdd2dLxrPvMOoZzlu-oNSFaE9QYpA1JQwwrErW_lA6prtuHJYjcWXG1_bvD_7pDn0CcpH0RugTjnOkjPoPHXEBrLzo4JspGAXDOwNc013edqOUediVYQ8ddlSp_86y8Kko2QAw/s400/food+graph.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521263353141676546" /></a><br /><b>By Derek Thompson is a staff editor at </b><a href="http:/"><b>TheAtlantic.com</b></a><br /><br /><b>There are a lot of reasons why obesity has taken off over the last 30 years, but one very obvious reason is that food -- especially fat food -- is so cheap:<br /><br /><i>Food is cheaper here than almost anywhere else. In 2007, only about 6.9 percent of U.S. consumer spending went for food at home; Germans spent more (11.4 percent), as did Italians (14.5 percent) and Mexicans (24.2 percent). On the other hand, low food prices may contribute to Americans' obesity. In 2006, about 34 percent of U.S. adults were judged obese, triple France's rate (10.5 percent) and four times that of Switzerland (7.7 percent)<br />But why is food so cheap in the United States?</i><br /><br />As Bryan Walsh explains in this excellent TIME article, it starts with corn. American corn production has tripled in the past 40 years, from 4 billion bu. in 1970 to 12 billion. Billions of dollars of subsidies have injected steroids into corn production, and our farmers have injected chemicals into our fields -- "American farmers now produce an astounding 153 bu. of corn per acre, up from 118 as recently as 1990." Money might be scarce, but cheap food is abundant. As a result, food expenditures as a percentage of income have fallen by half in the last half-century, and obesity rates have doubled.<br /><br />The cheap food revolution hasn't just given low-income families cheaper options. It's come at the expense of healthier food. A dollar today buys 1,200 calories of potato chips and 250 calories of vegetables or 170 calories of fresh fruit. Walsh gets it right: "it simply costs too much to be thin."</b><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#006600;">Also read</span> <a href="http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ID/cafo/ID-350%20HTML/ID-350.html">What is a CFO, CAFO?</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-19220393058975951152010-10-01T14:29:00.000-07:002010-10-01T14:29:00.658-07:00Chemicals & Factory Farms<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9zGZHjh6s7APMG7G5nWtYFu_nCw_q9ngJVU0Asvq4MfMA0ThGrQO3JtSWpil2_pcps-GXxuYdot0Css1MNXsqjzqT_hqLKuR1MwNQGZ-Xmo0of4vQSsv9NdNfjO-sl7DfWIWQ1DmLT_B/s1600/crop+duster.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 227px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9zGZHjh6s7APMG7G5nWtYFu_nCw_q9ngJVU0Asvq4MfMA0ThGrQO3JtSWpil2_pcps-GXxuYdot0Css1MNXsqjzqT_hqLKuR1MwNQGZ-Xmo0of4vQSsv9NdNfjO-sl7DfWIWQ1DmLT_B/s400/crop+duster.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514289299666931426" /></a><br /><b><i>Animals raised in confinement create an ideal setting for bacteria and disease to spread rapidly. Antibiotics were developed around the time of World War II and were soon adapted into the farming system. In the U.S., almost 50% of all antibiotics are administered to farm animals. These drugs form a toxic residue in animal tissue. It is much of this same tissue that is sold to consumers as food products. Each year, we see an increase in the number of salmonella poisoning cases from contaminated eggs, meat and milk. These strains of salmonella are difficult to treat because they are antibiotic resistant. Antibiotics are not the only chemicals administered to factory farm animals; many animals are fed growth-promoting hormones, appetite stimulants and pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides and aflatoxins that collect in the animals' tissues and milk.