The issuesCommunity Industrial farms not only produce foods that are potentially harmful to our health , but they also negatively affect local economies , community health and the surrounding environment . Local EconomiesAgribusiness often claims that its presence will have a positive impact on a local economy by creating new jobs and investing in the community . Recent experience , however , has shown that when large - scale farms enter communities and replace small farmers , they can actually create a downturn in the local economy . For example , a Michigan study demonstrated that small hog farms proportionately spend almost 50 % more at local businesses than large farms do , primarily because the larger farms buy feed in bulk from sources outside of the community . i Since factory farms are vertically - integrated , farm materials are bought within the corporation , rather than at the local feed or hardware store . In addition , industrial farms are often too large to be locally - supplied , so they must buy feed and other materials in bulk from distant suppliers . For example , Wisconsin dairy farmers – who traditionally grew their own feed on the same land where they kept their cows - have turned to importing feed because there isn ’ t enough local acreage for both cows and crops . iiDespite the fact that industrial farms invest less in local economies than small farms , they could still boost local economies by increasing property values and tax revenue . Yet numerous studies have shown that property values are often negatively affected by large - scale livestock production , mostly due to undesirable and highly unpleasant odors coming from their facilities . An Iowa study showed that property values dropped approximately ten percent when large confined animal feeding operations were opened upwind of those properties . iii one Missouri study indicated that homes and businesses located within . 1 miles of an industrial farm had property values as much as a fifth lower than those 3 miles away . iv Another study of communities in Missouri demonstrated that houses located within one tenth of a mile of an industrial farm lost as much as 88 percent of their value . vThere is almost no data showing how industrial agricultural facilities affect tax revenues , but some evidence suggests that the effect is negative . one Iowa study of hog farms suggested that local and state revenues increase when herd sizes grow toward 300 sows , and then decline as the herd size approaches 3 , 400 . vi Another report estimated that a 20 , 000 - head cattle feedlot could have a large impact on local roads because of the constant transport of cattle in and out of the facility , and the funding required to maintain those roads would offset any increased tax revenues from the farm . vii An example of fly infestation As recently as 2004 , the U . S . agricultural industry consistently experienced record profits , viii but this agricultural boom did not create more opportunities for the average farmer or rural worker . The percentage of the rural workforce employed on farms dropped by about half in the 1980 s and 1990 s . ix Some of these job losses might be offset by increased opportunities in processing plants or related industries , but those new jobs are often located far away , so the workers located near the farms do not have access to them . While many workers have lost jobs as a result of industrial farming , farmers are losing control over the way they farm and the prices they can ask for their products because of contract growing . Today , few poultry growers actually own the chickens they raise , and hog - growers are increasingly raising their herds for outside owners as well . x These farmers have no say over what breeds of animals they raise , and are often required to buy feed and other products from the same companies that own their animals . As corporate farms grow bigger and more centrally - controlled , small farms are unable to compete and eventually disappear . In the last forty years of the twentieth century , both the number of U . S . farms and the number of farmers dropped by approximately 60 percent . xi Fly infestations and light pollution are two of the many negative effects that industrial livestock facilities have on rural communities . These nuisances are not only damaging to quality of life of neighbors , but can also harm human health . Community HealthFactory farms directly affect community health by introducing potentially hazardous substances into the air and water . Air pollutants such as hydrogen sulfide , ammonia , and particulate matter are released in significant quantities by these large confined animal feeding operations , and all have the potential to negatively affect their surrounding communities . xii People living near hog farms , for example , often have increased respiratory problems , most likely due to the large quantities of ammonia emitted by those types of facilities . xiii one recent study indicates that children attending schools located near industrial farms may be at a higher risk for asthma . xiv Large farms also often pollute local water sources , mainly through the release of nitrates and nitrites from chemical fertilizers . xv A study of almost 2 , 000 wells across the country showed that 9 percent of domestic wells and 2 percent of public - supply wells had nitrate concentrations in excess