by David Nuttle

Created on: September 21, 2008

In general terms, "factory" farming is based on optimization of profits at the expense of producing less healthful foods, while wasting resources, and causing significant damage to our environment. As regards crop production, using factory farming methods, the assorted pesticides/chemicals used contaminate foods. Chemical fertilizers are also used to increase crop yields, but the chemical fertilzers "kill" most soil microbial activity needed to provide many important nutrients in food crops grown. Livestock and poultry, produced on factory farms, are typically reared under crowded and unhealthful conditions. As a result, these livestock and poultry are given antibiotics, hormones, steroids, heavy metals, and assorted chemicals to keep them healthful (while "speeding" their production rates). Many of these additives are sold as part of the factory foods we buy, and these extras are often harmful to health. Confined animal feeding systems, used by factory farms, result in massive excess nutrient pollution of our water supplies. Concentrated livestock and poultry manure results in offensive odors, and pollution of our air with ammonia and manure dust.

Factory farms and giant food companies have damaged our political environment. These wealthy, and politically powerful special interest have employed hundreds of lobbyists, and paid millions of dollars in "political payola" (large, sustained campaign contributions) to effectively influence legislation in the U.S. Congress. The focus of such political manipulation has been to dramatically reduce support for organic agriculture and the small farmers who are the usual producers of organic foods. Factory farms know that organic foods are more healthful, so they want to keep organic foods in short supply so the prices will stay very high. In brief, the factory farms seek to force people to buy their non-organic foods because they can be produced with much greater profits. These special interests, the factory farms and giant food companies, seldom have any real concern about producing and selling more healthful foods when they would lower profits by doing so.

In the terms of our total environment, my stomach and your stomach are parts of a unique environment, as related to human health. When confined livestock and poultry systems add excess nutrients to our water supplies, nutrient contamination of our drinking water is a possibility. Moreover, water with excess nutrients is more likely to produce harmful bacterium, viruses,

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