Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) pose serious threats to public health due to their impact on air and water quality and the potential to help in the spread of disease, according to a new study released Thursday.
The study, commissioned by Cedar Rapids-based environmental law center Plains Justice, found that CAFOs can serve as breeding grounds for bacteria and dangerous pathogens.
“My hope is that this report will help legislators and the public understand the potential health risks that confined animal feeding operations pose,” said Donna Wong-Gibbons, a public health specialist with Plains Justice who wrote the report. “In addition, I hope that it will help underscore the important role that agencies like the Iowa Department of Natural Resources can play in helping reduce these risks so that we can all benefit from safer practices.”
According to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report, Iowa ranks first in the nation for both hog and egg production and second in the nation for commercial red meat production. This translates into large numbers of animals being raised in the state while the total number of farms in Iowa has declined. The result is a smaller overall number of facilities housing many animals in a relatively small area.
Health professionals fear the health impacts that could arise from these facilities, including an increase in treatment resistant bacteria. CAFOs are also considered breeding grounds for new viruses. When the H1N1 virus first began making headlines, many felt CAFOs were to blame.
There are also serious concerns over air quality for residents living near CAFOs. Among the health effects documented for CAFO workers are altered lung function and an assortment of respiratory complications including a worsening of existing asthma, asthma-like symptoms, and chronic bronchitis. Workers in hog confinement facilities have also been identified as being at risk for hydrogen sulfide poisoning as a result of prolonged exposure.
Gibbons calls for several steps that could be taken, both at the state and federal level, to protect public health — improved monitoring and surveillance of air quality in areas surrounding CAFOs; remove arsenic from poultry feed; and include CAFO workers in vaccination programs to help stop the spread of animal-to-human disease, among others.
“The Plains Justice report proposes some science-based, but common-sense, approaches to reducing the health and environmental risks posed by CAFOs,” said Francis Thicke, a farmer and candidate for state Agriculture Secretary. “Policy makers should take heed.”
Follow Jason Hancock on Twitter
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
Sign up for our email newsletter