A well-run and managed animal farm is one of the best neighbors that we could hope for. Beautiful to look at with its wide open spaces and well-kept animals. It seems to bring us a little closer to nature than most of our daily routine allows us to do. Farm fields with their animals lazily grazing on grass while they walk around is so calming. Many people move to the country precisely for this reason. Even with the smell and the noise from the farm, it is preferable to houses on top of houses and living elbow to elbow with other people.
Family-operated farms have been handed down for several generations, each new one proud to carry on the family farm. Someplace along the line over the past few generations, though, things started to break down. Family farms gave way to factory farms, literally farms run like factories. The official name the government has for these farms is CAFO, standing for concentrated animal feeding operation. As this is an industrial operation, we will use the term “factory farm.”
With the enormous number and concentrations of animals in one place, issues have arisen, creating significant consequences on the environment and surrounding communities, issues that also impact people beyond the community in ways nobody foresaw during the rise of these factory farms.
These factory farms are so tremendous that the amount of manure some produce far exceeds the combined amount from all the humans in many nearby towns. The CDC said, “Chemical and infectious compounds from swine (pigs) and poultry are able to migrate into soil and water.” There are five main factors that can impact those who live by or one of these operations.
Overall, factory farms and the animals on them produce much more manure in a year than the entire population of our country. Human waste goes to sewage treatment plants to be processed and made less hazardous to human health. The same cannot be said for manure
The National Association of Boards of Health and General Accountability Office (GAO) have estimated a large factory farm can produce more manure in a year than some large cities in the U.S. According to the EPA, 2,000 cows produce 240,000 pounds of manure a day for a whopping 90 million pounds a year. Many factory farms have far more than 2,000 cows.
An older EPA report estimates the animals on factory farms produce anywhere from 3-20 times the manure of the population of this country. The big difference, and the big problem, is the manure from factory farms is not required to be handled in a way that minimizes the potential for dangerous pathogens and other issues. Nothing even close to the treatment of animal waste is done, nor are there any requirements to do so.
On large factory farms the movement of animals is usually restricted to a single area. The urine and manure drop beneath the animals and is only collected and removed when needed. Many farms simply allow the manure to be driven into the surface beneath the animals until their feet and legs are caked with dried manure and urine. When the manure is removed, it is then placed into giant storage piles or large storage lagoons. The factory farm has few options for the disposal of all this waste. They can choose to spread and spray it onto the fields they have or pay to have somebody truck it away to some other location for disposal.
With the livestock headcount of some factory farms numbering in the tens of thousands, the amount of waste is easily hundreds of thousands of gallons, even millions quite frequently. Returning the manure to the fields for nutrients for the next year’s crop is a historically sound use for animal waste. But, proper farming management practices limit the amount of manure that can be applied to the land so that the land can use and absorb it. In most cases that would not get rid of a quarter of the manure produced by the animals on many of these factory farms. Sometimes factory farms pay other landowners to dispose of manure onto their property as well.
As a result, in the case of many factory farms, manure is applied to the land beyond the point of saturation. There are many instances of factory farms who have far exceeded the limits of absorption on the field and over-saturated the ground. Nearby neighbors can only watch as raw animal waste runs off of the farm property into nearby streams and creeks. Sometimes, it overflows onto nearby properties as well.
At times when the cesspools are full on the farm, liquid manure will be sprayed into the air on the fields to get rid of some. The liquids are taken away over the fields and to the areas beyond the farm boundary in the winds as liquid manure mist. Smells and airborne gas do not respect property lines.
Accidental spills because of both poorly maintained lagoons and weather events unleash hundreds of thousands of gallons of stinking manure and sludge into local waterways, polluting areas downstream for miles. Each time these spills occur, E. coli bacteria in the water rises to levels making the water unsafe for either human contact or use. Contaminated water used for irrigation on crops is responsible for many outbreaks of the disease sickening people each year.
In 2018 after Hurricane Florence, huge hog operations in Dublin and Sampson County, North Carolina, had two manure lagoons totally fail. According to the Environmental Working Group and reported by the New Yorker, 7.3 million gallons of liquid and sludge-concentrated hog manure spilled into the tributaries of the South River and the Northeast Cape Fear River.
