JUST WHAT ARE GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS (GMOs)?

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or as they are alternatively called, genetically engineered organisms (GEOs) have raised quite a bit of concern over the past decade. But just what are these creatures that have caused so much alarm? In order to understand GMOs and their penchant to trigger alarm, we must first look at the base structure of all living things - DNA. The structure of DNA is often described as resembling a spiral staircase as shown in the drawing below.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

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Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) is the building block of life because it contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms - it is often called a blueprint or map. Only four bases comprise every conceivable combination of DNA pairings. The four bases found in DNA are adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T) with each type of base on one strand forming a bond with just one type of base on the other strand. This is called complementary base pairing.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

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Genetic modification is a special set of technologies that alter the genetic makeup of such living organisms as animals, plants, or bacteria by combining genes from different organisms and is known as recombinant DNA technology. The result is an organism that is said to be “genetically modified,” “genetically engineered,” or “transgenic.” With recombinant DNA technology, DNA molecules from different sources are combined in vitro into one molecule to create a new gene. This DNA is then transferred into an organism and causes the expression of modified or novel traits

Tinkering with the DNA of seeds - those packets of DNA producing our food supply - has become big business in agriculture. Companies such as Syngenta and Monsanto have been involved for decades in experimenting with modifying the DNA of crops such as corn, soybeans, and rice. Once modification has taken place, the company slaps a patent on the seed and owns the rights to market the seed.

Just how important is ownership of technology processes as well as seed patents? The two Goliaths of agribusiness went toe-to-toe in a battle over the rights to Agrobacterium technology. The following is an excerpt from a report on that case:

On February 23, 2004, Syngenta International AG (Basel, Switzerland) and Monsanto Company (St. Louis, Missouri) announced an agreement in which the companies cross-license proprietary Agrobacterium-mediated transformation technology. The agreement resolved a patent interference proceeding in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) involving transgenic broad leaf crops.

The Monsanto-Syngenta deal also resolved a lawsuit that had been pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. Syngenta had filed the case in 2002, alleging that Monsanto and Delta and Pine Land infringed U.S. Patent No. 6,051,757, which covers methods of transferring genes into dicotyledonous plants using Agrobacterium-based vectors. On the day that the companies announced their new agreement, the Delaware district court dismissed the patent infringement case.

Monsanto continues to build its store of Agrobacterium-related patent rights. In October, the company announced the PTO’s decision that Monsanto’s scientists had invented Agrobacterium transformation methods in dicot plants before the Max Planck Institute and other parties. The decision ended a 12-year patent interference dispute.

The Human Genome Project Information website provides a list of both benefits and controversies:

Benefits

• Crops
  • Enhanced taste and quality
  • Reduced maturation time
  • Increased nutrients, yields, and stress tolerance
  • Improved resistance to disease, pests, and herbicides
  • New products and growing techniques
• Animals
  • Increased resistance, productivity, hardiness, and feed efficiency
  • Better yields of meat, eggs, and milk
  • Improved animal health and diagnostic methods
• Environment
  • “Friendly” bioherbicides and bioinsecticides
  • Conservation of soil, water, and energy
  • Bioprocessing for forestry products
  • Better natural waste management
  • More efficient processing
• Society
  • Increased food security for growing populations

Controversies

• Safety
  • Potential human health impact: allergens, transfer of antibiotic resistance markers, unknown effects Potential environmental impact: unintended transfer of transgenes through cross-pollination, unknown effects on other organisms (e.g., soil microbes), and loss of flora and fauna biodiversity
• Access and Intellectual Property
  • Domination of world food production by a few companies
  • Increasing dependence on Industralized nations by developing countries
  • Biopiracy—foreign exploitation of natural resources
• Ethics
  • Violation of natural organisms’ intrinsic values
  • Tampering with nature by mixing genes among species
  • Objections to consuming animal genes in plants and vice versa
  • Stress for animal
• Labeling
  • Not mandatory in some countries (e.g., United States)
  • Mixing GM crops with non-GM confounds labeling attempts
• Society
  • New advances may be skewed to interests of rich countries

GMOs have set off a debate as to health, safety, ethics, etc., but, it is the last concern listed that should set off an alarm to all citizens in all countries. While we were not paying much attention, the multinational agribusiness corporations have been establishing patent after patent for GMOs. They are exploiting third world nations by using them as experimental stations.

