Since factory farms confine thousands (or hundreds of thousands) of animals on small plots of land, they produce tremendous quantities of manure – in fact, many of these operations generate as much urine and feces as mid-sized cities. But unlike cities, which thoroughly process human waste at modern sewage treatment facilities, factory farms simply dump manure into uncovered manure lagoons, wait for some of it to decompose and/or evaporate, and eventually apply the remaining sludge to surrounding fields.
Given the vast quantity of manure and the relatively small amount of surrounding crop land, waste is typically overapplied to fields, which ultimately causes ground and surface water to become polluted with a host of hazardous contaminants that damage the natural environment and threaten public health.
View photos in SRA Project’s Waste From Factory Farms photo collection.
Featured
A Short Analysis Of: Manure Management for Water Quality: Costs to Animal Feeding Operations of Applying Manure Nutrients to Land
Weida’s critique of the USDA study on the costs of manure spreading under the new EPA requirements. He explains how it validates CAFO critics’ contention that these operations shift their costs to the surrounding area. (Dr. William Weida, June 25, 2003.)
USDA Agricultural Waste Management Field Handbook
The Department of Agriculture’s official guide to complying with environmental regulations concerning animal waste. Provides specific information regarding waste management system requirements. Find the daily amount of manure generated by various types of livestock in Chapter 4: Agricultural Waste Characteristics. (USDA.)
General Resources
Animal Waste from Factory Farms – US National Map
Summaries of animal waste production by state and county. (Environmental Defense Fund.)
Animal Waste Lagoon Factsheet
Factsheet based on a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Clean Water Network demonstrating the serious public health and environmental threats caused by animal waste storage and disposal at large-scale hog, dairy, and egg facilities. (Based on the report by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Clean Water Network.)
Animal Waste Management and the Environment: Background for Current Issues
Background report describing the livestock production industry today, along with public health and environmental concerns related to the industry. Summarizes policies and programs of the USDA, EPA, etc. (Congressional Research Service Report by Claudia Copeland and Jeffrey Zinn, May 12, 1998.)
Carbonating Cow Manure, The Latest Strategy in Fighting E. coli and other Microbes
The USDA has been looking for a practical and inexpensive method for treating dairy cattle manure to decrease E. coli and other potential pathogens. (Agricultural Research Service, USDA, February 9, 2000.)
Confined Animal and Manure Nutrient Data System
Provides state and national data about confined animal numbers and associated manure nutrients.
Dairy Waste Management
A pictorial review of dairy manure management practices – do’s and don’ts. Readers should note that improper manure management is much more common on factory farms than the responsible management practices described on this site. (US EPA.)
The Izaak Walton League’s Fish Kill Advisory Network (FKAN)
The FKAN maintains a searchable database of fish kills and manure spills in the Upper Mississippi River Basin states (IL, IA, MN, MO, and WI). All records in the database have been verified by state agencies, and have been compiled on a map of fish kills and manure spills in the region.
A Load of Manure
At first glance, manure digesters may sound like a good solution for manure on factory farms. This op-ed describes what they are, how they work, and why they are a bad idea. (NYT, Mar. 4, 2006.)
Managing Manure: New Clean Water Act Regulations Create Imperative for Livestock Producers
USDA article that discusses the fact that factory farms are major sources of nutrient pollution, and emphasizes the importance of the new CAFO Rule for environmental protection. (Amber Waves, USDA, February 2003.)
Manure Digester Study: Is it worth the cost?
A study from the University of Minnesota examines the question of whether there can be profits from manure power. Without government subsidies and loans, it looks like manure digesters are a financial loser.
Sewage Sludge
Produced by EJnet.org, this site contains a compilation of resources and articles that describe the hazards posed by sewage sludge, disposal of sewage sludge, and agricultural use of sludge as fertilizer. The site focuses on the environmental injustices created by mismanagement of sewage sludge.
State by State Survey on Waste and Manure Management
Compiled by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture in 2001, this chart provides an overview of factory farm waste management rules for every US state. Subjects addressed include zoning requirements, lagoon management, frequency of state inspections, groundwater management requirements, and other environmental regulations related to CAFOs. (National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, June 2001.)
Swine Odor and Waste Management
Part of the Illinois Council of Food and Agricultural Research’s Strategic Research Initiatives. (University of Illinois.)
Understanding Alternative Technologies for Animal Waste Treatment
Published by the Waterkeeper Alliance, this document provides a detailed overview of various manure-management technologies utilized by factory farms. The report describes how these waste-management techniques function, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each technology.
USDA Agricultural Waste Management Field Handbook
The Department of Agriculture’s official guide to complying with environmental regulations concerning animal waste. Provides specific information regarding waste management system requirements. Find the daily amount of manure generated by various types of livestock in Chapter 4: Agricultural Waste Characteristics. (USDA.)
