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I visited the Finger Lakes area this past summer and know about the CAFO's, which make the local papers occasionally(spills, contamination,etc.) My question is why would Spitzer or anyone at the state level want to put them in this region? Yes, they could be doing better economically. But their big inudstry right now is tourism. It's a beautiful area, and they are justifiably proud of their lakes, but they are suffering from the ill effects of CAFO's (runoff). The lakes are becoming choked with weeds and algae, and lakeside residents complain about the stench eminating from the lakes nowadays. Not to mention the fish kills from CAFO spills into small rivers and tributaries. The drinking water from these lakes has always been wonderful, and Syracuse gets its water from Skaneatles Lake. So why would the government allow this to happen? Why take away the already existing positives from this area, just so a handful of farmers can make money?
I visited the Finger Lakes area this past summer and know about the CAFO's, which make the local papers occasionally(spills, contamination,etc.) My question is why would Spitzer or anyone at the state level want to put them in this region? Yes, they could be doing better economically. But their big inudstry right now is tourism. It's a beautiful area, and they are justifiably proud of their lakes, but they are suffering from the ill effects of CAFO's (runoff). The lakes are becoming choked with weeds and algae, and lakeside residents complain about the stench eminating from the lakes nowadays. Not to mention the fish kills from CAFO spills into small rivers and tributaries. The drinking water from these lakes has always been wonderful, and Syracuse gets its water from Skaneatles Lake. So why would the government allow this to happen? Why take away the already existing positives from this area, just so a handful of farmers can make money?
Industrial Agricultural interests buy influence all across the nation. These beasts are not farms, but rather un-regulated heavy industry that has found loopholes in any state that has right to farm laws. Most states inacted right to farm legislation long before the proliferation of CAFOs. Family farms suffer, communities local control is undermined, public health put at risk and illegal aliens provide all the labor. CAFOs are a recipe for disaster, an containment accident waiting to happen. This problem is hardly unique to Western and Central NY, it is playing out across the county in many rural communities. On a national scale, there is more untreated or inadequetly treated CAFO animal waste spread over fields, seeping into groundwater and contaiminating waterways and watersheds, each year than the amount of sewage produced by New York City and Los Angeles on an annual combined basis. And don't even get me started that CAFOs are exempt from having to comply with the Clean Air Act in many states......because they are farming/agricultural operations. Without significant regulations and oversight in place, these will monsters will undermine all of Western and Central NY. We need to fight like hell and knock some sense into our local elected officals and educate the general public on this issue. Well-organized local opposition is a good place to start, along with consumer boycotts of the artifical growth hormone laced dairy products produced by this industry.
In Michigan, they are fighting like heck to stop these filthy monsters called CAFO's. Check out the link for what they look like. Note the massive lagoons and remember they are filled with urine and liquid cow manure, then imagine the smell as it sits for months. This will give you an idea of what we are dealing with near my home. The big loser in all of this is the homeowner who watches his property values decline. Same goes for the real estate agent who gets less commission. A good way to tell if a farm is a CAFO is the large number of For Sale signs in the front yards of homes near them. Lots of homes for sale near me. Cheap.
and yes, the Finger Lakes are seriously impared. Algae bloom and green slime are a sure sign of manure runoff. All the creeks and stream are caked in slime near my home and it all ends up in Lake Erie a few miles away. Public beaches are closed most of the Summer due to E Coli. E Coli lives in the intesines of cows. Wonder where that comes from?
Yes, I am well aware of the perils. In fact, I think I am the one who introduced this thread a couple of months back, and the topic took off. They have CAFO's in my current state of residence, California, in the Central Valley where much of the agriculture and farming takes place. And I am also aware of the e-coli problem. Remember last year when they had the nationwide outbreak of ecoli problems due to contaminated spinach? They eventually traced it to CA and the Central Valley, where it was determined that the manure from a nearby CAFO operation had seeped into the ground water and contaminated the wells used to irrigate the crops!
As for pressuring our local elected leaders, good luck! Since these farms are being subsidized in poorer rural areas, it will be hard to convince lawmakers to do anything, as they are beholden to these powerful agri-lobbies. The only thing that can be done is to mount a very public campaign with town hall meetings, mailing out newsletters/flyers to educate the public, and get the local newpapers to keep doing stories about it. Like many other issues in our society, if you can successfully demonize it, change will occur.
And honeychrome, you are deluding yourself if you think people are going to opt for expensive food in order to make this problem go away. Besides, I don't know about where you live, but my food is not cheap enough! I already feel I am paying too much, and I don't know how I could pay even more. To be honest, that is an unrealistic soultion, and smacks of progressive elitism. I think it is better to educate the public on the dangers of CAFO's and if possible, get it on the national stage, where I have yet to see this issue being played out.
And honeychrome, you are deluding yourself if you think people are going to opt for expensive food in order to make this problem go away. Besides, I don't know about where you live, but my food is not cheap enough! I already feel I am paying too much, and I don't know how I could pay even more. To be honest, that is an unrealistic soultion, and smacks of progressive elitism. I think it is better to educate the public on the dangers of CAFO's and if possible, get it on the national stage, where I have yet to see this issue being played out.