As noted in the short excerpt about Monsanto and Syngenta, the companies are building storehouses of patents - patents that control the creation and distribution of seeds.

He who controls the food supply controls the world. And, it looks like it will be the Goliaths of agribusiness, not the fast-disappearing Davids of the agriculture world.

SKILLMAN TO LEAD MORE JOBS OUT OF INDIANA

Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman - aka Outsourcing Annie - will lead a 26-member delegation of Indiana food and agribusiness leaders to Mexico. Indiana Agriculture Director Andy Miller will join the traveling party. The group will visit a pork processing plant and the largest dairy operation in Latin America as well as meet with representatives from grain and biotechnology industries.

See a trend here - anyone? Anyone? Daniels and Skillman unleashed the Possibilities Unbound Plan in 2005 which triggered the filing and approval of hundreds of CAFO permits to operate confined operations to meet the goal of doubling hog production within a few years. The visits to the pork processing plant operation will no doubt be to work out agreements for processing the pork product or to open the possibility to contract for raising hogs in Mexico. But why would outsourcing processing even be needed?

Wasn’t one of the Guv’s goals in doubling pork production to increase economic benefit to Indiana? The next excuse we will hear from the Guv and Skillman is that we just don’t have the capacity to handle all the processing.

In addition to outsourcing possibilities visiting pork and dairy locations, one of the foremost topics appears to be “rural development.” This is code for “rural exploitation” of Mexican agricultural areas; obviously we are not discussing rural development here in Indiana. Much of the country is too arid or too mountainous for crops or grazing, and it is estimated that no more than one-fifth of the land is potentially arable. However, Mexico’s burgeoning population has made it a net importer of grains.

Add to this mix the fact that NAFTA, which was implemented 14 years ago, required the lifting of tariffs on corn and beans by early 2008, and it looks like the Guv and Skillman will be some of the first to exploit the elimination of the tariffs by shipping Indiana grain to Mexico.

Again, more exploitation of the Mexican people and land. Note that Emily Otto-Tice of the Indiana Soybean Alliance and Corn Alliance is one of the 26-members making the trip.

Photo Credit: Photovault.com

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With much of the land too arid or too mountainous for grazing, it also raises the prospect that Mexico would be an excellent experiment in building and running CAFOs since CAFOs do not require a large number of acres to operate. Build CAFOs in Mexico, ship Indiana grain to Mexico to supply the necessary feed, and ship the finished product to the growing middle classes in countries such as China. With states and local communities becoming ever more wary of the environmental dangers of CAFOs, why not use Mexico with its less stringent environmental standards.

Skillman has previously led separate missions to Taiwan and Vietnam and to Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama. All countries which produce all those lovely, cheap products competing for the American consumers’ attention. So, while Indiana’s economy is not faring so well and the United States appears headed into a recession, the Guv sends his right-hand woman on another field trip with 26 cohorts at the expense of the taxpayers.

The following are those individuals who owe us thanks for their memories in Mexico since I assume the Hoosier taxpayer is again paying for the privilege of losing jobs. I have underlined and bolded those names connected with agriculture. Notice that two areas are predominantly represented: grains and pork. Connect the dots: Mexican rural development - exporting crops and outsourcing meat production and processing.

• Lt. Governor Becky Skillman
• Andy Miller, Director, Indiana State Department of Agriculture
• Juana Watson, Senior Advisor to the Governor on Hispanic Affairs
• Steve Akard, Director of International Development, Indiana Economic Development Corporation
• Angela Coats, Press Secretary, Office of the Lt. Governor
• Bart Lomont, Special Assistant to the Lt. Governor of Indiana
• Matt Harrod, Assistant Director of Policy and Research, Indiana State Department of Agriculture
• Lesley Taulman, International Trade Program Manager, Indiana State Department of Agriculture
• Dale Whittaker, Associate Dean for Academic Program, Purdue University College of Agriculture
• Guillermo Vasquez de Velasco, Dean, College of Architecture and Planning, Ball State University
• Susan Sutton, Associate Vice Chancellor of International Affairs and Chancellor’s Professor of Anthropology, IUPUI
• Dr. David A. Bathe, Chancellor, Ivy Tech Lafayette
• Don Villwock, President, Indiana Farm Bureau
• Mike Platt, State Executive Indiana Pork Producers Association
• Terry Vanlaningham, Indiana Pork
• Emily Otto-Tice, Director of Grain Marketing, Indiana Soybean Alliance and Indiana Corn
• Fayte Brewer, Indiana Grain Producer
• Jim Eichhorst, Manager, State Government Relations, Midwest Region, Biotechnology Industry Organization
• Ted McKinney, Leader, U.S. Food Chain and States Affairs, Dow AgroSciences
• Andres Felix, Legal and Government Affairs Lead, Latin and North America, Monsanto
• Angel Saavedra, Regulatory and Government Affairs Manager, Dow AgroSciences, Mexico
• Mike Murphy, President, Murphy Partners, LLC
• Beth Bechdol, Director of Agribusiness Strategies, Ice Miller LLP
• Terry Anker, Chairman, The Anker Consulting Group
• Steve Churchill, President and CEO, PreferredPartners

