I’ve been home sick today…initially to take care of my son, then just utterly exhausted. So I didn’t think I’d have much to add to VFG until I read this commentary earlier this month from Tom Bechman at Indiana Prairie Farmer.
Apparently there’s controversy over expanding hog operations in Grant County. Controversy over hog farming is nothing new. But I appreciate Bechman’s criticism of the coverage. He says the news report he saw failed to make the distinction between factory farming and a large family farm.
I can see the concern. The proposal is for an 8,000-head CAFO. Sounds pretty big to me, almost factory like. Then again, I love bacon.
Virtual Farmgirl 
I can see the general public’s concern regarding large scale hog operations, however I do feel that the terms CAFO and factory farm are very overused.The area around where I live is facing some of the same issues regarding hog facility expansions. A group calling themselves “Environmentally Concerned Citizens Origanization” has held a variety of public forums trying to fight the idea of an potential expansion next to thier town. I am sure those people don’t buy thier meat in the grocery store and most certainly don’t enjoy having bacon for breakfast.I truely feel that people don’t understand the dynamics of farming operations and how the growth to such large scale production has been a result of American people growing apart from their farm roots and coming to rely on cheap efficient sources of food. Farmers would never have gotten bigger if they didn’t have to in order to survive.
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I can see the general public’s concern regarding large scale hog operations, however I do feel that the terms CAFO and factory farm are very overused.The area around where I live is facing some of the same issues regarding hog facility expansions. A group calling themselves “Environmentally Concerned Citizens Origanization” has held a variety of public forums trying to fight the idea of an potential expansion next to thier town. I am sure those people don’t buy thier meat in the grocery store and most certainly don’t enjoy having bacon for breakfast.I truely feel that people don’t understand the dynamics of farming operations and how the growth to such large scale production has been a result of American people growing apart from their farm roots and coming to rely on cheap efficient sources of food. Farmers would never have gotten bigger if they didn’t have to in order to survive.
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