July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Time for CAFO common sense
Letter to the Editor
To the editor:
I found ironic that while the dairy CAFOs are getting bigger, the USDA is, once again, going to pay operators to decrease their herds.
The possibility of a new mega dairy cattle operation containing over 6,000 head of cattle defies common sense no matter where it would be located, let alone beside the Wabash River, just south of the Jay County-Adams County line in Bearcreek Township. These cows would produce over 30 tons of manure a day. How could this not be a threat to the environment?
The proposed operation on about 60 acres of property would need immense amounts of water and have an open manure lagoon about seven acres wide and - yes - it would be uphill from the Wabash River. These lagoons have been banned in other states, I believe most recently in North Carolina.
The smallest state west of the Alleghenies, Indiana is blessed with great beauty and an abundance of natural resources, including some of the richest soil in the world, that is eroding away, with the priority of clear cutting along our streams and rivers.
In a Forbes Magazine article, a notably conservative publication, from October of 2007, Indiana ranked 49th out of 50 in their first ever list of America's greenest state. The bottom five were Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Indiana, and at 50 West Virginia.
The article went on to say that all suffer from a mix of toxic waste, lots of pollution and consumption, and no clear plans to do anything about it.
Environmental Protection Agency's latest figures show that Indiana ranks first in the nation in pollution discharge to surface waters.
As a lifelong Hoosier, I strongly support safe, sustainable and profitable agriculture, but there has to be some common sense in how large these livestock operations can be. If not, then all bets are off and we might as well change our state line signs to say, "Welcome to Indiana, the Place to Pollute."
Tony Giltner
Portland[[In-content Ad]]
I found ironic that while the dairy CAFOs are getting bigger, the USDA is, once again, going to pay operators to decrease their herds.
The possibility of a new mega dairy cattle operation containing over 6,000 head of cattle defies common sense no matter where it would be located, let alone beside the Wabash River, just south of the Jay County-Adams County line in Bearcreek Township. These cows would produce over 30 tons of manure a day. How could this not be a threat to the environment?
The proposed operation on about 60 acres of property would need immense amounts of water and have an open manure lagoon about seven acres wide and - yes - it would be uphill from the Wabash River. These lagoons have been banned in other states, I believe most recently in North Carolina.
The smallest state west of the Alleghenies, Indiana is blessed with great beauty and an abundance of natural resources, including some of the richest soil in the world, that is eroding away, with the priority of clear cutting along our streams and rivers.
In a Forbes Magazine article, a notably conservative publication, from October of 2007, Indiana ranked 49th out of 50 in their first ever list of America's greenest state. The bottom five were Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Indiana, and at 50 West Virginia.
The article went on to say that all suffer from a mix of toxic waste, lots of pollution and consumption, and no clear plans to do anything about it.
Environmental Protection Agency's latest figures show that Indiana ranks first in the nation in pollution discharge to surface waters.
As a lifelong Hoosier, I strongly support safe, sustainable and profitable agriculture, but there has to be some common sense in how large these livestock operations can be. If not, then all bets are off and we might as well change our state line signs to say, "Welcome to Indiana, the Place to Pollute."
Tony Giltner
Portland[[In-content Ad]]
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