SPRAWLING INTO OUR FARMLANDS

Americans are getting greedier and greedier when it comes to the size of their properties. Over the past 20 years, the acreage per person for new subdivision housing almost doubled; since 1994, 10+ acre housing lots have accounted for 55 percent of the land developed. And where is the land coming from? From our agricultural areas. Farm and ranch land is desirable for building because it tends to be flat, well drained, and affordable with our best agricultural soils being developed the fastest.

Urban sprawl is devouring farmland at the rate of 2 acres per minute, 24 hours a day. Urban-influenced areas are in the path of our food production with 86% of our fruits and vegetables and 63% of our dairy products produced in urban-influenced areas. From 1982-1997, U.S. population grew by 17 percent, while urbanized land grew by 47 percent. It has to stop.

 

 

 

In Allen County, the proposed “Conceptual Development Map” - build out - is shown below. The Map reveals a major flaw in subdivision control. Once an interstate or a bypass has been built, the impetus is to build out to that ring. And, the new ordinances do nothing to control formal subdivision expansions.

However, much to their credit, the Allen County Commissioners recently approved changes in the county’s land use ordinances - as well they should. The new ordinances, which go into effect in February 2008, limit the ability of a landowner to sell property from a “root” parcel to just one split per year. The new ordinances are meant to mesh with Plan-It Allen, the new county wide comprehensive plan that is only advisory in nature and which was approved earlier this year.

The new ordinances do not stop the process of formal platting and review for housing developments or commercial property; they are meant to control those sell-offs from individuals who are selling a piece at a time. During a 10-year span, about 18,000 acres in Allen County were sold or divided without any review or formal platting. During that same period, 8,200 acres were put through a formal plat process that included staff review and board approval. Total consumption of land - 26,200 acres.

The new ordinances are a start, but they do not slow down the rampant development of housing subdivision developments and commercial developments. That would take real guts - taking on the real estate profession, the developers, and the contractors who profit from the continued sprawl into Allen County farmlands. Let’s hope that the Commissioners will wake up and see the necessity of controlling those forms of development as well as the smaller sell offs.

A WIDENING WAISTBAND - TROPICAL BELT EXPANDS

Earth’s Tropical Belt

The “belt” that circles the Earth at the equator is widening. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association - better known as NOAA - the Earth’s girdle is widening between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

As the planet has warmed, the belt has widened over the past quarter century. Independent teams of scientists found that the tropical atmospheric belt had grown between 2-4.8 degrees since 1979 - that translates into a total expansion range north and south of between 140 to 330 miles.

The widening could change precipitation patterns which would then affect ecosystems, agriculture, and water resources. The findings have been published in the first edition of the new publication Nature Geoscience.

 

Courtesy of Google Images

 

 

One key determination of the tropical belt is called the Hadley circulation, which is essentially prevailing “rivers” of wind that move vertically as well as horizontally. These winds carry moisture to rainy areas while drying out arid regions on the edges of the tropics, for example, the desert southwest in the United States.

 

Image imported from Wikipedia

While scientists have predicted for some time now that the belt would widen by the end of the 21st century due to global warming, the larger than expected increase has them puzzled. The primary concern is not that tropical environments such as jungles are expanding but that the area of desertification is growing.

My question is this - how many occurrences such as melting icecaps, rising sea levels, increased desertification, expanding belts, warming soil temperatures, unusual weather patterns, etc. will it take before those who deny global warming is occurring will change their minds.

