The state government’s various attempts over the last nine years to shield industrial animal farms with an ag gag law were spotlighted in court Tuesday. The injunction preventing the first ag gag law, signed into law by Gov. Terry Branstad in 2012, from going into effect was partially upheld by a federal appeal court, while […]
CAFOs
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa’s dirty water is getting worse
For five years, Sarah Prineas has been getting up before dawn and heading to the Beckwith Boathouse at the University of Iowa to meet other members of Hawkeye Community Rowing for practice. The rowing team practices four to five times a week on the Iowa River.
“It’s always beautiful in the morning,” Prineas said. “The river is calm, and the sun is coming up. On the banks of the river we see deer, all kinds of waterfowl and eagles. It’s really very peaceful and beautiful.”
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: Iowa needs a moratorium on factory farming
By Linda Quinn, Iowa City Recent reports showcase the severity of our water quality crisis in Iowa. In the midst of a drought, the Des Moines River is now virtually unusable as drinking water because of pollution. Our elected leaders are putting forth half-measures while pollution runs rampant and emissions continue unabated. Factory farms have […]
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: CAFOs are factories, not farms
By Lynn Gallagher, Solon The Johnson County supervisors are trying to protect the residents of Johnson County from the industry of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Because they don’t have local control, this is difficult. I fully support their efforts in the UDO (Unified Development Ordinance) to limit CAFOs and to make sure that agricultural […]
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: The new farm bill does little to protect the future of agriculture
In an uncharacteristically productive event, Congress has passed the farm bill, the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018. Ruminant commentators are asking: What’s missing in the farm bill? Their answers demonstrate that it pays little or no attention to preserving the environment where agriculture lives.
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa reaches ‘peak pig,’ as Trump’s policies damage the pork industry and the pork industry damages the environment
Iowa hit “peak pig” last month, according to figures just published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The state had 23.6 million pigs, an increase of 4 percent from 2017 and most ever recorded in any state. There are only 9.4 million pigs in North Carolina, the state that ranks second in swine.