</i></b><br /><br />Read more <a href="http://www.idausa.org/facts/factoryfarmfacts.html">Factory Farming Facts</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-3397399527009693492010-09-29T11:17:00.000-07:002010-09-29T11:17:00.255-07:00Pfizer to expand genetic testing, other areas of animal health business to combat rivals<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBQ8TyKALY5iwWmdgBxc-OxEpEi0nsEFfOvrWxYhdBxGtZYkJsdTW4b1h9UrQVzyl7m8A44_xpLg-XHdrmBFtUd8k70-FcP1iZ7fFRpDyhjcWCrlX-rtksTNsd1AOmYwFPM5bUcmgP2ye/s1600/2+head+cow"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 293px; height: 172px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBQ8TyKALY5iwWmdgBxc-OxEpEi0nsEFfOvrWxYhdBxGtZYkJsdTW4b1h9UrQVzyl7m8A44_xpLg-XHdrmBFtUd8k70-FcP1iZ7fFRpDyhjcWCrlX-rtksTNsd1AOmYwFPM5bUcmgP2ye/s400/2+head+cow" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520917678413567874" /></a><br /><i>By <b>LINDA A. JOHNSON</b> , Associated Press</i><br /><br />NEW YORK - <b><i>Pfizer Inc., the world's biggest seller of drugs for people, now is looking to make more bucks from Fido, Fifi and farm animals.<br /><br />The company is developing drugs for new animal diseases, pushing into the growing market for pet medicine in emerging markets and working with livestock farmers to use its genetic tests to reduce costs and produce top-quality meat.<br /><br />Despite that strategy, Pfizer will be bumped from its position as the top animal health company by revenue when a planned joint venture of rivals gets approved by regulators, probably early next year. Merck & Co. and Sanofi-Aventis SA are combining their animal health businesses into what will be called Merial-Intervet. It is expected to initially have about 28 percent of the $19 billion-a-year global animal health market...</i></b><br /><br />Read more at <a href="http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/103075644.html">Minneapolis Star-Tribune</a><br /><br />Also read:<br /><a href="http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ID/cafo/ID-348%20HTML/ID-348.html">CAFOs and Public Health: The Fate of Unabsorbed Antibiotics</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ID/cafo/ID-349%20HTML/ID-349.html">CAFOs and Public Health: The Issue of Antibiotic Resistance</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-51172764232107021462010-09-27T10:03:00.000-07:002010-09-27T10:03:00.278-07:00Groundwater tainted by U.S. agribusiness<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRP9B0Pg4QOSMVlsunpq6sSFHE6xYDQJxgv2OMagHIu0sq9oCUtTfZU9VrBch3ub1xJIkeJSpJqYiGe39HvxmDJMXOuP4Cp5mGGD4-TAyeVEl0UFDVzRzWbEDXgAXCAIBEm7s4yM3WjKj/s1600/cows+in+water.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 264px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRP9B0Pg4QOSMVlsunpq6sSFHE6xYDQJxgv2OMagHIu0sq9oCUtTfZU9VrBch3ub1xJIkeJSpJqYiGe39HvxmDJMXOuP4Cp5mGGD4-TAyeVEl0UFDVzRzWbEDXgAXCAIBEm7s4yM3WjKj/s400/cows+in+water.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521269032951592130" /></a>By <b>Erica Gies</b><br /><br /><b><i>I recently traveled to California’s Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural regions the world has ever seen, and the source of much of the food that you and I eat.<br /><br />Unfortunately this bounty comes at a high cost to the people who grow and harvest our food — a cost that may impact many more of us soon. The problem is groundwater pollution. Fertilizer and pesticide runoff from irrigated fields, animal waste from dairy farms and concentrated animal-feeding operations can poison drinking water.<br /><br />I visited the town of Seville, which farm workers have called home for four generations. About 500 people live there now, and most adults still work in the fields. In 2008 the town’s only drinking water source tested positive for nitrates.<br /><br />Nitrates are a byproduct of the nitrogen fertilizers that help American farmers bring in bumper crops. But when those crops can’t absorb all the fertilizer applied, the excess flows into groundwater via irrigation runoff. Nitrate-contaminated drinking water can poison pregnant women and babies. It inhibits a baby’s ability to absorb oxygen into its blood, which can cause it to suffocate and die. This condition is known as blue baby syndrome. Nitrate pollution has also been linked to cancer and to spleen and kidney disease...