What I really find ironic is that we humans constantly think we can control the environment in which we live. And, we have done so with many important inventions and improvements. Yet, when it comes to the impact of human actions on our planet, we won’t and don’t accept responsibility for our actions.

The “ostriches” continue to bury their heads in the ground and reject the notion that our actions are hurting our global home. Let’s hope they come up for air before it is too late.

THE SCHUHLER CAFO IN YOUR BACKYARD

If you consider yourself a citizen of Indiana and, in this case, Allen County, in particular, then you should be concerned about the construction of Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) opening right here in our backyard. Sometimes called Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, they are one and the same thing. While I do not want to see anyone put out of business or stopped from making a living, I do believe these industrial-sized operations present a number of environmental issues that deserve - strike that - mandate that the public be considered in the equation and be allowed input.

On October 29, 2007, Robert Schuhler’s paperwork was received by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). His application is for a General National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit Notice of Intent (NOI), Construction Notice of Intent (CNOI), and supporting documentation for a modification of an existing confined feeding operation (CFO).

The current feeding operation consists of four buildings housing 500-head nursery pigs, 364-head grow-to-finish pigs, and 324- head sows. The modification Mr. Schuhler has requested will result in two wean-to-finish buildings, each housing 4,400-head wean-to-finish pigs. In addition, Mr. Schuhler will maintain the 500-head nursery building and the 400-head wean-to-finish pig building. The total animal community population - 9,700 animals. That’s up quite significantly from the original numbers.

The above map was prepared using Google Earth, a program I use quite often to see where any number of features are located. The location of the two new buildings is represented by the yellow pins. These were placed based on a map contained in the packet sent to me by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. According to the location in the map, the two buildings are within 100′ of the Snyder Drainage ditch - a ditch that ultimately empties into the St. Marys River.

What is interesting is that in Mr. Schuhler’s application the statement is made on page 2 that “Based on a review of information provided through the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Indiana Geological Survey, the proposed building site is not located in a floodplain…..”

According to an individual I spoke to at the Allen County Planning Department, the area is either located in a floodplain or pretty darn close to one. When a GIS map is constructed of the location, the area sits touching the floodplain. But why quibble about a few feet? Obviously this won’t be enough to stop the construction from going forward.

Above is a picture I took recently which shows a branch off the Snyder Drainage ditch - probably a drain tile of some sort. At the far end of the road is the Schuhler residence. The road curves to the right and leads to a dead end with other farm buildings located farther to the right behind the wooded area. The location is visible in the above Google picture.

Although not accessible to the public, driving straight back from the road in the picture will lead to the location of the two new buildings.

The Snyder Drainage ditch is located on private property in this area, so I was unable to get back to a location and take a picture of the ditch.

To the right side of the roadway are several homes built back into the wooded area. While the neighbors had to be notified by law, I doubt that many of them understand the nature of industrial factory farms and the potential environmental hazards associated with them.

The estimated amount, in gallons, of total manure, litter, and process wastewater that will be produced in one year from the Schuhler CAFO is 4,099,943 gallons. A gallon weighs approximately 8 pounds. Do the math - that means multiplying 4,099,943 liquid gallons by 8 = 32,799,544 pounds of waste per year that will be generated. No wonder the method is to use gallons instead of pounds. The calculation lowers the waste number drastically.

The method of disposal of all this waste will be by injection into the ground on acreage located in Allen County and Wells County. Some of the waste could be applied by the surface method as well.

I have provided the two-page introduction portion of the application so that those interested can read the basics of the newest factory farm coming to Allen County. This is public information available from IDEM; however, a request has to be made to obtain packets with all the materials filed.

Second page

Obviously, this issue concerns me or I wouldn’t be spending so much time and energy in dealing with it. But the issue is not one of us against them - it is much broader. The issues involved in Confined Animal Feeding Operations impact more than just the operator of the facilities; they impact soil quality, water quality, and air quality. These are environmental concerns of the greatest magnitude.

It is high time the public demanded a forum so that our elected officials understand the seriousness of the issue. The CAFO operators are not the only ones who have rights; we are entitled to a clean and safe environment. If that means imposing increased restrictions on CAFOs or even imposing a moratorium on them, then so be it.

