County Health Ordinances

The following are the twelve Missouri Counties that have passed Health Ordinances, placing guidelines on the construction of CAFOs:
Adair, Caldwell, Camden, Harrison, Henry, Knox, Linn, Livingston, Petis, Platte, Schuyler and Scotland.
Here is a link to a map of the Missouri Counties that have already enacted Health Ordinance regulations, Township Zoning and Planning or County Zoning Ordinances, http://agebb.missouri.edu/commag/permit/restrictions.asp. The site also provides the Health Ordinance regulation language, that each county used. I have set up a link to this University of Missouri webpage, on the right.

The following are Missouri Counties, currently discussing language for Health Ordinances:
Jasper, Macon and Newton. If there are others, please add them to the list! It is important to publicize and support these positive initiatives.

MOARK LLC (Newton County, MO Battlefield)

No environmental battleground is better organized that the Southwest Missouri Citizens Against Local MOARK Expansion (SWMCALME), Neosho, (Newton County) MO. http://ozarkclearwater.com . This is about chickens, and MOARK's attempt to increase it's operations from 2.6 million to a 5 million chicken CAFO. But it is about a lot more, too. The residents in Jasper, Newton and McDonald Counties are justly concerned about their air quality, their water quality and the potential contamination to their land. Late last year, and earlier this year, communities in Kansas and Oklahoma rejected MOARK's plans to expand in those states because MOARK had violated Missouri environmental laws for years.

To view a summary of MOARK’s abysmal environmental record at its three existing Missouri operations, click on the links below:
MOARK 7 complex, Newton County
MOARK Anderson complex, McDonald County
MOARK Topnotch complex, Jasper County

Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Director, Mr. Doyle Childers, approved MOARK's application to expand its operation on November 1, 2005.

I have set up a link to Southwest Missouri Citizens Against MOARK Expansion initiatives, to the right.

MO Farm Bureau Legislative Agenda

The Missouri Farm Bureau lists their (2005) legislative initiatives for livestock regiulations:
1. We believe regulation of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations should be limited to state jurisdiction only.
2. Missouri Farm Bureau needs to work to find a solution to eliminate county health ordinances. They not only add one more layer of regulations on livestock producers, but will eventually drive the livestock industry out of the counties so affected and very possibly the whole state.
3. If a county considers a county health ordinance that would be stricter than state regulations pertaining to livestock operations, we support requiring the county governing body to consult with the local soil and water district board to ensure that decisions are based on sound, scientific principles.
http://www.mofb.org/LA_Policy.htm

Guide to Confronting a CAFO

I found this Guide to Confronting a CAFO extremely helpful in understanding the dynamics and strategies of an Environmental Battlefield. http://www.factoryfarm.org/guide/index.html
The Guide includes several important subjects, again helping you get up-to-speed on the topic. There are many helpful hints, too. The subjects include:
1. Educate yourself
2. Organizing your community
3. Gathering information
4. Plan a campaign/Develop your strategies
5. When the going gets tough
6. Press and media
7. Fundraising
8. Next step
I have also set the Factory Farm website up as a link, to the right.

What Are the Issues?

(1) Tina Herleth, LaPlata, President-Citizens Against a Polluted Environment (CAPE) detailed the difference between family farmers and corporate farmers. "Real family farmers give more back to the land than they take. They care for their animals, their neighbors and their community. We worship God, not money." In contrast, corporate hog owners don't even live in the state.

(2) John Ikerd, PhD., Agricultural Economist, University of Missouri-Columbia, College of Agriculture, Food and natural resources, called the economic benefits from corporate agriculture a "fallacy" stating that "the county eventually suffers long-term negative impacts."

(3) Mike Whitlock, M.D., (Schuyler County) confirmed that the documented health concerns are real and very serious. He explained that 'the sewage from 8,000 hogs is equivalent to 20,000 people, however, the sewage from corporate farms is untreated in open lagoons, exposing the community to a myriad of toxins.'

(4) Missouri Attorney General, Jay Nixon, said "I oppose legislative attempts to strip local government of the authority to regulate mega-farms, which can contain hundreds of thousands of hogs or other livestock. If officials at the local level determine that they want to have tougher standards for cleaner air or water for their constituents, they should have the right to do that. That right should not be taken away by state legislators who are swayed by multi-national agricultural corporations".

(5) Jim Libby, Linn County MO Commissioner, said that it was necessary for his county to step up and pass a county health ordinance to protect their citizens from factory farm pollution. He warned that special interest legislators, influenced by big hog money, were going to try to take away the county's right for local control again this next legislative session. "We need to be ready to fight for the right for local control when the session begins in January."

Missourians for Local Control is a network of organizations and individuals who believe that decisions about our communities should be made at the most local level possible, the level that at which the very people who are impacted can best participate. The above issues were raised by panelists at Truman State University, at an event, "Confined Animal feeding Operations Fact vs. Fiction", sponsored by Missourians for Local Control. http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/ra05/mlc1_05.html

Missouri Rural Crisis Center

The Missouri Rural Crisis Center (MRCC) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1985. It is a progressive, statewide membership organization that works to empower farmers and other rural people. The mission of MRCC is to preserve family farms, promote stewardship of the land and environmental integrity, and strive for economic and social justice by building unity and mutual understanding among diverse groups, both rural and urban.
Email: info@morural.org
Address: Missouri Rural Crisis Center, 1108 Rangeline St., Columbia, MO 65202.
Phone: (573) 449-1336, or Fax: (573) 442-5716.

The MRCC has a great website, with references to nurmersous articles and publications on farming issues, http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/rural.html#Anchor-Feature-47857. You can get to them either by clicking on the above link, or www.morural.org. This is a good site to bookmark, for getting up-to-speed on the environmental farm issues in Missouri.

Where Do We Begin?

The Kansas City Star, Friday, December 30, 2005, http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/13512361.htm, includes an article about corporate agriculture in Missouri, and what is likely to be the biggest environmnental battleground of 2006. The article mentiones several goups that are already organized and attempting to educate Missourians about the situation, the problems, and some solutions. They include Missouri Rural Crisis Center (MRCC) and Citizens Against Polluting the Environment (CAPE).

The Kirksville Daily Express, Friday December 30, 2005, includes an article about Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) in northeast Missouri. The article mentions other groups trying to promote environmental conciousness, practices and stewardship, including Missourians For Local Control (MFLC).

As we reflect on 2005, now is the time to begin planning for 2006. Obviously, there are initiatives underway to promote education, the environment and what is right for Missouri and Missourians. By collaborating, by communicating and by coordinating efforts and initiatives, we will be more successful in cleaning up what has already happened, and preventing problems in the future. What can you do help Missouri? Are you ready to get involved? I am!