From Charles R. Wellington
Monroe
To the editor:
Green County stands at an important crossroads. To allow the proposed Pinnacle Dairy CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) to proceed, we endanger not only smaller, more sustainable farms, but also the long-term prosperity of the county as a whole. Huge industrial projects such as the Tuls' are no longer experimental business models. They have proven to devastate the environment and the economies in which they are established. Just visit Kewaunee county which has several CAFOs. There, the water table has shown a dramatic increase E. coli, nitrates, and even MRSA (a bacteria resistant to antibiotics) from contamination by factory farms. Property values around CAFOs have plummeted, Main Street is quiet and pristine beaches once visited by tourists are now polluted and empty.
Healthy economies must work within the limits of their natural resources. If it does not, it will decline and collapse. CAFOs work within an economy that is out of sync with the environment on which we all depend. What allows these operations to stay in business are the heavy subsidies paid for by taxpayers, local businesses and future generations. The experiences of nearby Kewaunee and Brown counties, as well as Iowa and other states, testify to the devastating effects of CAFOs in a short period of time. We must learn from their experience. Sustainable practices make markets work to the earth's advantage, enabling us to satisfy our needs without jeopardizing the prospects of future generations.
There are things that we should be doing now to conserve our county's most valuable assets - our soil, our water, and the smaller farms that sustain our county. First, the county must conduct a thorough study of the geological make up of Green County to determine where our groundwater is most vulnerable to contamination. Secondly, we need to adopt ordinances to control the handling and transportation of large volumes of manure. Third, we must consider reasonable regulations to ensure that development within Green County does not diminish the quality of life we enjoy.
Without a coherent plan for dealing with the problems created by CAFOs they will continue to suck the good out of Green County while giving back only the waste. Our current state government is out of step with these concerns and has so weakened the DNR that it is almost powerless to protect our water and air. The only help we can count on is from ourselves.
Monroe
To the editor:
Green County stands at an important crossroads. To allow the proposed Pinnacle Dairy CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) to proceed, we endanger not only smaller, more sustainable farms, but also the long-term prosperity of the county as a whole. Huge industrial projects such as the Tuls' are no longer experimental business models. They have proven to devastate the environment and the economies in which they are established. Just visit Kewaunee county which has several CAFOs. There, the water table has shown a dramatic increase E. coli, nitrates, and even MRSA (a bacteria resistant to antibiotics) from contamination by factory farms. Property values around CAFOs have plummeted, Main Street is quiet and pristine beaches once visited by tourists are now polluted and empty.
Healthy economies must work within the limits of their natural resources. If it does not, it will decline and collapse. CAFOs work within an economy that is out of sync with the environment on which we all depend. What allows these operations to stay in business are the heavy subsidies paid for by taxpayers, local businesses and future generations. The experiences of nearby Kewaunee and Brown counties, as well as Iowa and other states, testify to the devastating effects of CAFOs in a short period of time. We must learn from their experience. Sustainable practices make markets work to the earth's advantage, enabling us to satisfy our needs without jeopardizing the prospects of future generations.
There are things that we should be doing now to conserve our county's most valuable assets - our soil, our water, and the smaller farms that sustain our county. First, the county must conduct a thorough study of the geological make up of Green County to determine where our groundwater is most vulnerable to contamination. Secondly, we need to adopt ordinances to control the handling and transportation of large volumes of manure. Third, we must consider reasonable regulations to ensure that development within Green County does not diminish the quality of life we enjoy.
Without a coherent plan for dealing with the problems created by CAFOs they will continue to suck the good out of Green County while giving back only the waste. Our current state government is out of step with these concerns and has so weakened the DNR that it is almost powerless to protect our water and air. The only help we can count on is from ourselves.