The current pace of approving applications will not slow down. The CAFOs will continue to be approved as long as there is very little scrutiny of the process from the public. Last year, our legislature failed to pass any of three bills that were introduced to deal with CAFOs. Why? I have no clue. Our legislators are sent to Indianapolis to pass laws to protect us, as citizens, and the environment in which we live.

This year make sure your legislator knows you want legislation passed. Or we will continue to see CAFOs in our backyards with little public input or local zoning requirements. A clean and safe environment is good for our health; an environment fouled by millions and millions of pounds of waste produced by increasing numbers of CAFOs is not.

NORTH CAROLINA CORPORATION INVADES INDIANA TO CONSTRUCT CAFOs

Randolph and Jay Counties have led the state’s expansion in adding swine last year to the area. Randolph County received permits to add 126,866 animals and Jay County received permits to add 47,800 animals. That trend is continuing based on Indiana Department of Environmental Management permit requests and approvals. What a shocker there!

IDEM is making sure that Daniels and Skillman reach their objective of doubling Indiana’s pork production in the next few years. The heck with the environment that is impacted by these industrial-sized factory farms, and the heck with IDEM’s obligation to protect our environment.

The CAFO free-for-all was triggered back in 2005 when Daniels and Skillman released their “Possibilities Unbound” plan which included the goal of doubling pork production for export. Assisting in Daniels’ and Skillman’s plans, just coincidentally, was the relaxation of time frames by the Indiana Department of Environmental Managment. Concurrently with the Possibilities Unbound plan, IDEM passed a regulation which gave CAFO operators, present and future, three additional years to formulate and submit their waste management plans.

Thus, from only 7 permit requests filed from January 1, 2003, up to January 1, 2006, the number of permits filed in 2006 alone jumped to 198 permits. Only 7 of those were withdrawn. Almost all - 77% or 144 - were approved by the end of the year. That means 144 factory farms added to the Indiana landscape.

But it isn’t enough that in-state operators are increasing at an alarming rate. Out-of-state corporations are also invading Indiana to set up CAFOs. And, why not? Indiana has very few, if any, restrictions on CAFOs at the state level or at the county levels. Last year, even though three different CAFO bills were introduced to address regulation, our Indiana legislators couldn’t agree on passage of any of them. Obviously, they didn’t think it was a major problem, and, why worry, there’s always another year to deal with it. Right?

North Carolina wised up and instituted a moratorium on the expansion of the hog industry. The state went from 2.6 million hogs in 1988 to almost 10 million today. North Carolina saw the issue of the mind-boggling amount of waste produced as a hazard that pollutes the water, air, and soil and endangers the public health.

Since North Carolina hog producers were stymied by North Carolina’s moratorium, they just decided to look around to see where they could plop down their industrial factory farms. And, you guessed it, what better place than Indiana with little or no restrictions, a governor and lieutenant governor who choose to ignore the environmental damage that can be done in their relentless pursuit of bringing Indiana into their vision of the “future”, and a legislature that bickers about the issue while more and more CAFOs spring up.

One North Carolina corporation is Maxwell Foods, Inc. of Goldsboro, North Carolina. It has plans for growth in Indiana by building three sow facilities in Randolph County. Each facility will hold 5,842 adult breeding females - that is a total of 17,526 breeding sows. Permits are already in hand to proceed with the three farms. In addition to the sow facilities, Maxwell was also issued permits for three nursery pig farms each holding 19,200 head - that is 57,600 nursery pigs.

Natural Pork Production ll (NPP II), an Iowa-based corporation, bought a sow farm in Indiana from a Crawfordsville operation which had a record number of manure spills and fish kills resulting in the loss of the producer’s permit and the eventual sale of the operation to NPP II - bet they got a good deal out of that. The company also has plans to obtain even more facilities in Indiana.

In-state and out-of-state operations are rapidly turning Indiana into one big industrial farm lot. Unless the legislature and the counties are forced to get off dead center by citizens, we will continue to be the refuge for those operations which can no longer operate in their home states. We will also continue to see an alarming increase in these operations scurrying to get their permit approvals before legislation can be passed to regulate them.

RANDOLPH COUNTY COULD ZONE 220,000 ACRES FOR CAFOs

Even though dozens of residents oppose the proposed ordinance, Randolph County commissioners do not care. The County Commissioners are on the way to adopting an ordinance proposed by the Area Planning Commission that would create a new intensive agricultural district covering about 220,000 acres of Randolph County.

