The Swine Industry Faces Growing Scrutiny Of Its Environmental Stewardship Practices

Manure contains bacteria and is very high in nitrogen. The excess nitrogen can also cause nutrient-related problems in the area.

Furthermore, factory farms pollute drinking water sources. Manure and fertilizers are rich in nitrates and phosphates, which are very unhealthy for living things. They pollute groundwater sources by seeping in through lagoons of waste sewage that factory farms create. Lagoons of animal feces and spent fertilizers are a very cheap way of dealing with waste (NRDC). The chemicals travel through the soil to groundwater that the local communities depend on. Ingesting nitrate tainted water will lower the amount of oxygen a person can intake. This can lead to death for infants. Some of the pollutants can reach open waters if they are carried by rain or irrigation water, called runoff. Runoff pollutes ponds, lakes, oceans, and other open bodies of water. Polluted waters with high levels of nitrates kill fish, aquatic plants, and other aquatic organisms because they experience the same problems with oxygen intake. High levels of phosphorus in our waters cause algae blooms in open bodies of water. Algae blooms disrupt the ecosystem in the water and kill the organisms living in the water. They use up all the oxygen in

Chicken, lamb, turkey, milk, pork, eggs, fish, etc., all contribute to the environmental problems facing the planet. The fossil-fuel energy consumption to protein output for these livestock are as follows: chicken has a 4:1 ration, lamb 50:1, turkey 13:1, milk protein 14:1, pork 17:1, and eggs at a 26:1 ratio. This averages out to almost eight-times more “fossil-fuel energy than production of plant protein” (Pimentel). In addition, each animal has its own benefits and downfalls. Pigs propose a lower carbon footprint but if raised in ideal free-range environments they can pollute the soil with nitrogen (Goffman 5). Chickens pose the threat of spreading bacteria through rivers and streams and spurring algal growth which create “dead zones”,

In the past century there has been a substantial change in the way human beings raise and keep animals meant for food. While in the past there were great numbers of widely spaced small individual farms, now there are relatively few, but extremely large industrialized farms. And as the numbers of animals kept and slaughtered for human consumption increases, these industrialized farms, known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations or CAFO's, are having more and more of an impact on the environment and people around them. The concentration of animals causes a major problem with the waste products they produce, as well as the gases, chemicals, and other types of byproducts. And the increased use of antibiotics in the animals is beginning to have a profound effect on the health of not only the environment but the communities that exist around these industrialized farms. CAFO's, and their secondary industries, are also a large consumer of oil, gasoline, and other fuels which can have an indirect, but devastating effect on the environment. Luckily there are some who have come to recognize the problems, and potential future problems, involved in this type of animal farming and have begun to inform the public to the dangers these farms pose. And in response to this information, the public is beginning to force changes in the way these CAFO's operate and the impact they have on the environment and

Animal waste contains many harmful zoonotic pathogens that can be passed on to humans from ingesting contaminated food and drinking water (Gunderson, 2015, p.103). Wastes from CAFOs channel from “hog houses into pits or lagoons, where it is stored untreated until it is applied to the land (Nicole, 2013, p.186). The lagoons may overflow and the untreated waste will spill into waterways (Nicole, 2013, p.186). One of the most dangerous pathogens of CAFOs is Escherichia coli (E. coli) (Gunderson, p.103). The bacteria may cause bloody diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, seizures, comas, high blood pressure, severe kidney damage, and death (Gunderson, 2015,

Modern farming and agricultural operations contribute to the degradation and contamination of our environment as well as the neighboring ecosystems. Fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, animal manure and other Argo-chemicals are rich in chemical nutrients and toxic substances which are often the major sources of agricultural pollution. The use of these various types of products can affect water quality when it rains, and the contaminated soils and water is washed into the waters or into ground waters. These chemicals can also be absorbed by plants which are then consumed by animals and even humans, harmful to animal and human health. There are many causes of this pollution.

Some ‘Neigh-sayers’ believe that manure is diluted into water and is relatively harmless, but a recent experiment on rainbow trout, researched by Michael East, displays that even in a ten gallon tank with recirculating water that is given 1 milliliter of manure given on a biweekly basis can severely hinder trouts overall growth. At a dose of 5 millimeters biweekly, the trout surprisingly lost weight over the course of a month and perished. This experiment also depicts that the control group and the 1 millileter group ate approximately the same amount of food, but the control group gained almost double the weight of the 1 millileter treated group. This experiment shows the drastic change from a small dosage to a large dosage because the 5 millileter group only ate about half of the food given to them and lost an average of 1.5 grams per fish over the one month period. The results from this experiment show that even a small amount of manure that enters a body of water can cause serious health issues for the creatures inhabiting that area. Manure causes a

The main reason for which corn is the main crop in America is because it can be easily used for the making of “processed food and hundreds of other products.” Corn has become so convenient, that many factories use it to feed their animals, in order to accelerate their growth. Since it benefits government subsidies, many farmers opt to make a greater profit by changing the way they raise cattle, which also means the amount of animal manure is much greater. Furthermore, since there is “no good way of disposing it,” the grounds are becoming ideal parameters for the breeding of “deadly bacteria,” which brings about the unethical and scientific issues in the industry for these bacteria have found “their way into our food.” Moreover, as confirmed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a corn-based diet can promote Escherichia coli within the “digestive tract of

In the news, we always hear about the catastrophic accidents such as oil spills or chemicals polluting an area from a factory. Such stories show things that might harm the earth or us. Yet, have folks ever suspected the friendly farmer down the road as a threat to your life? Well, Kelly Hunter Burch and Robert T. Connery share their viewpoints on whether animal manure is as deadly as these other chemicals.

Before we can talk about how animal agriculture waste shapes our environment, we must first know exactly what it is and how much of it there is.

Sixty thousand pounds of wet manure is produced each day by the five thousand cows that are located on the George DeRuyter and Sons dairy farm in Outlook Washington (Bonneville). You might be thinking “that’s a lot of crap”, well you’re right! The positive to all this crap is that something can be done with it. Anaerobic Digestion is a biological method when microorganism hydrolyze-break down- waste material when there is no oxygen present (American 1). Anaerobic digesters can take animal wastes, such as cow manure, and through a process break the waste down into organic molecules that can be further hydrolyzed and used as an energy source. If further steps are taken such as, removing carbon dioxide, nitrogen and oxygen from the substance then

Remediating Agricultural Water Contamination: Problem, Solution, and Barriers Paper Student Name COMM 2367 MWF 9:10 Instructor Name September 29, 2012

Industrial or commercial farming places a large amount of pressure on our natural resources, and us as humans. Animals in these factories produce an extreme amount of fecal wastes, which leads in pollution of our air, land, and water. The residents who live in areas where industrial farming takes place have already seen and personally lived through the outcomes of such horrendous form of food production. It is known that industrial farming effects our health, but there is more to this. Residents who live near these kinds of areas face lower property values because of how close they live to these factories and the contamination that has spread into their homes and possibly in their bodies. In addition, the natural cycle of renewal is interrupted when

Animal husbandry is an incredibly resource intensive process. As the world’s population continues to increase the demand for animal meat and animal bi-products will too. This raises concerns and especially in the United States, one of the world highest concentration for animal husbandry and agribusiness. The focus of this investigation is to determine whether animal husbandry in Texas is sustainable in relation to fresh water use bio-contamination issues.

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists (2008), industrial livestock operations produce over 300 million tons of wastewater per year. Although there are