CAFO
1. What is a CAFO and how is it different from traditional farming?
A CAFO is a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation
2. What types of CAFOs are in Farmville? How many animals are housed in each CAFO?
The types of CAFOs in Farmville are for poultry and swine. The McGill Poultry houses 80,000 hen.
3. Based upon what you currently know about CAFOs, what can you infer are some of the issues for each side of the CAFO controversy? What are some of the viewpoints that proponents and opponents may state for and against CAFOs?
Issues for each side on the controversy include people against it would say that it would cause many environmental problems and health risks and would cost a lot of money to maintain the CAFO.
1. What did you learn about CAFOs?
Farms where animals are kept in confined spaces. CAFOs consist of animals, feed, manure and urine, dead animals, and production operations on a small land area. Because of the confined spaces, vegetation like crops and forage cannot be grown.
2. What are or might be some of the negative concerns with CAFOs?
Negative concerns with CAFOs are the manure and wastewater contributing to water pollution of nitrogen and phosphorus, organic matter, sediments, pathogens, heavy metals, hormones, antibiotics, and ammonia to the environment.
3. During your review of the reference material, which references are biased and which are unbiased? How can you tell?
The first reference website was unbiased. At first, it praises the production and benefits of CAFOs. Then it gives some information on the health risks of CAFOs, but the rest of the pdf was general information on CAFOs.
The second reference website was biased, the way CAFOs are explained in this website made it seem like CAFOs are a bad thing by only stating the negative effects of them. The negative effects are the environmental pollutions to the environment and health risks.
The third reference was unbiased. This website only explains what CAFOs are, the difference between AFO and CAFOs, the laws regarding the size of CAFOs and procedures when you have a CAFO on your farm.
1. What concerns and medical conditions have you heard the residents express?
One resident expressed that the manure odor makes it hard to breathe and the mans 2 year old son had asthma for going outside for just 15 minutes. The same odor was said to cause a heart attack from another resident. The resident also says that the spray causes headaches. Another concern from a resident says that the drinking water was contaminated from the CAFO and caused stomach ailments, including upset stomachs, nausea, and diarrhea.
2. What do they believe is the source of their illnesses?
They believe that the source of their illnesses are the CAFO that has runoff of manure and nutrients that contaminate water supply, air and the land around them.
3. Should you consider their experiences with the CAFO for your vote?
Yes, I should consider their experiences with the CAFO vote, because this can be an argument that may persuade people to think that CAFO is a health hazard to the people living around these farms.
4. Using the facts you have learned from your independent research and the concerns you have heard from the residents, what is your current position concerning the proposed CAFO expansion?
My current position concerning CAFO expansion is that the expansion should not go through. An expansion can cause more contamination of the groundwater, surfacewater and the air. More contamination can create a higher health risk for the residents around them. More expansion could also mean that there could be more eutrophication in the lakes, rivers and oceans leading to large die-offs of marine species.
1. What are some of the types of microorganisms identified in Hattie’s water samples?
Types of microorganisms identified in Hattie's water samples were E. Coli. These water samples also contained protists that are hamful pathogens.
2. What are the levels of E. coli in water that the EPA consider safe for recreational use? What are the levels for drinking water?
The levels of E. Coli in water that the EPA considers safe for recreational use is 133 E. coli colonies/100 ml and for drinking water is no E.Coli whatsoever.
3. What are some of the bacteria levels detected in Hattie’s samples?
The bacteria levels detected in Hattie's samples were over 1,000,000 E. coli colonies in as little as 1/2 cup of the water.
4. What is the proposed plan the farmers are considering to help their cause against the CAFO expansion?
Hattie and her husband's research could be used as information against CAFO expansion. The farmers are going to help Hattie with the research by collecting samples from their own farms. If there are high levels of contamination, this can be evidence to the EPA that CAFOs are harmful.
5. If you were one of the farmers, would you participate in the board meeting and/or help collect samples?
Yes, if I was a farmer I would participate in the board meeting. It would participate because I would want a safe environment for my family to go out to and do recreational activities or just for aesthetic purposes. I want to protect my family from harmful pollutants and prevent contaminated drinking water. Participating and collecting samples could contribute to stop the expansion of these CAFOs and could cease the creation of CAFOs in other state across the country.