Randolph County contains 289,813 acres, which means 75.9% of the county would be zoned for the industrial farms and 24.1% would be zoned residential only. The ordinance provides a buffer of one mile between CAFOs and cities and towns in Randolph County as well as a buffer of half a mile between CAFOs and residents of unincorporated communities, subdivisions, and heavily populated highways. That means more than 18,000 of the county’s 26,581 people would live within a half mile or a mile of a CAFO. That is not a great distance when looking at the smell, the transmission of dust and dirt through the air, and the potential pollution of land and rivers.

The map below is of Indiana and its major rivers. The increasing number of CAFOs will ultimately impact water quality all over the state.

The rush to date to construct CAFOs has been in the east central region of Indiana - just to the south of Allen County. Wells County now has 10 CAFOs, and Allen County is about to get its third CAFO. This issue is not going away, and, if you, as citizens of Allen County and of the State of Indiana, are concerned, then contact your county commissioners immediately to express your concerns.

PIG PURGATORY

My title to my first, long ago posts on CAFOs was “Hog Heaven or Pig Purgatory?” I always thought it should be pig purgatory, and I now no longer have any doubts. This short post is about zoning and the lack thereof in reference to CAFOs.

I took the following steps to gather information about the newest CAFO in southern Allen County:

1. Contacted Thomas Park, IDEM, to request a copy of the application and manure distribution plan
2. Contacted the Allen County Department of Planning and spoke to two individuals
3. Contacted the Wells County Plan Commission (the manure is being distributed on Wells County land)

I found out a number of interesting and disturbing things. If the application meets with IDEM standards, then it will be approved. Unless counties have taken the initiative to pass a zoning ordinance specific to CAFO issues, they have little option other than to stand by while IDEM continues its plopping down of these environmental hazards in rural Indiana.

Allen County is one of those counties which has no ordinance specific to CAFOs. Although the county has a new plan called “Plan-It Allen”, it is only a suggested plan and is not law. Therefore, anything contained in the plan is merely what the proponents would like to see. The Plan states that it “provides a framework for future decision making” and that it is “advisory in nature”. IT DOES NOT HAVE THE FORCE OF LAW.

What does have the force of law are the 1960s antiquated Allen County land zoning ordinances which do not take into account the agricultural phenomenon of CAFOs which have been sprung upon the state by Daniels and Skillman. The below is from the County’s website:

THE ALLEN COUNTY, INDIANA,
ZONING ORDINANCE
ALLEN COUNTY CODE - TITLE 3
An Ordinance to limit, regulate, and restricts the development of the jurisdictional
area of the Allen County, Indiana Plan Commission by:
(1) Dividing said jurisdictional area into districts or zones which limit, regulate,
and restrict the location, height, bulk and size of buildings and other structures,
building lines, minimum frontages, depth and areas of lots, and percentages
of lots which may be occupied; the size of yards, courts, and other
open spaces; the erection of temporary stands and structures; the density and
distribution of population; the use of land, buildings, structures and premises
for trade, industry, residence, recreation, agricultural, public activities, and
other purposes;
(2) Showing said division of the jurisdictional area on a set of maps, adopted as
part of this Ordinance and entitled: “Zoning Map of the Allen County Indiana
Plan Commission’s Jurisdictional Area” dated February 2, 1960;
(3) Providing for the administration of this Ordinance, for fees for services in
connection therewith, and for the enforcement of these regulations;
Now be it ordained by the Board of Commissioners of the County of Allen,
Indiana, under authority of Chapter 174, Acts of 1947, General Assembly of
the State of Indiana, and all acts amendatory thereto.

Although Allen County has not yet seen the explosive growth occurring in other counties, it may very well be coming. With no regulations to stop these factory farms and minimal notice requirements, look for CAFOs to begin to pop up in our rural areas.

Wells County - to the south of Allen County - is now home to 10 CAFOs. The individual I spoke to stated that counties have not been able to keep up - in other words to act fast enough to put restrictions in place. A CAFO can be approved in 30-45 days, a time period that is not amenable to holding public hearings and gathering input from the public.

