A pox on you, North Dakota Farm Bureau, you are not “supporting farmers and breaking down barriers to agriculture,” you are supporting huge outside corporations and breaking down local control by farmers.
I have followed the information from Buffalo, N.D., for many years, have heard from farmers in Missouri whose life is intolerable because of proximity to concentrated animal feeding operations. Why not local control? Why not smaller-scale animal farming that is more in tune with the environment? Integrating livestock production and crop production is a much better way to manage waste than stinky ammonia-producing lagoons.
Why risk development of diseases, especially viruses, because of keeping large numbers of animals in a confined space? We can stop bacteria by flooding an operation with antibiotics, at the risk of resistant organisms of course, but we can’t stop viruses.
I grew up on a farm and we raised a few pigs, not because we liked the work or the smell, but because they provided income. The grain we fed them was not subsidized by taxpayers like the crop subsidies that have facilitated today’s CAFOs. Decentralizing livestock production can be just as efficient as factory farming when you take away the subsidies, and is better for the environment. Come on NDFB, start thinking about the future of our region and our farmers, not big profits for big companies.
James Buhr lives in Valley City, N.D.
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Forum's editorial board nor Forum ownership.
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December 12, 2020 at 03:00AM
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Letter: North Dakota Farm Bureau is attempting to take away local control - INFORUM
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