</i></b><br /><br />Read more at<br /><a href="http://www.phillytrib.com/tribune/commentary/61-opedcommentary/14678-groundwater-tainted-by-us-agribusiness.html">The Philadelphia Tribune</a><br /><br />Also read:<br /><a href="http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ID/cafo/ID-355%20HTML/ID-355.html">The Possibility for Reducing Water Pollution Resulting from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and the Impact of Phytase</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ID/cafo/ID-356.html">CAFOs and Public Health: Pathogens and Manure</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-11823277357788836542010-09-26T08:01:00.000-07:002010-09-26T08:01:00.528-07:00Farmers Fear Dust Rules Won't Reflect Rural Life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFPIhqywN1vg9qEnHTie8pMmEKOjqHNWYNVquFr3hDyUy65j-UW8q01H6GwQx6nQzJ_pTeDLWe5yWI9mgDYMyiBJ5WbZcE9WI3rSc5hmr0n_VN-kBlUBVZ_hBmLiSOGTo-7W14z-vtLb5C/s1600/chicken+dust.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 136px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFPIhqywN1vg9qEnHTie8pMmEKOjqHNWYNVquFr3hDyUy65j-UW8q01H6GwQx6nQzJ_pTeDLWe5yWI9mgDYMyiBJ5WbZcE9WI3rSc5hmr0n_VN-kBlUBVZ_hBmLiSOGTo-7W14z-vtLb5C/s400/chicken+dust.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520866529025605138" /></a><br /><b><i>By RICK CALLAHAN, Associated Press Writer</i></b><br /><br /><b>INDIANAPOLIS — As they begin the fall harvest, wary farmers are watching a federal debate over whether to clamp down on one of rural life's constant companions — the dust clouds that farm machinery kick up in fields and along unpaved roads.<br /><br />Farming groups have urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to retain its current standards for dust, soot and other microscopic particles, arguing that tighter restrictions would be unworkable and that dust isn't a real pollutant.<br /><br />Grain farmer Charles Schmitt, who farms about 2,000 acres of corn and soybeans near the southwestern Indiana town of Haubstadt, called the possibility of tougher rules on dust "ridiculous"...<br /></b><br /><a href="http://www.post-trib.com/lifestyles/2728948,pt_20_Hoosier-farmers-fear-dust-rules-won-t-.articleprint">Read more...</a><br /><br />Read: <a href="http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ID/cafo/ID-365-W.pdf">CAFOs and Community Conflict: Understanding Community Conflict</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-63701941288884102742010-09-25T11:33:00.000-07:002010-09-25T11:39:00.054-07:00It Could Happen Here...<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Wis. DNR: Stay away from Jackson County dam!</span></span></b><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6oPb5glcLc5btNQzpmabalHMmCDlXfkrUoVHpqF8W64sGVzc1dEypZwzbbsBYeSTBmQX6XvK0B_4adcLcmTnc6RDppjyqH15u-_uZAeXA_n-LR0ggUWnPhIm8jxSv8HWKFv6EASo499y1/s1600/farm+flooding.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6oPb5glcLc5btNQzpmabalHMmCDlXfkrUoVHpqF8W64sGVzc1dEypZwzbbsBYeSTBmQX6XvK0B_4adcLcmTnc6RDppjyqH15u-_uZAeXA_n-LR0ggUWnPhIm8jxSv8HWKFv6EASo499y1/s400/farm+flooding.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520921126728379906" /></a><br /><i>Sept. 24, 2010</i><br />BLACK RIVER FALLS, Wis. -- <b><i>The Wisconsin DNR is urging residents to use caution around a Jackson County dam that no longer has a protective barrier due to heavy rains and flooding.<br /><br />The DNR says the steel cable and float markers that warn boaters near the Hatfield Dam on Lake Arbutus have washed away.<br /><br />The DNR discourages boating, or any other water activities during flooding events. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;">The water can be contaminated with pollutants, including bacteria, manure and pesticides</span></span>.<br /><br />The water also contains floating debris, which can be dangerous to boaters and others on the water.</i></b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-23017599783983510782010-09-22T19:16:00.001-07:002010-09-22T19:21:07.708-07:00The Curse of Factory Farms<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtvhNEtpKb9kBxwnsHU3Oi41nxWTMyb0mPXP83Kv8Q-2wDX3f-J2ggleOI0d_dY6EgsHU21TGCGO5rfMap0Esry7BgX660NUc9mRhe7Lv7iuKizLW5h4-d7ehwowCbL6Za_RQ_Iuro06d/s1600/miss+factory+farm.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 287px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtvhNEtpKb9kBxwnsHU3Oi41nxWTMyb0mPXP83Kv8Q-2wDX3f-J2ggleOI0d_dY6EgsHU21TGCGO5rfMap0Esry7BgX660NUc9mRhe7Lv7iuKizLW5h4-d7ehwowCbL6Za_RQ_Iuro06d/s400/miss+factory+farm.