What is really disturbing is that no public input is required for these factory farms - none, nada, zip. As I mentioned earlier, if the application is in order, the state will approve it without a second glance, and the affected county will have little recourse but to stand by and watch if the land bears the proper zoning classification.

The exclusion of public input is unacceptable. The public has every right to be involved in the process of CAFO permitting since the effects of CAFOs impact not only the particular CAFO owner and his or her environment but also the public through contamination of ground water reservoirs and surface water supplies such as our rivers.

I was instructed to contact Bill Brown, a county commissioner, to express my concerns about the issue of CAFOs and inadequate regulations. If anyone out there is as concerned as I am about the issue, please contact Mr. Brown to let him know your thoughts. The plan commission is charged with overseeing zoning regulations and use regulations. I intend to contact Mr. Brown this coming week. Action needs to be taken before Allen County becomes one large factory farm - and becomes just another link in the Daniels experiment of exploitation.

Next post - coming to your town - the Schuhler CAFO.

MORE CAFO CONCERNS

Indiana is experiencing significant growth in the animal agriculture sector, much of it in the form of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), and many Indiana citizens are concerned about the impact that these new farms might have on their communities.

 

 

 

The above picture is of the Whitetail Hog Facility in Missouri. Although this is not an Indiana site, CAFOs vary little in their construction and operation from state to state.

I recently posted an article about a new CAFO coming to southern Allen County in the near future. Barring some unexpected obstacles, it will slide through without much attention paid to its impact in rural Allen County or its potential impact on Fort Wayne.

Residents of Fort Wayne should be concerned because the manure that is sprayed or injected into our soils eventually finds its way to our rivers and our underground drinking sources such as aquifers. An interesting article titled “Migration of Antibiotic Resistance from Animal Feeding Operations into Groundwater“ was published in August by News-Medical.net. A few snippets from the article are below:

In a new study, researchers at the University of Illinois report that some genes found in hog waste lagoons are transferred like batons from one bacterial species to another. The researchers found that this migration across species and into new environments sometimes dilutes and sometimes amplifies genes conferring antibiotic resistance.

Tetracycline is widely used in swine production. It is injected into the animals to treat or prevent disease, and is often used as an additive in hog feed to boost the animals growth. Its near-continuous use in some hog farms promotes the evolution of tetracycline-resistant strains in the animals digestive tracts and manure.

The migration of antibiotic resistance from animal feeding operations into groundwater has broad implications for human and ecological health. There are roughly 238,000 animal feeding operations in the U.S., which collectively generate about 500 million tons of manure per year. Groundwater comprises about 40 percent of the public water supply, and more than 97 percent of the drinking water used in rural areas.

Purdue University has established a website specifically to address CAFO concerns. Purdue has brought together a wide range of experts to address and research different concerns surrounding CAFOs. The goal is to afford consumers, producers, and community leaders the ability to make well-informed decisions regarding issues that may coincide with the expansion of animal agriculture in Indiana.

After posting the Public Notice in reference to the Schuhler CAFO, I called the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and spoke with Thomas Park, the individual listed in the notice. Although Mr. Park was cordial, he seemed irritated that I wanted a copy of the materials filed. He stated a couple of times that he probably could answer my questions. I stated that I did not think so and asked that I be sent the materials. He then took my address and indicated he would send a copy of the application.

The notice was published on November 6th but was received a week earlier on October 29th. I believe the comment period is 30 days, so that means that one week is gone before the public even has any inkling that a permit request has been filed.

I also called the Allen County Department of Planning Services and was directed to Mark Royse, Deputy Director for Economic Development. I explained the issue and asked about the role of his office in the oversight of such operations. Mr. Royse said he would “walk down the hall” and find out and would call me right back. I didn’t receive a return call. I realize it was 3:00 p.m. on a Friday afternoon, and many workers are already wrapping up and getting ready to head home for the weekend. I will give him the benefit of the doubt. If I don’t hear from him Monday, I will give a call again.

I will post a summary on my blog after I receive the materials from IDEM. Meanwhile, to those concerned about this issue, check out the Purdue site and do some research into the effects of waste such as manure. Governor Daniels and his CAFO supporters refer to those of us who are concerned about these factory farms as not wanting to move into the future and living in the past. We are said to want to hold Indiana “back.”

Sorry, Gov, those allegations don’t work. This is an environmental issue of the greatest importance impacting one of our most precious resources - the water we need to survive.