of the EPA ’ s maximum contaminant level . xvi Nitrate poisoning can cause dangerously low blood - oxygen levels in babies ( or blue - baby syndrome ) , spontaneous abortions , and possibly cancer . xvii This is an especially serious problem in rural communities , because rural Americans are heavily reliant on ground - water and domestic wells . xviii “ Industrial Farming and Your Health ” The New York Times ran a front - page story in May 2003 about the health problems associated with industrial livestock farms . The following excerpt provides a few examples of the many health problems that industrial agriculture can cause : “ Paul Isbell of Houston , Miss . , started experiencing seizures after a hog farm moved in down the road . Jeremiah Burns of Hubbardston , Mich . , now carries a six - pound oxygen tank with him . Kevin Pearson of Meservey , Iowa , carried a towel in his car because he vomited five or six times a week on his way to work . Julie Jansen ' s six children suffered flulike symptoms and diarrhea when farms moved into their neighborhood in Renville , Minn . one of Ms . Jansen ' s daughters was found . . . to have neurological damage . She has problems with balance and has lost some feeling in her fingers . ” xix While many physical problems have been linked to factory farm runoff and air pollution , there is evidence that psychological and social problems can also result from living close to such facilities . xix Studies suggest that symptoms such as fatigue , depression , and mood disturbances occur in higher proportions near confined animal feeding operations . xx Several studies also suggest that the presence of industrial farms can cause an increase in disputes between neighbors and the loss of social status , mutual trust , social cohesiveness , and other measures of “ social capital . ” xxi A study of one Oklahoma county from 1990 to 1997 — a period in which large - scale hog farming was being introduced — indicated dramatic increases in violent crime , theft , and civil court cases . Counties which did not experience such changes in agricultural practices had decreases in all of those problems during the same period . xxii Local EnvironmentIndustrial farms also take a toll on the environment in ways that affect the local community even when they don ’ t pose an immediate threat to human health . For example , the particulate matter emitted from such farms contributes greatly to haze . xxiii Foul odors — which are always a nuisance , but which may or may not be hazardous — are almost always emitted by large livestock operations . Ammonia emitted from farms can contribute to haze , loss in forest production , and a loss in biodiversity . xxiv The nitric oxides produced in large quantities by farms , especially in manure application , xxv are among the leading sources of acid rain . xxviPhosphorous and nitrogen pollution from fertilizers can cause fish kills , toxic algae blooms , and other significant changes in water systems . xxvii Metals such as copper , zinc , lead , chromium , arsenic and cadmium are often added to animal feed , and when they are excreted through manure they often end up on fields as part of fertilizers . xxviii They are all toxic to humans . Some of these metals , like copperixxx and cadmiumxxx , can be directly absorbed by crops , and most of them can pollute drinking water as they either seep into groundwater or exit the fields along with other harmful pollutants via water runoff . What You Can DoThe best way to keep factory farms out of communities is by purchasing foods directly from small farmers . You can check out the Eat Well Guide to locate sources of sustainable meat and dairy in your area , and visit farmers markets , farm stands , or join a CSA group to keep small farms afloat and factory farms out . Another way to build community around food and sustainable farming is by hosting a sustainable community event . once you ’ ve found your local farmer , get your friends and neighbors together to celebrate and support local farms ! Finally , if your community is being threatened by a proposed factory farm or a factory farm that ’ s already in place , visit the GRACE Factory Farm Project and gather the tools you need to overcome this negative presence . Did You Know ? ￮ Odor alone — even if the individual chemicals that cause it are not hazardous — can cause adverse health effects in certain situations . xxxi ￮ About 1 / 3 of all U . S . farms are located within metropolitan areas , comprising 18 % of the total U . S . farmland . xxxii ￮ The rural population of the U . S . ( as measured by percentage of the total population ) has declined every decennial census since 1820 , most markedly over the twentieth century . xxxiii The total number of people living on farms has also fallen over the twentieth century — especially after 1940 — as has the percentage of the U . S . labor force working on farms . xxxiv For More InformationVisit the GRACE Factory Farm Project to learn about what communities are doing to fight industrial farms . Sources 1 . Flore , Jan L . , Hodne , Carol J . , et al . " Social and Community Impacts , " in Iowa Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Air Quality Study : Final Report . Environmental Health Sciences Research Center , University of Iowa , 2003 : 148 . 2 . Li , Y . , et al . “ A Survey of Selected Heavy Metal Concentrations in Wisconsin Dairy Feeds , ” Journal of Dairy Science 88 ( 2005 ) , pp . 