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519928226282851282" /></a><br /><i><b>"Factory farms have become the dominant method of raising meat in America. Agribusiness loves the apparent efficiency that comes with raising thousands of animals in a single large building where they are permanently confined in stalls or pens. Most of the human labor can be automated. It takes less land, because the animals live cheek by jowl their entire lives. And it allows the concentration of enormous stocks of animals in the hands of a few corporations whose goal is usually complete vertical integration -- the control of production from birth through butchering and packaging.<br /><br />"These plants, called confined animal feeding operations, or CAFO's, now exist in 44 states. The question is how to minimize their harmful environmental effects and prevent them from putting a final squeeze on smaller farmers, especially those who raise animals in more traditional, grass-based ways.<br /><br />Factory farms have taken root mainly where zoning laws were lax or nonexistent, or in states where citizens were prevented from filing suits against agricultural operations. The inevitable byproduct of huge concentrations of animals is huge concentrations of manure, which is stored in open lagoons and eventually sprayed on farmland, though there is usually far more manure than local fields can absorb. In such quantities, manure becomes a toxic substance. Spills are always a risk, as is groundwater contamination. The bigger danger is airborne contamination of water from ammonia, which rises from the lagoons and falls into low-lying rivers and estuaries..."</b></i><br /><br />Read more @ <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/30/opinion/the-curse-of-factory-farms.html">New York Times</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-33552934413856671412010-09-21T19:26:00.000-07:002010-09-21T19:31:02.707-07:00Come Speak Out Against Taxpayer Subsidized Factory Farm Expansion in Wisconsin!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qbf_cgkCkVjEjJPsJ22giczI-sfh9CjDmXDg8GNwMGEQglNlCgn5yWSRCixvkULPlA46VcB-eg0cFqlwORFVZdvnqgHNg5QjapjY1452YnxsOWjyGLpWrXQsd_V_u31v025q_fgyeav_/s1600/ffd_banner.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 94px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qbf_cgkCkVjEjJPsJ22giczI-sfh9CjDmXDg8GNwMGEQglNlCgn5yWSRCixvkULPlA46VcB-eg0cFqlwORFVZdvnqgHNg5QjapjY1452YnxsOWjyGLpWrXQsd_V_u31v025q_fgyeav_/s400/ffd_banner.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519559524900580834" /></a><br /><br />Click here for <a href="http://www.familyfarmdefenders.org/Main/HomePage">Family Farm Defenders</a> web site<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>HEAR AND BE HERD!</i></span></b><br /><br /><b><i>Come Speak Out Against Taxpayer Subsidized Factory Farm Expansion in Wisconsin!</i></b><br /><br /><b>JOIN US </b>at the World Dairy Expo in Madison in this media event to publicize the dire situation of many family farmers in the State. The first Annual Wisconsin "Land of 10,000 Lagoon” Awards to the Worst Violators of the Public Trust and Ecological Stewardship in the State will be presented.<br /><br /><b>WHEN</b>: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">Tuesday, September 28th, 2010 at 4:00 P.M.</span><br /><br /><b>WHERE:</b> Main Entrance to Alliant Energy Center (just off the Madison beltline on Rimrock Road/Cty MM near the corner with John Nolen Dr.)<br /><br />ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND THIS DEMONSTRATION OF SUPPORT FOR WISCONSIN’S FAMILY FARMS!<br /><br />To register to speak please contact:<br /><br />John E. Peck , Family Farm Defenders #608-260-0900<br />Jennifer Nelson, Sustain Rural Wisconsin Network, 608-476-2301, jenelson7@centurytel.net<br /><br />Edie Ehlert, Crawford Stewardship Project, 608-734-3223, edieehlert@centurytel.netUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-60980285655517147282010-09-20T10:19:00.000-07:002010-09-20T10:19:00.188-07:00Economic downturn drains Western Pennsylvania dairy farmers<b><i>"Western Pennsylvania farmers trying to earn a living raising cattle or producing milk were hurt by a plunge in exports to other states and overseas when the world economy went into recession, state agriculture experts say..."