Opinion - Sunday, 7/13/08
Congrats to Francis Thicke whose guest editorial appeared in the Sunday Des Moines Register.
Change Direction: Farm Sustainably
In all the analysis by "experts" of various backgrounds and interests
following the explosion of food prices in recent months, no new thinking is
emerging to solve old problems.
Merely rehashing ideas long proven to be
politically expedient, environmentally and socially unsound or scientifically
questionable will do little to change the situation of the poor, hungry and
malnourished - or of the Earth, which is being mined and poisoned in the process
of producing today's food, feed, fiber and biofuels...
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080713/OPINION01/807130313/1035/archive
------------
News - Saturday, 7/12/08
Dallas County hog lots to be built despite vote
Adel, Ia. — Dallas County supervisors voted Friday to oppose
construction of two large hog confinements, but they acknowledge that the move
is little more than symbolic.
Dallas is among 70 counties that have
adopted a system of requirements used by state regulators to determine whether
construction of an animal confinement is allowed, which means the Board of
Supervisors and dozens of residents who live near the proposed buildings provide
input but have little say over what happens in their backyards...
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080712/NEWS/807120319/-1/archive
----------
LTE - Monday, 7/14/08
July 11, 2008
Hog factories will soon be the
norm
Regarding a proposed 14,880-head hog factory in Dallas County: There are two
hog-factory sites to this proposal. Each site will hold the manure it produces
and a "dead"-compost bin. Is this your vision for rural Iowa?
There are
so many ramifications to these hog factories, some known and some yet to be
discovered. The two factories will produce more than 4,285,000 gallons of manure
a year, which will then be spread on the surrounding fields for as long as the
factories exist.
The runoff water from these fields goes into the Raccoon River and on to the
Des Moines Water Works. How much money will it take Des Moines taxpayers to
clean the water? In this manure will be antibiotics and heavy metals. On these
sites, the "dead" compost bins could hold 350-plus dead carcasses apiece. What
about the scavengers, flies and vermin attracted to these sites?
What
will happen to the health of the children and families living near these
factories? What impact will it have on wildlife and plant life in the area?
Some of you may be thinking since it isn't in your backyard you don't need to
be concerned. Or, do you? Once these two hog factories are built it will
encourage other mega-animal factories.
- Jim and Janiece Thompson,
Perry