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Been reading a bit about giant farm issues. We're looking for a house in the Finger Lakes region. I did find a map showing all CAFOs in NYS: http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/36895.html
The map is not all that useful if you want to see if a particular property will be affected. Is there a better way? I've seen a lot of properties have an "Agricultural District" disclosure, but I'm not sure how useful that is if you don't know where the giant farms are. We're interested in the areas in and around Geneva, and I saw that Waterloo (next town) had some well contamination problems at one point.
Is it best to just avoid properties "Ag District" disclosures? I'm sure areas around vineyards would be "Ag Districts" and not a problem like a giant pig or cattle farm...
The fact is that long dormant dairy farms are coming back on line in a huge way, usually as a FACTORY FARM or CAFO . Small CAFO's, those under 300 animals, are expanding to medium and large CAFOs. You can smell these places from miles away. The staff is mostly illegal farm laborers who will drain local resources for health care and social services while earning slave wages at the CAFO.
Grape country and the wine tour industry in the Finger Lakes region is very upset with the dairy factory farmers. They run the manure tankers nonstop in the Summer and the stench and garbage flies from the fileds can ruin a wine country tour making word of mouth and repeat business very difficult.
As far as the Ag Disclaimer, it was written BY the Farm Bureau lawyers FOR the CAFO industry. Just because there isnt a CAFO near your house when you buy it doesn't mean it will stay that way. Most Ag District town boards and zoning boards are staffed by at least some CAFO owners or supporters which means they usually get what they want. Well water contamination is another serious issue to consider when buying a house in CAFO country. Garbage flies, in biblical proportions, make outdoor cooking or use next to impossible in Summer months. My house and cars are covered in garbage fly excrement which looks like tiny black dots of road tar that are next to impossible to scrub off. Every single square foot of my house has a garbage fly on it in the Summer and I'm almost a mile away from a CAFO.
This is a huge problem that will only get worse as the ethanol industry produces cow and hog feed as a waste product. Anywhere near an ethanol plant or proposed ethanol plant is sure to have massive CAFOs either being built or existing dairy operations expanding. The sad fact is that all of this environmental destruction is being funded with massive taxpayer subsides and Gov Spitzer is a huge CAFO supporter. Rural NY is rapidly turning into an open sewer. It stinks!
Last edited by itSmellsBAD; 12-23-2007 at 08:10 AM..
One more thing, the DEC info on CAFOs is hopelessly outdated. The cow numbers can be many times those listed on the website. Most CAFOs in NY have greatly expanded and many new ones wre coming online.
For more updated info go to www.factoryfarm.org as it is updated on a regular basis by the food and water watch coalition.
I agree that the wine industry would make a great partner in helping to limit and better regulate these monsters. Ideally sustainable agriculture, organic dairies and wine tours could all be mutally beneficial to one another and potentially provide enough political muscle to change the zonning and set-back regulations to limit the scope of the proliferation of CAFOs. Unfortunately, this problem is not unique to NY, many other states and regions have been battling the negative impacts that CAFOs have on their communities for years. Zonning changes and minimum set-back requirements from neighboring land owners and watersheds have been the most effective to date. Obviuosly, you'll need the necessary political will from local leaders so that local goverments won't capitulate to the demands of the massive agribusiness interests.
Also, as consumers, we can boycott the un-healthy milk and dairy products produced at these animal factories and demand that local markets not carry cancer causing dairy products, but rather those that are certified organic and that do not pose public health risks nor inflict negative socio-economic burdens on rural communities.
A Finger Lakes Factory Farm Neighbor (newpaper article 8-19-07)
Take a drive around the Finger Lakes and see what there is to see. Lots of nice homes for sale out here for record low prices.......The reason they are so cheap?? Read below:
By M. Liebler / The Citizen
Saturday, August 18, 2007 11:33 PM EDT
From a passenger window, the southern Cayuga County landscape looks friendly and familiar - robust crop fields, grassy hills, healthy trees swaying in the summer breeze. But to Connie Mather, something more sinister lurks behind the trees, in the dirt and just beyond the lush hillsides.
“This is CAFO country,” she said on a scenic drive down Genoa's rural roads.
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations of 200 or more dairy cows dot the many vistas and valleys here. According to a lawsuit filed by Mather and some East Genoa neighbors five years ago, these large dairy farms also pollute the land, air and water with thousands of tons of manure each day.
Take a drive around the Finger Lakes and see what there is to see. Lots of nice homes for sale out here for record low prices.......The reason they are so cheap?? Read below:
By M. Liebler / The Citizen
Saturday, August 18, 2007 11:33 PM EDT
From a passenger window, the southern Cayuga County landscape looks friendly and familiar - robust crop fields, grassy hills, healthy trees swaying in the summer breeze. But to Connie Mather, something more sinister lurks behind the trees, in the dirt and just beyond the lush hillsides.
“This is CAFO country,” she said on a scenic drive down Genoa's rural roads.
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations of 200 or more dairy cows dot the many vistas and valleys here. According to a lawsuit filed by Mather and some East Genoa neighbors five years ago, these large dairy farms also pollute the land, air and water with thousands of tons of manure each day.
Thanks for the article. In General, history shows that the plaintiffs have been in the right for most of the CAFO litigation across the nation. It seems to always take a major waste containment accident or numerous well water contamination issues to shake the foundation of communities who have let these operation come in or did not know of the national CAFO history regarding the burden placed on rural communities by this industry.
We live in NYC now and are currently looking south of Ithaca. I found there are 2 ag districts in Tompkins county. I don't mind farms, I just don't want to live near a giant stinky animal farm.
- Mark
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