At Lanier Farms in Jones County, North Carolina, the farm was suspected of releasing one million gallons of liquid manure from its lagoons. The release was traced to the farm by a 1.8 mile long trail of pinkish colored decaying waste. The waste poured into the Trent River at the end of its trail from the farm. Lanier Farms had been cited for releases and spills numerous times before.
In both of the above cases, the waterways were also used for irrigation of farmland, recreation, and a source of drinking water. Use of the water was deemed unsafe until the levels of bacteria returned to lower levels.
In a 2013 report about the Lower Yakima Valley in Washington state, the EPA estimated a dairy lagoon leaked million gallons of liquid manure per year into the surrounding soil.
Despite being pushed by the dairy industry to do another review, the EPA put out a statement that they were standing by their earlier findings. They confirmed that factory farms in the Lower Yakima Valley were responsible for extensive groundwater pollution, making the drinking water unsafe in many places.
In Michigan, legislation was introduced to ban manure application on frozen or snow- covered ground to prevent runoff of manure into nearby waterways and neighboring properties. The bill was bitterly opposed by the Michigan Farm Bureau.
Factory farms emit tremendous amounts of dangerous airborne pollutants. Ammonia gases from extremely large quantities of urine and decomposing manure from hundreds of thousands of animals drift up and away from the farm and into the surrounding area and communities. Hydrogen sulfide gas in the air is a constant pollutant that causes respiratory and digestive issues.
In the eastern part of North Carolina, approximately 2,000 factory farms have open air cesspools holding the urine and feces of 9.5 million pigs. Ammonia gases and bacteria seep into nearby communities, causing increases in asthma attacks, respiratory disease, and other illnesses.
Lethal levels of hydrogen sulfide gas are also possible in extreme conditions. In Minnesota one farm had a release with such a high level of hydrogen sulfide that the state declared a public health hazard situation and evacuated residents. The high levels of gas persisted for months, and, due to lack of real enforcement laws, the state was unable to do much.
Regulatory rules on emissions for factory farms are much lower than rules for human waste treatment in spite of the fact animal waste amounts to over triple the amount of human waste. If the industry was held to the same standard of waste management as sewage treatment plants, they most likely would go out of business. That is why lobbyists for the industry stay very active.
The watchdog group, American Promise, noted in 2018 that lobbyists working in favor of the new Farm Bill gave almost $1.7 million to House and Senate Agriculture Committee members. The committee member receiving the most money from the lobbyist was Mitch McConnell, who raked in $183,425.
Because of these lax regulations, large manure lagoons and storage tanks that are capable of holding over 600,000 gallons of waste are left uncovered. Basically, it is a huge cesspool of decomposing manure and urine heating up and sending the smell and airborne contaminants for miles.
Ammonia is one of the components in urine, and Poison Control has listed it as a substance to monitor. Neighbors of these factory farms and people downwind of the operation regularly experience irritated eyes, noses, and throats from breathing in high levels of ammonia. It especially affects older people and children.
Many residents living near factory farms have to live with their doors and windows closed all the time. Activity outside is often much less than in areas without the factory farms due to the continuous odor and exposure to ammonia.
Scientists have shown that when we smell feces, we actually are breathing in microscopic particles of bacteria from the waste. Those who live near the factory farm and breathe that all the time are also breathing in particles of antibiotic resistant bacteria too. That comes from the tremendous amount of antibiotics fed to the animals to keep them alive in an environment they would normally be sick in. Breathing these, however, makes us resistant to many of the antibiotics that would otherwise make us healthy when we are sick.
Studies done by the EPA and other organizations have shown that large-scale livestock farms create huge amounts of dust particles. There are tremendous amounts of manure, feathers, straw, feed, bedding materials, and animal fur all together in one place. The movement of the animals churns everything up and sends all of this into the air surrounding the containment areas.
Several studies have linked an increase in illnesses to the particulate matter and dust generated by these farms. One study in particular stands out. John Hopkins University released results concluding living near a factory farm increased asthma in children. Another study also by Johns Hopkins concluded people living near high concentrations of livestock were at increased risk of developing MRSA, a type of staph infection resistant to not only penicillin but many other low level antibiotics. The study found as the concentration of livestock increases, so did the odds of people nearby having the bacteria.