ANOTHER CAFO A COMIN’ - TO ALLEN COUNTY THAT IS

If you have followed my blog from its inception this past January, then you all know my intense dislike of these entities. They are simply large buildings which contain thousands of animals crammed into the spaces. The animals do not see the light of day - unless you count the windows (if there are any). The animals are fed hormones and antibiotics in addition to their daily ration of feed.

Well, get ready, another one is coming to Allen County. That makes a total of three to date if I have kept accurate account. Three may not sound like a lot of CAFOs, but Mr. Schuhler is increasing his “pig purgatory” from 900 pigs to close to 10,000 hogs. Each hog as it nears finishing weight is capable of producing close to 15 pounds of manure a day. Do the math - that is 15 x 9200 - not counting the 500 nursery pigs - or 138,000 pounds of manure a day - 50,370,00 pounds a year. Fifty million plus pounds of manure a year. Think about it, and,

IT HAS TO GO SOMEWHERE, FOLKS.

The Google image following the public notice shows that the facility is located in southern Allen County southeast of the airport. What should be of major concern to the citizens of Allen County is its location near Snyder Ditch.

Liquid manure is stored beneath these giant confinement cages and is then hauled out to fields to be distributed onto the fields by a flying spray from a quaintly named vehicle - a honey wagon. The proximity of some of the fields next to the ditch means that runoff will occur into the waters of the ditch and, ultimately, into one of our larger river resources - the St. Marys River as it flows through southeastern Allen County. The St. Marys already has a higher than acceptable level of e. coli, and adding more to the river will further increase that level.

I would urge any concerned citizens to start contacting IDEM to express your concerns about the CAFO.

What irritates me in addition to CAFOs themselves is the idea that in order to view this document one has to make an “appointment” at IDEM in Indianapolis to see the plan proposed by Mr. Schuhler. I will be contacting IDEM to see if the document will be available here at an Allen County office for viewing. I will also be calling on the zoning board and the plan commission to see if they have a role in this environmental hazard.

PUBLIC NOTICE
INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Eligibility for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System General Permit
Name and Address of Applicant:
Robert Schuhler, Owner Farm ID# 4942
Schuhler Farms
732 East - Hamilton Road
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46819
Location of Facility Applying for Permit:
Near the Junction of Hamilton Road and Conners Road, at approximately 732 East - Hamilton Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46819, in Section 25, Township 29 North, Range 12 East, in Allen County.

Background and Applicable Regulations
The above-named applicant operates an existing/IDEM approved confined feeding operation with two (2) buildings housing 500 nursery-pigs and 400 wean-to-finish hogs.

The above-named applicant proposes to construct two (2) 4,400 head capacity wean-to-finish swine confinement buildings. All buildings will possess a self contained concrete pit beneath slatted floors for the storage of liquid manure. The total capacity of this swine confinement operation will be 500 nursery-pigs and 9,200 finishing hogs. The applicant has submitted an application and a Notice of Intent (NOI) for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) general permit to comply with IC 13-18-10 and 327 IAC 15-15.

Public Review and Comment
This application is available for review in the Office of Land Quality, 100 North Senate Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana, Monday through Friday, excluding official holidays, between the hours of 8:15 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. E.S.T. Please contact the Public File Room Clerk at (317) 234-0111 to schedule an appointment. An IDEM staff person is available to discuss the contents of the application with any interested party, either by telephone at (317) 234-1623, (800) 451-6027, extension 4-1623, or a visit to the office.
Written statements regarding the eligibility of the facility to operate under the general NPDES CAFO rule (327 IAC 15-15) may be submitted to IDEM.
Comments should be addressed to IDEM (address below):

INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Thomas F. Park, Jr.,Ph.D.
Solid Waste Permits Section
Office of Land Quality
100 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
11–6 604165

The following image from Google shows the location of the proposed CAFO.

If you would like to take a Sunday drive, by all means, drive out to view the site of the newest Allen County pig purgatory. And, as you do so, you can thank Daniels and Skillman for this newest blight on our environment. They were the proponents of the “Possibilities Unbound” which established a goal of doubling pork production within the next several years. Looks like Allen County is a part of their plan, and, if we don’t want these operations in our backyard, then we better start doing something. If Daniels and Skillman have their way, these are a wave of the future and a disastrous wave at that.