</i></b><br /><br />Read more @ <a href="http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_700236.html">PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-26069839804581462772010-09-19T09:55:00.000-07:002010-09-19T09:59:20.535-07:00DATCP board hears budget and livestock siting concerns<b>Members of the board of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) heard public testimony on raw milk and livestock siting issues during the Sept. 8, 2010 board meeting in Madison....</b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3T1HJEOyvfxICKZnzNxWNOAblXcHz8915uqLHBphEvlnP6EnAr9SmPjwTPghSDxVQQCdlBTZi6EfmVxAgg_cicYjriqqrTHLHYEe9uqtol6euKXte7TH7pqlgYB1r4zkO77ca1VXIJY4x/s1600/hardap-super.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3T1HJEOyvfxICKZnzNxWNOAblXcHz8915uqLHBphEvlnP6EnAr9SmPjwTPghSDxVQQCdlBTZi6EfmVxAgg_cicYjriqqrTHLHYEe9uqtol6euKXte7TH7pqlgYB1r4zkO77ca1VXIJY4x/s400/hardap-super.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518669326595208530" /></a><i>...Raw milk and livestock siting were topics addressed by speakers during the public appearance segment of the DATCP board meeting.<br /><br />John Peck, Baraboo, a raw milk advocate, wanted to address livestock siting because he was concerned about “liability and remedy.<br /><br />“By taking away local control, the state assumes responsibility for cleanups resulting from abandoned livestock facilities. In Iowa when you apply for a permit you have to put money into a clean-up fund,” he said.<br /><br />DATCP’s Richard Castelnuovo said the siting rule prohibits bonding. He also reminded the board that “Sept. 11, 2001, changed the bonding market.”<br /><br />Board member Mike Krutza pointed out “clean up losses are often borne by lenders.”<br /><br />Kara Slaughter, representing Wisconsin Farmers Union, had a six-page handout for board members that included her testimony.<br /><br />While the DATCP has two committees reviewing technical standards in the siting rule, Slaughter emphasized “there is nothing in Wisconsin statute 93.90 or ATCP 51 that prohibits DATCP from reviewing the full rule in the course of this four-year review process. DATCP does not need any special grant of authority to review or revise its own rules.<br /><br />“DATCP can re-do anything DATCP wrote,” she said, adding “I think the rules are at the edges of what the law does.”<br /><br />Board member Dick Cates said, “It is our obligation as a board to look at all we can. After four years of learning, ironically, we may be undermining the rule because a lot of the public does not agree with the rule.”<br /><br />Jennifer Nelson, Sustain Rural Wisconsin Network, urged that an “independent committee study the impacts of the law and related DATCP policies on local government. These results should be compared with the standards for the rules as defined in the law and should recommend procedures to deal with those which are not covered by the technical committee.”<br /><br />Board member Dick Cates said the Raw Milk Committees have two more meetings scheduled. “I believe members are coming together with a plan the legislature just might approve. It’s a hopeful process n I see a lot of coming together across the industry,” he noted.<br /></i><br />Source: Agri-View:<a href="http:/">read more...</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-88955421539697662342010-09-18T15:10:00.000-07:002010-09-18T15:10:00.622-07:00Iowans to DNR: Just Say No To Scott County Factory Farm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1YhcvKoZ0T7k-7IZ7NKmpg7-7o4LIg9lN4FQ2lXWO1LNHvXHgz9nWqdETdj1jKhnaaV9rSsLoYs7mDcI9Ln68SSw-VwZh7rpmAxJN8QegffG5PZNUX0X6QuD-vqKKQH6z2De4zenCnWKc/s1600/iowa+hogs.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1YhcvKoZ0T7k-7IZ7NKmpg7-7o4LIg9lN4FQ2lXWO1LNHvXHgz9nWqdETdj1jKhnaaV9rSsLoYs7mDcI9Ln68SSw-VwZh7rpmAxJN8QegffG5PZNUX0X6QuD-vqKKQH6z2De4zenCnWKc/s400/iowa+hogs.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514298338076800482" /></a><b><i>We are witnessing a massive recall of eggs infected with salmonella - eggs produced from factory farms right here in Iowa. I am not surprised.