In June 2019, the EPA changed the rules requiring some industrial polluters to report their toxic air emissions to state and federal agencies. Prior to this rule change, factory farms were required to send reports on the toxic emissions no different than industrial facilities, such as chemical factories and the like, have to. Despite the evidence that factory farms pour tons of toxic chemicals, gases, and harmful particulate matter into the air surrounding these huge farms, the agency has eliminated the requirement to report any information on pollutants released from the millions of tons of animal waste. The move is seen by communities affected by these factory farms as selling out protections for the people. The EPA is directed by many politicians who are taking thousands of dollars from lobby groups working for the meat, egg, milk and dairy industries and represent these factory farms who will be exempted under the new rule.
An article in Scientific American reported results of a study undertaken in 2016 in Pennsylvania. The findings showed after manure from hogs was applied to fields, people who lived near them had a 30% increased risk of contracting MRSA from exposure to pathogens in the manure. In 2006, an E. coli outbreak in spinach was traced to irrigation water that the investigators concluded was contaminated from pig and cow manure at a nearby farm.
Near West Bend, Wisconsin, neighbors of a large dairy farm discovered their wells had been contaminated with bacteria including E. coli and called the Department of Natural Resources to investigate. The department agreed the source was the manure from the farm, and so did the courts, who awarded the neighbors damages. One of the family’s children contracted bacterium avium from consuming the contaminated water and needed to undergo surgery. This bacteria is found in the water, dust and bird droppings that frequently surround factory farms and people living nearby inhale in the air, drink in the water and eat in their food.
In Duplin County, eastern North Carolina, 2.3 million hogs produce twice the amount of manure as the people in New York City. The county is home to 32 times as many hogs as people. The health effects from all the manure, particulate matter, and other negative issues associated with huge factory farms has taken a toll on residents. University of North Carolina and Johns Hopkins showed elevated levels of fecal bacteria from hogs in waterways can cause hepatitis, typhoid, and dysentery. Higher infant mortality rate, asthma in children, and high blood pressure are also common in the residents.
The huge lagoons and storage tanks totaling millions of gallons will have an impact on the groundwater. This can happen if there is a leak or spill, or it can also happen simply from continued application of tons of raw sewage to the land. The groundwater eventually becomes contaminated with nitrates, harmful bacteria, and antibiotics.
In Lincoln, Wisconsin, half the private wells already exceed safe levels of bacteria and nitrates in them. To make matters worse, the local dairy farm wanted to add another 2,000 cows to the already existing 4,000.
It’s not just leaks from the lagoons and storage tanks affecting water. There are also illegal discharges of wastewater too. In Marseilles, Ohio, one of the largest egg producers pleaded guilty to discharging wastewater contaminated with manure from the egg washing operation into the local streams. They were charged with negligent violation of the Clean Water Act. At time this facility had over three million chickens in their operation.
In Valley Center and Ramona, California, another egg facility was given a violation for discharge of contaminated water. Previously, the county had issued six notices to the facility for allowing contaminated water to flow onto neighboring properties and into storm drains.
Between 2014-2016 in the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia, a review of state environmental records showed more than 90% of the water quality monitoring stations detected E. Coli levels so high the water was unsafe for human contact. The manure comes from 159 million chickens, 16 million turkeys, and 528,000 cows in the valley. Most of the manure is spread onto the surrounding farmland and runs off into the waterways. Despite the dangerous levels of E. coli in the water, the state did not issue any warnings.
In the town of Casco, Wisconsin, one resident never knew her water had been contaminated with coliform bacteria from animal manure until she became ill with MRSA. At the time, she thought perhaps her well water was to blame. When a microbiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture later tested her well water, the levels of dangerous coliform bacteria were so high that the well was considered too dangerous to use. The location of the well was in the middle of two large dairy farms, each with over 1,000 cows. The biologist also determined the bacteria almost conclusively came from cow manure. Since cows receive a very high level of antibiotics, it made treating her MRSA that much more difficult. The well was considered unusable moving forward.
