EDITORIAL: What Is the REAL Economic Impact for Our Community?
Every time Concerned Citizens for Clean Water encounters the dairy industry at any public meeting in our community, we hear the same thing from the same people:1. The dairy industry's economic impact here is in excess of $225 million dollars. REALLY?
2. We don't use much water. REALLY?
3. The dairy industry in New Mexico is one of the most highly regulated in the United States. REALLY?
4. We want to keep this a dairy-friendly community. REALLY?
5. You can't regulate my property rights. I own this water and I'm gonna use it however I want to. REALLY?
AND, our favorite dairy-friendly statement:
6. If you don't like what's built next to you, you can move. REALLY? All 45,000 of us?
Problem is, anyone who EVER stands up to defend the dairy industry in our county has an economic interest at heart that seems to blind them to the community's best interest.
One by one, we watch the "big boys" stand and deliver their unbridled support for this industry, or, as they like to call it, "family farming."
Meanwhile, these defenders are in the business of garnering permits for the dairymen, selling feed to the dairies, gathering economic development monies from our poor rural region, securing banking business from the dairymen, or have potential real estate interests that would be impacted by a temporary moratorium on dairy construction.
The more we learn about the dairy industry and its track record, the more seriously concerned we become for the fate of our community and its water supply. Here are a few quotes with links to their sources.
But don't take our word for it. Decide for yourself--What do YOU think the dairy industry has to offer YOUR community?
Water and Air Pollution:
Erath County's Booming Dairy Industry Pollutes Texas' Waterways:"Ammonia and hydrogen sulfide from the waste results in an intense stench for miles around. The smell often makes life next to a CAFO unbearable. 'They ran two elderly couples completely out of their homes because of the smell,' says Pat during a drive between his home and the nearby F&R Cattle feedlot. 'This time of day, the flies would be so thick on your screen it looked like your house was black on the inside.'"
Lawsuit Alleges Air Pollution from San Joaquin Valley Dairies, Western United Dairymen:"The Association of Irritated Residents said it was filing suit against B & B Dairy and George Borba & Son Dairy in Kern County, and Diamond H Dairy in Madera County. The activist group, which is represented by the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment (CRPE), contends the dairies are 'major stationary sources' under the Clean Air Act and must obtain operating permits under federal law. 'These three dairies pollute just like any other factory,' CRPE attorney Brent Newell told the Bakersfield Californian.
Stacey Mitchell, Minneapolis/St. Paul Star Tribune, August 27, 2001:"Big is cheap for producers, but costly to surrounding communities. A 1,200-cow dairy creates more than 100,000 pounds of manure each day. The manure is stored in open-air lagoons, which have become a major source of water and air pollution, as well as sickening odors.
Alternative Fuel created from Methane:"Dairy and hog farms have similar problems, disposal of the water used to wash the manure from their barns. Most farms pump this liquid into large lagoons. The result is foul air and ground water pollution. Some farmers are pumping this liquid into anaerobic digesters that convert it to methane gas. The methane gas is normally used to produce electricity, and while this solves the air and ground water pollution problems, it isn't very profitable."
Lagoon Spills:
Largest Manure Spill in Minnesota HistoryOn Monday, March 19, 2001, citizens of Waverly, Minnesota discovered a massive manure spill from a 1600 head dairy operation with lagoons holding twelve million gallons of liquid wastes. Citizens have since tracked the spill over three miles from the feedlot. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Wright County officials are currently investigating the spill.
State and local officials were not notified by the feedlot operator of the spill which was discovered by neighboring property owners five days later. Intensive cleanup efforts of the spill will be taking place this week. Preliminary estimates of the amount of manure entering the creek indicate that this could be the largest manure spill in the state’s history. KARE-11 television station ran an in-depth coverage of the spill on Friday, March 23rd and aerial photographs of the spill are available by contacting Julie Jansen at (320) 523-1106.
Impacts on Local Economy:
Stacey Mitchell, Minneapolis/St. Paul Star Tribune, August 27, 2001:"The typical New England dairy, on the other hand, averages about 100 cows and is run by an overworked couple with kids and at least one off-farm job. While big Western dairies often import feed from afar, the typical New England farm gets most of its inputs locally, pumping about $300,000 annually into the local economy."
Local Ordinances:
Sixth Pennsylvania Township Says No to Factory Farm Corporations"On the evening of March 29th, Ayr Township, Fulton County became the sixth Township in Bedford, Fulton, and Cumberland Counties to adopt Ordinances which prohibit non-family owned corporations from owning farmland or engaging in farming within the Township. The adopted Ordinance is modeled after similar laws passed in nine Midwestern states, which prohibited corporate involvement in farming as a response to growing numbers of factory farms owned by absentee corporations. Over 30% of the nation’s agricultural output is currently produced by those states which prohibit corporate farming."
"Passage of these Ordinances by Township governments represents a substantial shift in approach to the factory farm fiasco. Instead of focusing solely on manure management for these facilities, the anti-corporate farming Ordinances enable Township governments to protect family farmers from the economic damage wrought by factory farm corporations. The Ordinances also enable Township Supervisors to prevent the environmental damage which has been caused by factory farm corporations in other parts of the United States."
