Hog Factories in Pa

[Steelfan]

Sorry to hear about your accident. Tgello. My thing is that I read to fast, and when the caps aren't there, it takes me 2-3 times to get it. I didn't mean to come off that way, I apologize. Keep up the good work. Kent

 

[Steelfan]

Terry, You make great sense, and I'm a country boy all my life. What you said here is for the most part true. The problem I'm having is the government making it easier for the companies to move in. I would think if you have had problems with the hog factories in other states, and even in Pa, won't you make sure you have a good person running them? I think the neighbors for these people have every right to question if this farmer is up to the task. As I said in the first post, I had thought that these overflow , and run off problems were all over with. But I don't think that's the case. So am I against factory farms , right now Yes. Thanks for a good post. Kent

 

[Steelfan]

Wingnut, you hit the nail on the head. When this thing started I read a lot about it. What I found out was , the same people who voted for these things also owned them. If I recall it correctly, Iowa was mentioned as was Missouri. Here's a link to an article, that I found. Its gives a good idea of what happen in Missouri. http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/hogwars1.html.
Kent

 

[pennwalk]

I was just thinking that the smell of the country has changed from what I remember as a boy driving around PA. Liquid manure is a new thing. I suppose that many operations are larger and have more animals and more waste. I don't remember the barn smells as being so strong or so bad.

Chris

 

[Steelfan]

Pennwalk, You've got to remember they're not feeding these animals the same stuff that they used to. Also about 20 to 30 times more animals concentrated in the same area. I was on 283 near Lancaster today, I swear the smell was with me the whole ride from Harrisburg to Lancaster. Doesn't smell natural either, more chemical. Thanks for the post. Kent

 

[drpepper]

Hog farms ain't. The large corporate "hog farms" are moving into this area from the Carolinas. These are not farms. They are CAFO's. This is Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. They are disgusting. They concentrate so many animals is such a small area. The ammonia concentration gets so bad in the building that the workers have to don supplied breathing apparatus at times. This is no way to raise animals! These Corporations move into an area promising jobs, and taxes. It is not worth it. They pay minimum wages, and somehow avoid the tax situation altogether. They polute the groundwater with their open air "lagoons". They are really nothing more than cesspools. Oklahoma has stopped the construction of several sites, so they are moving over to the Texas Panhandle. (Good for Oklahoma) The only ones to profit locally are the "big boys". Our local Economic Development Corporation welcomed them with open arms. A recall election was held, and we voted to disband the EDC. The only time it has happened in Texas. Doesn't matter, they are still coming. I agree with Vince (Tractorbarn) buy all you can from the local producers. We are in real danger of losing them. When they are gone, watch what happens to the price of food.

 

[Steelfan]

Drpepper, You about summed it up. We had the threat of three of them in this township in the last 5 years. I know the problem is widespread. It just hit me wrong when I saw the 2 newspaper stories within about 2 weeks of each other. Kent

 

[TerryinMD]

I was cruising through the channels on DishTV last night and stopped at the RFDTV channel. A cooking show from Louisianna was on so I thought I would stop and give my tired couch-potato fingers a rest.

The women had a segment on large scale chicken farming in Mississippi. This farmer had 26 chicken house with 25,000 chickens in each house. That is 650,000 chickens. Plus associated brooding and egg production houses also.

The farmer has other operations as well. He mentioned that he processes 1.7 million chickens a month!!

The women praised the farmer for keeping the chickens so healthy and running such a good operation. I tend to agree on one hand that if everything goes well and the farmer can keep disease and the evironmentals in check that we end up with cheaper food. But on the other hand, once an outbreak of disease begins or the evironmental conditions break down. Thousands of birds die or need to be destroyed. That recently happened in West Virginia with an avarian flu outbreak. Then there is the issue of all of the animal waste. That is the downside. So much is produced in a localized area that it can't all used at once.

Again... this is a complex issue with many benefits and many issues. Time will tell.....

Terry

 

[Bayrat]

I am reading this with interest as well. I believe the inheritance tax /w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif has a great deal to do with farms not being passed from father to son. They can't afford to pay for something again that has been in the family for generations and still pay their bills. I fault the government for taxing the farmers heirs out of business as well as creating subsidies that artificially boost the prices of some things while destroying others. Government greed is just as much at fault as so called corporate greed. I think that as long as a corporation is responsible to the envoirnment and its workforce, it has just as much right to make money as the small business. I would not want a Wal-Mart next to me but a well run/maintained farm would not be a concern. Modern farming techniques have as much to do with the shift from a farming nation to one of manufacturing and small business as well, with less producing more. Ahh to be a nation of small farmers/ranchers again /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. No more complaints from the teens that they have nothing to do but hang in the streets, those cows need milking /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif!!

 

[JeepOne]

How do you think I feel about that spill. I live less than 1000 feet from that place. Made a big mess in our clear mountain spring. I have no problem with the pig farm but I do draw the line when it comes to proper maintenance of that operation. The cleanup is in progress and will be monitored on a more frequent basis from now on.

Oh yeah, I do enjoy pork but that has nothing to do with this problem. This can happen with any operation that produces less than desirable by-products.

Ken of Crystal Spring, Pa