In 2018, an E. coli outbreak swept across the country, sickening hundreds and killing at least five people. Romaine lettuce from farm fields in Yuma, Arizona, was found to be the culprit. In a report by the FDA, their laboratory traced the strain of E. coli to a factory farm with 100,000 cattle nearby the irrigation canals and farm fields growing the lettuce. The FDA suspects manure containing the E coli either washed into the irrigation water used on the lettuce or blew off the factory farm onto the nearby fields.
Unfortunately, accidents involving huge amounts of manure leaking or spilling from storage lagoons are common. Because some above-ground storage tanks hold over a million gallons of manure, these accidents are considered by local and state health officials to be massive and cause extensive damage.
In Allegheny County, Michigan, a dairy had a failure with their manure storage lagoon. At the time of the accident, there were over a million gallons of waste that was then released and flowed into the nearby waterways. Area residents reported that a plume was visible for five miles in one of the main streams. Farms along the river that used the water for irrigation were forced to find other ways to water the fields until the bacteria levels returned to safe levels.
In Canton, Minnesota, a manure storage tank had a failure in one of the walls. The spill of manure was estimated to be about one million gallons. Two trout streams were filled with the manure as it was carried into the Root River contaminating the waterway with potential E. coli bacteria. Advisories to have no contact with the water were issued as bacteria surpassed dangerous levels.
Near Snohomish, Washington, an estimated 15 million gallons of manure and other matter spilled out of a waste lagoon holding over 21 million gallons. The liquid manure wound up going into the Snohomish River, causing a huge environmental impact in the area. The state health department issued a warning the river contained high levels of bacteria that could cause infections, fever, disarray, and vomiting.
In this case, there was actually something positive that came as a result of this accident. The spill prompted the state agency responsible for inspecting waste lagoons to do a preemptive inspection of the 500 other large dairy farms in the state. They wanted to ensure another accident of this magnitude was not about to occur. More government agencies should follow their example.
Factory farms number in the thousands. While many of them tend to gather in some of the same counties or areas of states with regulations favorable to them, they can be almost anyplace. Because the number of animals on a single farm can potentially be in the thousands for cows, tens of thousands for hogs, or in the millions for chickens, it doesn’t take many to create all of these hazards. There are farms totaling dozens of times those figures, all concentrated into a small geographical area, such as the ones in Delaware and North Carolina. The residents have told Tony and me about the inescapable odor that permeates everything from their house, cars, and clothing–and with that odor comes a wide variety of health hazards.
I can empathize with these residents. I lived in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, for seven years. Our house was directly behind a small factory farm that raised hogs. We never saw an animal outside the entire time we lived there. We sure did smell them, though. There was a giant above-ground manure tank behind the animal buildings. The farm would hook a hose up to the building on one end, and the other end would be attached to a giant sprayer that would shoot thick black manure on the field behind our house. It would spray until the manure would run off the field and into the ditch behind my house. We always had swarms of flies outside the house, and many inside as well. They would sit on the walls and ceilings and leave black spots from vomit and manure all over. Yes, flies really do this some of the time when they land. It was so disgusting. I would go to work some days, and my clothes would smell from the manure. Several times we would call the health department and complain, but were told there was nothing they could do. The only time we ever received any response at all was when the manure would run off the field so badly it threatened a local tributary of a river. Then, we were told they would send somebody out to look, but we never saw anyone.
This experience was very early in my life before my family and I realized farms were as much a hazard as factories. I know we experienced higher than normal amounts of colds and minor illnesses during those years. Our well water was contaminated with nitrates and several agricultural chemicals. We constantly monitored our water for bacteria and had a whole house reverse osmosis system in addition to other types of filters. A lesson learned the hard way, but now we know much more now.
Distances to be from factory farms varies along with several factors. To determine what is a safe distance you need to consider the concentration of the farms in the overall area along with the distance from the individual farm within the hazard area. The particulates and odors from factory farms travel distances of several miles and more depending on the weather conditions. The greater the number of farms in close proximity, the higher the concentration of pollutants in the air such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and other irritants. We suggest 4 miles if there is only a single factory farm, up to ten if there are multiple factory farms concentrated nearby. If the prospect for additional ones is high, you may wish to totally avoid living in the area at all.