People readily opt to pay more for food when they are educated about what their food choices mean and if they perceive the more expensive food to be a healthier choice. That is part of the reason why organics is the fastest growing segment of the food industry, and that is not just latte-drinking, sushi-eating, volvo-driving urban progressive elites. I see it at my local Ar-De's and Price Chopper (Coors-drinking, venison-eating and rusted out F150-driving rural conservative Christians). There wasn't an organic section a few years ago- now there is, and people are buying the stuff. Sure, maybe some of it is a marketing scam, but people are buying the stuff because they think it is healthier. Americans pay less, as a percentage of income, for food than any other advanced nation, and we've got the bad diet and attendant health problems to show for it. We don't have the long-time, generation-to-generation food culture that imparts a skepticism towards industrial 'food' that most European and Asian cultures have. If its cheap, and in a bright package we grab for it. But my point was that it is irrational to cry 'I don't want one of these CAFOs near me,' and then run down to the market and buy the cheap hamburger (milk, bacon, whatever....) that came from the CAFO. Refusing to buy the product is not an unrealistic solution- it is how markets work. And in the long run, most 'cheap' food isn't cheap- it actually ends up being more expensive to human, community and environmental health. I do agree that educating the public about the dangers of CAFOs is part of the solution, too- but what do you think will result from that? Pressure on elected officials to legislate greater regulation of the industry..... which will result in more expensive food.
I just don't think people are flocking to organic food as you claim. Yes, they have a section in my market, too. But it is never busy, and it seems that a lot of the food just sits there. And I live in a fairly affluent area. I think most people who are concerned about that kind of thing shop at speciality food markets like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's or at farmer's markets.
I take my dad shopping every week to Winco or Wal-Mart. He is living on S.S. and cannot afford the luxury of making political statments about his food. I will also buy the packaged food there, but never the meat or fresh vegies because of the quality. Anyway, both places are always jammed with shoppers, no matter what the time of year, and I cannot help but notice that there is quite a variety of people, demographically speaking. But most tend to be low income (or the working poor). That is a huge and growing segment of our population. Should I get up on my soapbox, and start preaching to them about buying way more expensive food because CAFO's don't practice sustainable farming, and cause problems for their neighbors? I better do it in Spanish then, at least in California.
Having said all that, I do think if people were more informed about what is going on in rural America (perhaps an expose on 60 Minutes, or a documentary a la A Gore/M. Moore, and that this may affect them directly in terms of the safety of their food, then they might start boycotting these large agi-businesses, and in that way, force them to change their farming practices. I don't think I'll see it in my lifetime, but perhaps in my children's.
i agree that if people were more informed, they would shop at the organic food stores at least for their meat, dairy and poultry. i'd love to see full page ads in the newspapers or ads on tv exposing the realities of the CAFO's and all the antibiotics the animals are shot with to keep diseases out. after doing some research on the CAFO's myself, i've decided to shop at the local organic food stores for my meat and dairy. but i eat out a lot and there are very few restraunts that use organic or non CAFO meat! so now what??
i agree that if people were more informed, they would shop at the organic food stores at least for their meat, dairy and poultry. i'd love to see full page ads in the newspapers or ads on tv exposing the realities of the CAFO's and all the antibiotics the animals are shot with to keep diseases out. after doing some research on the CAFO's myself, i've decided to shop at the local organic food stores for my meat and dairy. but i eat out a lot and there are very few restraunts that use organic or non CAFO meat! so now what??
Easy- stop eating out! It'll be cheaper, healthier, better for personal relationships and after a while more fun and satisfying. Eating out really only seems easier- when you factor in the extra expense (which = work) it isn't. It takes a bit of effort and planning and a little while to shift to not eating out so much, I know. My wife was a part-time restaurant reviewer for a while and we used to eat out 2, 3 sometimes 4 nights a week (not all for her work, of course). But we wanted to save money and eat better so we started eating at home more and more often- and the more you do it the easier and better it becomes (and the less satisfying eating out becomes- now its rare when we go out and don't come away saying "We just paid HOW much for THAT?!"). Preparing dinner together and sitting down to eat and talk about the day or whatever is one of the best things in life. Now we have friends or family over for dinner all the time. We're not gourmet chefs. We've got our repertoire of regular dishes but try to give something new a try semi-regularly. And its usually just as easy to cook for 4, 5 as it is for 2 or 3, so we have friends and family over to eat all the time. Try it- it quickly becomes more trouble (or disappointment) to eat out.
And as far as getting organics for a good price- join a CSA for the growing season. Buy your meat and/or eggs from a farmer's market or direct from a local farm. It is a little bit inconvenient initially, to find a local farm or vendor, but once you've established a relationship with them you know where your food is coming from and its no more difficult than battling the lines at the super market. If you have a big freezer you can buy a side of organic beef, or lamb or whatever once every six months or so and not have to think about it.
Two great books on what we eat, the food industry and navigating the grocery store and making informed and healthy choices are Marion Nestle's What To Eat and Nina Planck's Real Food. I haven't read it yet, but I suspect Michael Pollan's new book is equally good on the subject.
thanks for the advice honeychrome and the book references. when i was growing up, my parents along with their friends would buy a cow from a local farmer and divide it up! this is a good solution if you have a freezer and it's also less expensive than buying meat from the store.
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