<br /><br />Our lawmakers say that we can't afford to put an end to the factory farm industry here in Iowa, but I know we taxpayers really can't afford the health risks, the polluted air, or the polluted water. I know we certainly can't afford to continue covering for factory farm screwups on the taxpayer dime or giving them tax breaks so they can afford to ruin our quality of life.<br /><br />It's time for lawmakers to stop kowtowing to the factory farm industry and stand up for the voters by passing strict regulations of factory farms now - before we have another outbreak of disease on our hands.<br /></i></b><br /><b>Lori Nelson</b><br /><i>Bayard, Iowa<br />Letter to the Editor<br />Des Moines Register</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-63804141397761832342010-09-16T15:46:00.000-07:002010-09-16T15:46:00.425-07:00rBGH, Dairy Cows & You<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDhe6wVA533p3MjoI4Nu_mPRCJmwwSA6SRSaUBWjZc3tV71DKggJgjNxjlbnR3jYoB-upGw2O73cKBgp6uT_o6Qi1D8hEkyVbaQ1JVV9D38mqVKpfg46Jvm2-dB78M-dyBR6hDHOTk8FH/s1600/rbgh.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDhe6wVA533p3MjoI4Nu_mPRCJmwwSA6SRSaUBWjZc3tV71DKggJgjNxjlbnR3jYoB-upGw2O73cKBgp6uT_o6Qi1D8hEkyVbaQ1JVV9D38mqVKpfg46Jvm2-dB78M-dyBR6hDHOTk8FH/s400/rbgh.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514307371338180562" /></a><br /><b><i>Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), also called recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST), is a drug that is injected into cows to increase their milk production. Developed by the agricultural company Monsanto and approved for commercial use in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1993, by 2000 it had become the largest selling pharmaceutical product in the history of the dairy industry. RBGH has never been approved for commercial use in Canada or the European Union due to concerns about the drug‚ impact on animal health. The artificial hormone‚ known side effects include increased udder infections and reproductive problems in cows. Notably, a growing body of scientific research also suggests a link between drinking rBGH-treated milk and certain types of cancer in humans...</i></b><br /><br />Read <a href="http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/food/report/rbgh-how-artificial-hormones-damage-the-dairy-industry-and-endanger-public-health-2/">rBGH: How Artificial Hormones Damage the Dairy Industry and Endanger Public Health</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-86021082511272112752010-09-14T15:39:00.000-07:002010-09-14T15:39:00.101-07:00Consolidation and Price Manipulation in the Dairy Industry<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2kGFexJHf5QB5kzjJAK1dKGgT5IitvlXNZwS_awSVe1OyylgKCUecBcTYHB-0EwcjLzaYNlqtgUX_kKmj53A2WpIv0gilhMvF12RRtJ3x4IBIgwrW1hdzLjAtIQHXdJP8gYa7SCiqNu9/s1600/family-farm-versus-corporate-farm.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2kGFexJHf5QB5kzjJAK1dKGgT5IitvlXNZwS_awSVe1OyylgKCUecBcTYHB-0EwcjLzaYNlqtgUX_kKmj53A2WpIv0gilhMvF12RRtJ3x4IBIgwrW1hdzLjAtIQHXdJP8gYa7SCiqNu9/s400/family-farm-versus-corporate-farm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514306048410593474" /></a><br />Read the fact sheet on Consolidation and Price Manipulation in the Dairy Industry at <a href="http://documents.foodandwaterwatch.org/DairyCompetition.pdf">Food & Water Watch</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-1291323571081155702010-09-12T15:20:00.000-07:002010-09-12T15:20:00.528-07:00Iowa: Cattle Factory Farm Forced To Request Extension After DNR Raises Concerns About Operation<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#996633;">"If built, the cattle factory farm would potentially be the largest in the state, finishing 9,500-head of cattle a year, consuming more than 200,000 gallons of water every day, and producing more than 11 million gallons of manure every year inside the already impaired Mud Creek, Wapsipinicon, and Mississippi watersheds."</span></i></b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssXhvA-BCGlhye2Hcg_5xp5WkInV0hLcOHeGc5v_KcZC2HNsggy0aQX1FOHPdndCTKC2rPPHSLMPKg24oXdn1MhF_KRzu4IGkyiiPp6hWF7oZYmAFX-BvVLMtru-qTr2TXnxaBAFy1qB_/s1600/fish.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssXhvA-BCGlhye2Hcg_5xp5WkInV0hLcOHeGc5v_KcZC2HNsggy0aQX1FOHPdndCTKC2rPPHSLMPKg24oXdn1MhF_KRzu4IGkyiiPp6hWF7oZYmAFX-BvVLMtru-qTr2TXnxaBAFy1qB_/s400/fish.