2911 - 22 : 2911 . 3 . Herriges , Joseph A . , et al . “ Living with Hogs in Iowa : The Impact of Livestock Facilities on Rural Residential Property Values , ” Center for Agricultural and Rural Development , Iowa State University . Ames , Iowa : 2003 : 20 . 4 . Hamed , Mubarak , et al . “ The Impacts of Animal Feeding Operations on Rural Land Values . ” Paper presented to the Saline County Steering Committee , Columbia , Missouri , May 1999 . 5 . Flore , Jan L . , Carol J . Hodne , et al . " Social and Community Impacts , " in Iowa Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Air Quality Study : Final Report . Environmental Health Sciences Research Center , University of Iowa , 2003 : 152 . 6 . Ibid : 149 . 7 . Duncan , M . R . , et al . " Economic Feasiblity of the Cattle Feeding Industry in the Northern Plains and Western Lakes States , " Agricultural Economic Report No . 370 , Department of Agricultural Economics , North Dakota State University , 1997 : 29 . 8 . USDA Economic Research Service . " Farm Income and Costs : 2005 Farm Sector Income Estimates " 8 February 2006 ( accessed August 23 , 2006 ) . 9 . USDA Economic Research Service . Understanding Rural America : Rural Change , February 1997 ( accessed August 16 , 2006 ) . 10 . Flore , Jan L . , Carol J . Hodne , et al . " Social and Community Impacts , " in Iowa Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Air Quality Study : Final Report . Environmental Health Sciences Research Center , University of Iowa , 2003 : 154 . 11 . USDA Economic Research Service . Understanding Rural America : Rural Change , February 1997 ( accessed August 16 , 2006 ) . 12 . Hagenstein , Perry R . , et al . Air Emissions from Animal Feeding Operations : Current Knowledge , Future Needs , Washington ( DC ) : National Academies Press , 2003 : 56 . 13 . McBride , A . Dennis . , M . D . M . P . H . , North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services . Medical Evaluation and Risk Assessment : The Association of Health Effects with Exposure to Odors from Hog Farm Operations , December 1998 ; last updated November 2003 ( accessed 11 August 2006 ) . 14 . igurdarson , Sigurdur T . , and Joel N . Kline . “ School Proximity to Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and Prevalence of Asthma in Students , ” Chest : The Cardiopulmonary and Critical Care Journal 129 ( No . 6 ) , June 2006 , pp . 1486 - 1491 : 1489 - 1490 . 15 . US EPA . Consumer Factsheet on : Nitrates / Nitrites . February 2006 ( accessed August 16 , 2006 ) . 16 . Nolan , Bernard T . , et al . “ Probability of Nitrate Contamination of Recently Recharged Ground Waters in the Coterminous United States , ” in Environmental Science & Technology 36 ( n . 10 ) , pp . 2138 - 2145 : 2 - 3 . 17 . Ibid : 3 . 18 . Nolan , Bernard T . , et al . A National Look at Nitrate Contamination of Ground Water . October 2003 ( accessed 2006 ) . 19 . Lee , Jennifer . “ Neighbors of Vast Hog Farms Say Foul Air Endangers Their Health , ” New York Times , 11 May 2003 , Final Edition , Page A 1 . 20 . Melvin , Stuart . Executive Summary : Understanding the Impacts of Large - Scale Swine Production , Proceedings from an Interdisciplinary Scientific Workshop , Des Moines , Iowa , 1995 ( accessed 10 August 2006 ) : 13 . 21 . Flore , Jan L . , Hodne , Carol J . , et al . " Social and Community Impacts , " in Iowa Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Air Quality Study : Final Report . Environmental Health Sciences Research Center , University of Iowa , 2003 : 150 - 52 . 22 . Ibid : 158 . 23 . Hagenstein , Perry R . , et al . Air Emissions from Animal Feeding Operations : Current Knowledge , Future Needs , Washington ( DC ) : National Academies Press , 2003 : 71 . 24 . Ibid : 52 . 25 . Ibid : 53 . 26 . US Environmental Protection Agency , “ What is Acid Rain ? ” 16 August 2006 ( accessed 23 August 2006 ) . 27 . Carpenter , Stephen . " Nonpoint Pollution of Surface Waters with Phosphorous and Ntrogren , " in Issues in Ecology No . 3 , September 1998 . 28 . Li , Y . , et al . “ A Survey of Selected Heavy Metal Concentrations in Wisconsin Dairy Feeds , ” Journal of Dairy Science 88 ( 2005 ) , pp . 2911 - 22 : 2912 - 13 . 29 . European Commission . Opinion of the Scientific Committee for Animal Nutritionon the Use of Copper in Feedingstuffs . Brussels ( Belgium ) : European Commission , Health and Consumer Protection Directorate , 2003 : 21 . 30 . Li , Y . , et al . “ A Survey of Selected Heavy Metal Concentrations in Wisconsin Dairy Feeds , ” Journal of Dairy Science 88 ( 2005 ) , pp . 2911 - 22 : 2912 - 13 . 31 . McBride , A . Dennis . , M . D . M . P . H . , North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services . Medical Evaluation and Risk Assessment : The Association of Health Effects with Exposure to Odors from Hog Farm Operations , December 1998 ; last updated November 2003 ( accessed 11 August 2006 ) . 32 . Environmental Protection Agency . " Ag 101 , Land Use Overview . " EPA . January 2004 . 33 . US Census . " Population : 1790 - 1990 , United States Urban and Rural " ( accessed 25 August 2006 ) . 34 . USDA - National Agricultural Statistics Service . Trends in U . S . Agriculture : Farm Population and Labor ( accessed 25 August 2006 ) . Source : www . sustainabletable . org 사업자 정보 표시 | | | 사업자 등록 번호 : -- | TEL : -- | 사이버 몰의 이용 약관 바로 가 기