Agribusiness

Large animal feeding operations on the rise
Several states see shifts in animal production since 2011

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The number of new concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) have increased across the U.S. over the past six years - bringing the total operations just under 20,000, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency. From 2011 to 2017, the United States saw more than 1,400 new large-scale concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) established. That’s up 7.6 percent. Here's a look at the issue in maps and charts.

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Plan for 20,000-hog facility sparks revolt in western Illinois | Chicago Tribune

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Efforts like this one have largely failed during the past two decades as pork producers constructed more than 900 new swine confinements across Illinois, often brushing aside farm families’ concerns about sickening odors, road damage, depletion of wells and fouling of creeks. But this network of farmsteads set amid rolling hills has become the newest battleground where small-town residents are trying to fend off a leading U.S. pork producer

Agribusiness

Big farms, frac sand mines could feel force of judge’s groundwater ruling

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A recent legal decision is likely to significantly change how Wisconsin manages its groundwater and will especially affect the state’s sandy counties where powerful wells are irrigating potato fields, servicing giant dairies, and providing water critical for the state's frac sand mining boom.

Agribusiness

Mega-dairy’s growth plans hotly debated

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A four-day hearing on the challenges surrounding the expansion of a mega-dairy in Wisconsin showcased a community's deep divisions. A handful of speakers showed support for the dairy expansion. Many others expressed their concerns over the dairy's potential environmental impact, including a resident with a water well less than 40 feet away from a field where waste from the dairy is spread.

Agribusiness

DNR vacancies hinder CAFO enforcement

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Water-quality advocates say Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources’ regulation of large farms, known as concentrated animal feeding operations or CAFOs, is too lax. DNR acknowledges low staffing levels have strained enforcement efforts, and described the program.

Agribusiness

Disputed expansion of Wisconsin dairy watched for statewide impact

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In a Green Bay hearing beginning Tuesday, a controversial attempt to expand a dairy farm set to become the fifth largest in Wisconsin will be challenged in a case that could have a far-reaching impact on how Wisconsin regulates industrial-size livestock farms.