How to Fight a Factory Farm

The rise of factory farms in the U.S. didn't happen by accident. Corporate influence over our political system has created policies that subsidize and incentivize the industrial model and allow factory farms to pollute with impunity, even creating new revenue streams that greenwash their climate impacts. Our food system does not have to be this way. Members of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment are working to build sustainable alternatives to factory farms while advocating for policy reforms to dismantle the CAFO system and level the playing field for independent family farmers. In the final episode of the series, hear from Frank James of Dakota Rural Action, Rebecca Wolf of Food and Water Watch, Bonnie Haugen of Land Stewardship Project and Noah Earle of Missouri Rural Crisis Center on how we got into this mess, and how to get out of it. How to Fight a Factory Farm is produced by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a member of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment. Thank you to our intern, Anna Karns, for her assistance producing this series, and to Noah Earle for the use of his song “Fry an Egg” for our theme music. Learn more about the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment at fightfactoryfarms.org. References, further reading and ways to get involved Support the Farm System Reform ActPackers and Stockyards Act In-Depth, Bryce Oates, 2024Why we need an Agricultural Market Volatility Relief Program, CFFE, 2023Biogas or Bull****? Friends of the Earth & Socially Responsible Agriculture Project, 2024

Despite the well-documented harms to the environment and rural economies, the CAFO system continues to expand. But its growth is not inevitable. In South Dakota, Iowa and all across factory farm country, everyday people are stepping up and organizing their neighbors to prevent factory farms from being built in their communities. How to fight a factory farm? People power. In this episode, hear from Vanessa Namken and Frank James of Dakota Rural Action and Barb Kalbach and Hugh Espey of Iowa CCI on how they successfully stopped CAFOs from being built near their homes. How to Fight a Factory Farm is produced by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a member of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment. Thank you to our intern, Anna Karns, for her assistance producing this series, and to Noah Earle for the use of his song “Fry an Egg” for our theme music. Learn more about the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment at fightfactoryfarms.org. References and further reading "13 Groups Sued EPA Demanding Stricter CAFO Regulation — the Court Struck Them Down." Sentient Media, October 2024.Pounds of manure produced by dairy cows: University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine"A mega-dairy is transforming Arizona’s aquifer and farming lifestyles." High Country News, August 2021

What does it mean to get big or get out? As CAFOs began to take over livestock production in the U.S. through the 1990s, the consequences of this corporate-controlled, vertically-integrated system rippled throughout rural economies, putting smaller independent farmers and their suppliers out of business, and trapping others in debt and dependence on exploitative meat companies. In this episode, hear from Missouri Rural Crisis Center’s Rhonda Perry and Tim Gibbons and Iowa CCI’s Barb Kalbach and Hugh Espey on the price we pay for factory farms. How to Fight a Factory Farm is produced by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a member of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment. Thank you to our intern, Anna Karns, for her assistance producing this series, and to Noah Earle for the use of his song “Fry an Egg” for our theme music. Learn more about the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment at fightfactoryfarms.org.

What is a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO), and what does it mean that nearly all farm animals in the U.S. are now raised in them? Factory farms are a major change from how livestock was traditionally raised, and the billions of gallons of manure produced by these facilities are causing major problems for neighbors, the environment and anyone downstream. Independent family farmers and rural communities are facing the brunt of these consequences, but they're not going to take it lying down.  In this episode, hear from Rebecca Wolf, Senior Food Policy Analyst at Food and Water Watch, along with Iowa CCI's Barb Kalbach and Dakota Rural Action's Kathy Tyler on the pollution crisis created by factory farms, and what it means for those living nearby. References and further reading The CAFO Next Door, REAMP Network, June 2024Factory Farm Nation: 2024 Edition, Food and Water WatchBarons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food Industry, Austin Frerick, 2024US Factory Farming Estimates, Sentience Institute, 2019Environmental Regulation of Hog Feeding Operations, Chen, C.-T. and G. Lade, Iowa State University, 2018Animal Feeding Operations (AFOs), EPA, 2024 How to Fight a Factory Farm is produced by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a member of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment. Thank you to our intern, Anna Karns, for her assistance producing this series, and to Noah Earle for the use of his song “Fry an Egg” for our theme music. Learn more about the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment at fightfactoryfarms.org.

