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Factory farms make bad neighbors.
Check out our new series on factory farms and the communities taking a stand against them.
Lena Beck & Modern Farmer
August 18, 2024
Hello! Lena here, staff writer at Modern Farmer.
It’s no secret that farms are an important part of healthy, connected communities. But for the communities living near industrial operations stuffed with thousands of animals, the experience is that of degradation, disease, and disruption.
Over the last week, we published a series of stories that explore the risks of living near factory farms and show how communities across the country are fighting back at both the site-specific and at the systemic levels. It’s a fascinating—and surprisingly empowering—journey.
Need an orientation to the issue? Start here with Factory Farms Explained.
Does a factory farm operation have its eye on your town? Communities who have successfully organized against them have advice for you.
What do people mean when they say, “factory farm”? Here’s a short breakdown, and why people want alternatives.
Image via Shutterstock/AI
Also fresh this week
 Image via Shutterstock/AI | Industrial farming operations stuffed with thousands of hogs, cows, or chickens seriously harm our health and environment. All across the country, communities are pushing back. |
 Image via Shutterstock/AI | When large animal livestock operations are coming to town, here’s some advice from people who have experienced it firsthand. |
 Photo: Animal Welfare Institute/Animals’ Angels | Hundreds of thousands of newborn calves are trucked across the country every year. Here’s what you need to know about the practice. |
Our reporting on industrial animal operations is strengthened by organizations like Socially Responsible Agriculture Project (SRAP). As SRAP deputy director Chris Hunt recently told me, “When you have too many animals in one place, you’re going to have too much waste in one place, and that waste becomes a problem—that waste becomes a pollutant…I don’t think a sustainable future is compatible with the [concentrated animal feeding operation] model.”
Luckily, there are dedicated people and organizations out there fighting on behalf of communities, family farms, and a food system that works for us all. And SRAP is one of them.
Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you next week!
~ Lena
Weekly Action | Inspired to join the fight against factory farms? Check out these ways you can support Socially Responsible Agriculture Project.
Hungry for more? Check out the Modern Farmer Solutions Hub for stories that feature progress and innovation from across the food system.