For years, the agricultural industry has followed a trajectory that has led to the mass production of beef, pork, poultry, and other foods. It is not uncommon to see an operation that contains hundreds to thousands of animals. We find it to be the norm that the average farm size increases while the number of farms decreased. Moreover, smaller farms struggle to compete with more expansive operations as the meatpacking industry monopolizes the agricultural sector. To address this issue, lawmakers and agricultural activists have drafted the Farm Systems Reform Act (FSRA). The Farm System Reform Act gained new strides this summer and fall as U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren co-sponsored it in June, and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders co-sponsored the bill in July. Introduced by Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (a well-known vegan) on Jan. 21, the bulk of the bill targets large, concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs. The goal is to eliminate large operations in the next 20 years, with no large operations able to go on after Jan. 1, 2040. As described in the resolution, CAFOs are animal feeding operations that include a minimum of: 700 dairy cows, 1,000 beef cattle, 2,500 pigs weighing more than 55 pounds, 10,000 pigs weighing less than 55 pounds, 500 horses, 10,000 sheep or lambs, and 55,000 turkeys.... ...more Ken Notes: This will NOT happen, the lobby is too string and the money they can use to protect themselves is too significant. We can and should address the way they treat their waste. Digestion is the secret sauce that will actually protect the smaller farmer, create RNG, a clean effluent, and improved watersheds. | ||
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Our Sponsors - - Volume: 8 - WEEK: 47 Date: 11/16/2020 9:12:31 AM - |