Coming October 2 from the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment, a new four-part podcast series about factory farms, and the farmers and rural organizers fighting to end them: How to Fight a Factory Farm.   How to Fight a Factory Farm is produced by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a member of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment. Thank you to our intern, Anna Karns, for her assistance producing this series, and to Noah Earle for the use of his song “Fry an Egg” for our theme music. Learn more about the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment at fightfactoryfarms.org.

Eight months after the original deadline, there’s been some movement on the new Farm Bill – but political conflicts and agribusiness influence present a challenge. Learn about how the policy process works and hear from IATP’s Michael Happ and Ben Lilliston about the House Farm Bill draft and what comes next.

In Episode Six of the Farm Bill Uprooted, hear from experts from across the food system on what changes are needed in the 2023 Farm Bill and beyond. From nutrition access to fair markets to climate resilience, a better food system is possible; it’s up to us to demand it.    References and Further Reading:  Closing the Meal Gap Act Improving Access to Nutrition Act Enhanced Access to SNAP Act Hot Foods Act Meat Packing Special Investigator Act Farm System Reform Act Fairness for Small Farmers Act EQIP Improvement Act Agriculture Resilience Act RAFI-USA Marker Bill Tracker Why we need an Agricultural Market Volatility Relief Program

The Farm Bill shapes our food and farm system in the U.S., and, through the Nutrition Title, helps millions of Americans afford food. But with nutrition assistance programs like SNAP vulnerable to cuts, and rural food access weakened by decades of corporate consolidation, how well is the Farm Bill really serving eaters? In Episode Five of the Farm Bill Uprooted, hear from IATP's Erin McKee VanSlooten, Kate Hansen of the Center for Rural Affairs and Marcus Grignon of the Rural Coalition, on what's needed to rebuild community-based food systems and create a Farm Bill that's by and for the people.   References and Further Reading: Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) Farm Bill prioritiesFood Price Outlook, 2023 and 2024, (2023) USDA Economic Research CenterA Short History of SNAP, USDAA Quick Guide to SNAP Eligibility and Benefits, (2023) Center on Budget & Policy PrioritiesMinnesota Department of Agriculture Farm to School Grant Evaluation, (2023) IATP & UMN

Over the past few decades, the landscape of the food and farm system has become more concentrated, less diverse and less resilient. In Episode Four of the Farm Bill Uprooted, hear from Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment’s (CFFE) Patty Lovera and Iowa Interfaith Power and Light’s (IIPL) Elston Tortuga about how corporate consolidation in the food system has impacted farmers and rural communities, and how Farm Bill reforms can help.

How does credit access shape our food and agriculture system? In Episode Three of the Farm Bill Uprooted, hear from IATP’s Dr. Steve Suppan, along with Margaret Krome-Lukens and Ray Jeffers of RAFI-USA, about how the Farm Bill Credit Title both undermines climate resilience by propping up the industrial model of production and reinforces a history of racism in American agriculture. Learn more about RAFI-USA, NFFC and the Fair Credit for Farmers Act.

After decades of Farm Bill policy incentivizing the overproduction of commodity crops, conventional agriculture in the U.S. has taken an increasing toll on water, soil and the climate — and on farmers’ own ability to withstand extreme weather and climate disruptions. Episode Two of the Farm Bill Uprooted features IATP’s Michael Happ and the University of Iowa’s Dr. Silvia Secchi on industrial agriculture’s environmental impacts and the Conservation Title programs meant to address them.

How do we ensure fair prices for farmers and consumers while building climate resilience, protecting the environment and sustaining rural communities? And what happens when Farm Bill policies incentivize the opposite approach? Hear from IATP’s Ben Lilliston and Karen Hansen-Kuhn in Episode One of the Farm Bill Uprooted, which dives into Farm Bill basics, and how it’s shaped a food and farm system dominated by commodity production and overgrown corporate agribusiness interests.   References and further reading: USDA ERS, Food Access Research AtlasUSDA ERS, Key Statistics and GraphicsAbout half of US water 'too polluted' for drinking, swimming or fishing, report finds. The Hill. Shirin Ali, 2022. Food fight: The Citizen’s Guide to the Next Food and Farm Bill. Daniel Imhoff, 2012.The new deal’s impacts on sharecropping and tenant farming in the US South: a history  Michael Sligh, 2021.Crisis by Design: A Brief Review of U.S. Farm Policy. Mark Richie & Kevin Ristau, 1987.

