Corporate Farming Notes— Voters Approve Several New Measures Nationwide Restricting Large Scale Farming
As reported here and on the Blog for Rural America (www.cfra.org/blog), A.J. Bos, an industrial dairy owner and developer from California, has been seeking to build an 11,000 cow mega dairy that could be expanded to 22,000 cows within two years with virtually no additional permitting. A preliminary court injunction has halted the project.
Bos initially received approval to build the first phase of the mega dairy from the Illinois Department of Agriculture on May 30, 2008. Shortly thereafter he began construction near the small rural community of Nora in Jo Daviess County, Illinois.
However, on October 20, Circuit Court Judge Kevin Ward issued a preliminary injunction halting the Bos project. Ward’s injunction prohibits Bos from housing more than 199 cows on the site or from using any waste-storage structures or ponds at the site.
Opponents of the Bos mega dairy in and around Nora formed a grassroots organization called Helping Others Maintain Environmental Standards (HOMES). They had several more victories on Election Day. Voters passed two out of four referenda put on the ballot by HOMES members. Jo Daviess County voters supported a moratorium on large livestock facilities, 5,606 to 4,607, and substantial setbacks between such facilities and any town of 80 people or more, 6,210 to 4,313. Neither referendum is binding on the Jo Daviess County Board.
Also on Election Day, California voters passed Proposition 2, which requires egg-laying hens, veal calves and pregnant pigs have enough room to stand up, lie down, turn around freely, and fully extend their limbs. The ballot measure passed with 66.6 percent of the vote in favor, and 33.4 percent against. The law will take effect January 1, 2015.
Poultry integrators and industrial hog producers sounded alarm bells about the measure ending agriculture as they know it. Clearly, changes in production methods will be more easily adopted on smaller, family farm operations than on large, industrial operations. It is likely that fear of adapting to new production rules will lead to large, industrial operations exiting California for what they perceive as “friendlier, less regulatory” climes – an unintended consequence that could impact other livestock regions in rural America.
Contact: John Crabtree, johnc@cfra.org or 402.687.2103 x 1010 for more information.
Bos initially received approval to build the first phase of the mega dairy from the Illinois Department of Agriculture on May 30, 2008. Shortly thereafter he began construction near the small rural community of Nora in Jo Daviess County, Illinois.
However, on October 20, Circuit Court Judge Kevin Ward issued a preliminary injunction halting the Bos project. Ward’s injunction prohibits Bos from housing more than 199 cows on the site or from using any waste-storage structures or ponds at the site.
Opponents of the Bos mega dairy in and around Nora formed a grassroots organization called Helping Others Maintain Environmental Standards (HOMES). They had several more victories on Election Day. Voters passed two out of four referenda put on the ballot by HOMES members. Jo Daviess County voters supported a moratorium on large livestock facilities, 5,606 to 4,607, and substantial setbacks between such facilities and any town of 80 people or more, 6,210 to 4,313. Neither referendum is binding on the Jo Daviess County Board.
Also on Election Day, California voters passed Proposition 2, which requires egg-laying hens, veal calves and pregnant pigs have enough room to stand up, lie down, turn around freely, and fully extend their limbs. The ballot measure passed with 66.6 percent of the vote in favor, and 33.4 percent against. The law will take effect January 1, 2015.
Poultry integrators and industrial hog producers sounded alarm bells about the measure ending agriculture as they know it. Clearly, changes in production methods will be more easily adopted on smaller, family farm operations than on large, industrial operations. It is likely that fear of adapting to new production rules will lead to large, industrial operations exiting California for what they perceive as “friendlier, less regulatory” climes – an unintended consequence that could impact other livestock regions in rural America.
Contact: John Crabtree, johnc@cfra.org or 402.687.2103 x 1010 for more information.
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