Reports
A Short Analysis Of: Manure Management for Water Quality: Costs to Animal Feeding Operations of Applying Manure Nutrients to Land
Weida’s critique of the USDA study on the costs of manure spreading under the new EPA requirements. He explains how it validates CAFO critics’ contention that these operations shift their costs to the surrounding area. (Dr. William Weida, June 25, 2003.)
America’s Animal Factories : How states fail to prevent Pollution from livestock waste
This report describes the environmental and human health impacts of factory farms. Includes profiles of the status of key factory farming states. (Natural Resources Defense Council, December 1998.)
Animal and Poultry Waste Management Research
Detailed report about progress in research at North Carolina State University and other institutions. Includes technical details of demonstration projects and design strategy.
Cesspools of Shame: How Factory Farm Lagoons and Sprayfields Threaten Environmental and Public Health
Describes how animal waste from factory farms threatens human health and our nation’s rivers. 67 pages. (Natural Resources Defense Council and Clean Water Network, July 2001.)
Concentrating on Clean Water: The Challenge of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
Large-scale animal livestock confinement operations create water-related costs that must be addressed through public policies that protect producers, consumers and the environment over the long term. Produced for the nonpartisan Iowa Policy Project, this report describes manure-management challenges presented by such operations, along with the potential impacts of these facilities on water quality, rural communities, and rural economies. The report n that stronger regulations and enforcement are needed to assure environmental protection. (Carol Hodne, The Iowa Policy Project, April 2005.)
Confined Animal Production and Manure Nutrients
This USDA study uses census of agriculture data to estimate manure nutrient production and the capacity of cropland and pastureland to assimilate nutrients. (June 2001.)
Confined Animal Production Poses Manure Management Problems
Article with graphs and examples from USDA. (Agricultural Outlook, 2000.)
Cost of Remediation of Nitrogen-Contaminated Soils under CAFO Impoundments
Kansas State University researchers worked with an engineering firm, a pollution remediation firm, and a data collection firm to create this report about the cost of handling the remains of manure lagoons after a factory farm closes. Although disposal of the contents of the lagoon is generally considered the chief environmental concern, this study revealed that subsoil ammonium contamination is also a hazardous and expensive problem. (Journal of Hazardous Substance Research, Vol. 4, 2003.)
Feedlots Point Source Category Study January 1999, Preliminary Data Summary
Purpose of study was to gather preliminary information about waste characteristics and waste-handling technologies and practices in the area of animal feeding operations, environmental impacts that may be attributed to these operations, and the industry’s size structure, geographic distribution, and economic status. (US EPA, January 1999.)
Flushing Systems for Dairies
A report on the costs and benefits of dairy waste flushing systems produced for industry. Provides potentially useful information about the components and functions of this type of system, with some emphasis on the specific regulations in Missouri. (University of Missouri/Water Quality Initiative, July 2003.)
Manure Digester Study: Is it worth the cost?
A study from the University of Minnesota examines the question of whether there can be profits from manure power. Without government subsidies and loans, it looks like manure digesters are a financial loser.
Manure Nutrients Relative to the Capacity of Cropland and Pastureland to Assimilate Nutrients: Spatial and Temporal Trends for the United States
Data from the Census of Agriculture were used to estimate livestock populations, quantities of manure produced, and land available for manure application for 1982, 1987, 1992, and 1997. The analysis shows that small and medium-sized livestock operations have been replaced by large operations at a steady rate, with the total number of livestock remaining relatively unchanged, but with an increase in large confinements. The concentration of manure production has caused an increase in off-farm export requirements. In some counties, the production of manure exceeds the capacity of all the cropland and pastureland available for manure application in the county. The number of these counties has significantly increased since 1982, indicating that problems associated with animal waste utilization and disposal have become more widespread over the last two decades. (NCRS, December 2000.)
Nutrient Pollution of Coastal Rivers, Bays and Seas
This report describes the destructive impact of nutrient pollution from farmland on coastal ecosystems. (Issues in Ecology Vol. 7, Fall 2000.)
Panel Report on CAFOs
Final report of the Small Business Advocacy Review Panel on the EPA’s planned proposed rule on National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and Effluent Limitation Guideline (ELG) regulations for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (”CAFO Rule”). (April 7, 2000.)
Possible Sources of Nitrate in Ground Water at Swine Operations in Oklahoma
Samples collected and analyzed by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry from 1999 to 2001 determined that nitrate exceeded the US EPA maximum contaminant level for public drinking-water supplies in 79 monitoring wells at 35 swine feeding operations in Oklahoma. (US Geological Survey in cooperation with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry, December 2003; revised January 2003.)
Reducing Contamination by Improving Milking Center Wastewater Treatment
Poorly designed or mismanaged waste disposal systems can contaminate water with ammonia, nitrates, phosphorus, detergents and disease-causing organisms. (Blackland Research Center, July 6, 1998.)