The Farm Bill sets the course for our food and agriculture system in the U.S. – and right now, there's a lot that's not working. How did we get here? And how can we fix it? Coming soon from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a new 6-part podcast series: The Farm Bill Uprooted. Episode One premieres July 12. Featuring: Dr. Silvia Secchi, University of IowaLilly Richard, IATPMichael Happ, IATPKate Hansen, Center for Rural AffairsDr. Steve Suppan, IATPKaren Hansen-Kuhn, IATPMargaret Krome-Lukens, RAFI-USARay Jeffers, RAFI-USAErin McKee-VanSlooten, IATPBen Lilliston, IATPMarcus Grignon, Rural CoalitionElston Tortuga, Iowa Interfaith Power and Light

After an extended negotiation, COP27 concluded on November 20th, 2022 with, for the most part, a disappointing outcome. Despite the hopeful decision to create a dedicated Loss and Damage fund for countries most impacted by climate disasters, COP27's final agreement fell short of what we need to keep the planet under 1.5 C degrees of warming. In our final episode of the series, we discuss how the conference played out, and what's next in the fight for real climate action.  Find more information and an episode transcript on our website.

Ahead of IATP's final days at COP27, hear from Shefali Sharma on progress at the conference and the struggle to hold governing bodies accountable. Visit our COP27 web hub for more articles, reports and media.

With COP27 under way in Sharm El-Sheikh, hear a message from IATP's Sophia Murphy on her experience so far, recorded in the early hours before Day 5 of the conference. Learn more about Article 6.4 and what needs to be done to regulate offset markets here and visit our COP27 web hub at iatp.org/cop27-2022.

With COP27 fast approaching, and recent reports from the UNEP and the WMO warning that the world is not on track to stay below 1.5 degrees of warming, the time for real, transformative change is now. In this episode, hear from IATP Executive Director Sophia Murphy and IATP Europe Director Shefali Sharma, both of whom will be travelling to Egypt for this year's COP, on the role of civil society groups at COP and the false solutions for climate and agriculture that IATP is working to discredit. At COP27, Shefali will be speaking on two panels which will be livestreamed for remote audiences:  Net Zero Food Systems: Fact or fiction? on November 9 at 2:30 p.m. EET/6:30 a.m. CSTDriving Systemic Change: Policy and Finance for Real Zero Solutions (with Sophia as moderator) on November 10 at 11:30 a.m. EET/3:30 a.m. CST Find a transcript of this episode and more information about IATP's work on our website: https://www.iatp.org/blog/talking-cop27-episode-3

For almost 30 years, the world's countries have been meeting at an annual global climate conference, the UNFCCC COP, to try to coordinate responses to the accelerating climate crisis. In Episode 2 of our podcast series on COP27, we'll delve into the conference itself. Hear from IATP experts Ben Lilliston and Steve Suppan about the history and significance of the COP, starting with the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio. We’ll introduce you to how the COP works, why the conference matters for agriculture, how COP agreements have been repeatedly undermined and why it’s so difficult to achieve real progress. Find more information and an episode transcript on our website.

Our industrialized food and farming systems are both driving the climate crisis and threatened by it. How did we get here? And what path can we take toward true climate resilience? In this episode, hear from IATP’s Senior Policy Analyst Shiney Varghese and Senior Advisor Timothy A. Wise on the realities of the current globalized system of industrial agriculture and an emerging alternative: Agroecology. While some groups, like IATP and the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, are pushing for agroecology to be recognized at COP27 as a climate adaptation strategy, resisting the agribusiness-funded status quo is an uphill battle. This episode introduces listeners to that struggle and its climate justice implications in the lead-up to the UNFCCC's 27th annual global climate conference, happening November 6-18 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, COP27.

From the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy comes a new 4 part limited podcast series on climate, agriculture, and COP 27.