December 6, 2007
 
EDITORIAL
 
It's hard to believe the No. 1 pork-producing state in the nation doesn't already know which odor-control practices work best and are most cost-effective.That's apparently the case, however, since a state task force is recommending the 2008 Legislature spend $23 million to gather more information about best practices for hog, poultry and cattle facilities. Several hundred farms will be test sites on a voluntary basis over five years. Producers will share the cost for some of this applied research. "Part of the solution is to have this additional data," said Wendy Wintersteen, Iowa State University's agriculture dean.
 
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071206/OPINION03/712060360/1035/Opinion

 
 
LTE
CAFOs shouldn't qualify for conservation money
 
Congress has long resisted putting meaningful caps on crop-subsidy payments, resulting in 1 percent of producers currently getting 25 percent of subsidies. Now there is a move afoot to funnel USDA conservation money to owners of large concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) ("Fight Rises on Conservation Money," Nov. 18 Philip Brasher column).Large CAFOs are required by law to build appropriate pollution-control structures. To pay them to do what the law requires is a waste of conservation money.A better use of limited conservation money is for Congress to fund the Conservation Security Program, which has a payment limit of $45,000, rather than funding CAFOs at up to $450,000 each through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.Brasher quotes livestock producer John Hall as saying "it will stimulate investment out here in the country." But, do we really want more CAFOs paid for by our tax dollars?- Francis Thicke,Fairfield.
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