A CAFO is a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation
2. What types of CAFOs are in Farmville? How many animals are housed in each CAFO?
The types of CAFOs in Farmville are for poultry and swine. The McGill Poultry houses 80,000 hen.
3. Based upon what you currently know about CAFOs, what can you infer are some of the issues for each side of the CAFO controversy? What are some of the viewpoints that proponents and opponents may state for and against CAFOs?
Issues for each side on the controversy include people against it would say that it would cause many environmental problems and health risks and would cost a lot of money to maintain the CAFO.
1. What did you learn about CAFOs?
Farms where animals are kept in confined spaces. CAFOs consist of animals, feed, manure and urine, dead animals, and production operations on a small land area. Because of the confined spaces, vegetation like crops and forage cannot be grown.
2. What are or might be some of the negative concerns with CAFOs?
Negative concerns with CAFOs are the manure and wastewater contributing to water pollution of nitrogen and phosphorus, organic matter, sediments, pathogens, heavy metals, hormones, antibiotics, and ammonia to the environment.
3. During your review of the reference material, which references are biased and which are unbiased? How can you tell?
The first reference website was unbiased. At first, it praises the production and benefits of CAFOs. Then it gives some information on the health risks of CAFOs, but the rest of the pdf was general information on CAFOs.
The second reference website was biased, the way CAFOs are explained in this website made it seem like CAFOs are a bad thing by only stating the negative effects of them. The negative effects are the environmental pollutions to the environment and health risks.
The third reference was unbiased. This website only explains what CAFOs are, the difference between AFO and CAFOs, the laws regarding the size of CAFOs and procedures when you have a CAFO on your farm.
1. What concerns and medical conditions have you heard the residents express?
One resident expressed that the manure odor makes it hard to breathe and the mans 2 year old son had asthma for going outside for just 15 minutes. The same odor was said to cause a heart attack from another resident. The resident also says that the spray causes headaches. Another concern from a resident says that the drinking water was contaminated from the CAFO and caused stomach ailments, including upset stomachs, nausea, and diarrhea.
2. What do they believe is the source of their illnesses?
They believe that the source of their illnesses are the CAFO that has runoff of manure and nutrients that contaminate water supply, air and the land around them.
3. Should you consider their experiences with the CAFO for your vote?
Yes, I should consider their experiences with the CAFO vote, because this can be an argument that may persuade people to think that CAFO is a health hazard to the people living around these farms.
4. Using the facts you have learned from your independent research and the concerns you have heard from the residents, what is your current position concerning the proposed CAFO expansion?
My current position concerning CAFO expansion is that the expansion should not go through. An expansion can cause more contamination of the groundwater, surfacewater and the air. More contamination can create a higher health risk for the residents around them. More expansion could also mean that there could be more eutrophication in the lakes, rivers and oceans leading to large die-offs of marine species.
1. What are some of the types of microorganisms identified in Hattie’s water samples?
Types of microorganisms identified in Hattie's water samples were E. Coli. These water samples also contained protists that are hamful pathogens.
2. What are the levels of E. coli in water that the EPA consider safe for recreational use? What are the levels for drinking water?
The levels of E. Coli in water that the EPA considers safe for recreational use is 133 E. coli colonies/100 ml and for drinking water is no E.Coli whatsoever.
3. What are some of the bacteria levels detected in Hattie’s samples?
The bacteria levels detected in Hattie's samples were over 1,000,000 E. coli colonies in as little as 1/2 cup of the water.
4. What is the proposed plan the farmers are considering to help their cause against the CAFO expansion?
Hattie and her husband's research could be used as information against CAFO expansion. The farmers are going to help Hattie with the research by collecting samples from their own farms. If there are high levels of contamination, this can be evidence to the EPA that CAFOs are harmful.
5. If you were one of the farmers, would you participate in the board meeting and/or help collect samples?
Yes, if I was a farmer I would participate in the board meeting. It would participate because I would want a safe environment for my family to go out to and do recreational activities or just for aesthetic purposes. I want to protect my family from harmful pollutants and prevent contaminated drinking water. Participating and collecting samples could contribute to stop the expansion of these CAFOs and could cease the creation of CAFOs in other state across the country.