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514300158882313138" /></a><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330099;">Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI)members call on DNR to deny construction permit immediately</span></i></b><br /><br /><b><i>Davenport, Iowa -<br /><br />Factory farm developer Bryan Sievers' July 26 request to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR) for a 30-day extension for a review of a construction permit for a proposed cattle factory farm in Scott County should not be granted, and the DNR should immediately deny the permit application because it is incomplete and because the 60-day time frame for a decision expired on August 2, Iowa CCI members said Tuesday.<br /><br />Mr. Sievers requested a 30-day extension on July 26 after the DNR wrote a three page letter July 16 raising major concerns about more than 20 different items on the construction permit application. Copies of both letters are enclosed here and here. (PDF documents)<br /><br />"The DNR has validated Iowa CCI members' concerns that Scott County should have never voted to recommend approval for this factory farm," said Jen Broders, an Iowa CCI member and farmer from Stockton who lives a few miles from the proposed site. "The developer has failed to prove his claim, the 60 day time frame has expired, and the Iowa DNR should immediately deny the construction permit for this site."<br /><br />If built, the cattle factory farm would potentially be the largest in the state, finishing 9,500-head of cattle a year, consuming more than 200,000 gallons of water every day, and producing more than 11 million gallons of manure every year inside the already impaired Mud Creek, Wapsipinicon, and Mississippi watersheds.</i></b> <br /><br />Read more at <a href="http://www.blogforiowa.com/blog/ICCI">Blog foe Iowa</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4027878457156210574.post-22382920357524641982010-09-10T14:43:00.000-07:002010-09-10T14:43:00.473-07:00No Minimum Wage; No Overtime<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGuef1dYiVafs2azu9LGa_SyGw2Ino1rXyYkA3s8ArmYLUzyjYbJnk8hD8MeZqQHzzxyRZDtlY0FGRNQ_h1iJPPaeQ9YAyGzGZOj_qiCFvMXghL4GdwJxSnwm6DaBneR9uDvYz15IpMFH/s1600/immigrant+labor.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGuef1dYiVafs2azu9LGa_SyGw2Ino1rXyYkA3s8ArmYLUzyjYbJnk8hD8MeZqQHzzxyRZDtlY0FGRNQ_h1iJPPaeQ9YAyGzGZOj_qiCFvMXghL4GdwJxSnwm6DaBneR9uDvYz15IpMFH/s400/immigrant+labor.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514290726257075362" /></a><b><i>Immigrant laborers, many of them here illegally, have begun to dominate the work force of the dairy industry and their presence is having a profound effect on some rural communities in Wisconsin.</i></b><div><b><i><br />A recent article from the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism cites a study that estimates 40 percent of the dairy work force is made up of Latino workers. And this number will likely expand as dairy farms get larger.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br />And while Latino dairy farmers generally make about a $1 less per hour than their white counterparts, many of the farmers in the article cite the dependability of the workers as a reason why they seek them out. Farmers tell stories of having to scramble to cover for non-Latino workers who don't show up for early weekend shifts.<br />In the Wisconsin State Journal story linked to this post another farmer says that of the 300 employees who applied for jobs at his dairy farm in the last ten years, only 5 were non-Latinos.<br /><br />It appears that milking cows, ankle-deep in cow manure, at 5 a.m., is a job that most Americans simply don't want to do, and as a city slicker, I don't blame them. But somebody has to milk the cows.<br /><br />We need a guest worker program that will allow the folks who are willing to milk to come here legally and do a job that otherwise wouldn't get done.</i></b><br /><br />Read more <a href="http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/opinion/column/phil_hands/article_7339ba60-b795-11df-8a1d-001cc4c03286.html">Wisconsin State Journal</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0