By SARA DRYDEN
Indiana Correspondent SCOTTSBURG, Ind. — “The way we farm today is different from how our grandfathers farmed,” said Andy Miller, state agriculture director, at the Indiana State Department of Agriculture’s (ISDA) Livestock Summit last week at Scottsburg High School.
About 50 farmers, interested citizens, community and state leaders listened to a panel of speakers discuss the outlook of modern livestock agriculture.
“Modern agriculture is not what you see in a Grandma Moses painting, and it hasn’t been for 50 years,” said Dr. Eric Kelly from Ball State University.
ISDA sees the future of livestock production with larger operations such as CAFOs and CFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations and Confined Feeding Operations).
Doubling pork production by 2025 is one of the goals of ISDA.
“Agriculture is at the center of the state’s economic comeback strategy. We can expand agriculture to bring new life and new breath into Indiana,” said Miller.
According to USDA and the National Agriculture Statistics Service, gross receipts for all Indiana livestock in 2005 were more than $2 billion. In 1962, hog inventory in Indiana peaked at more than 5 million head. In 2006, there were 3.3 million.
Beef and dairy cattle show similar comparisons. In 2006, beef cattle were at only 35 percent of the 1975 peak of almost 2 million, and dairy cattle were at 20 percent of the 1944 high of 810,000.
ISDA plans to develop livestock farming in compliance with much more environmentally friendly practices. The goal of the summit was to address concerns about livestock operations, especially larger ones like CAFOs and CFOs. The concern was evident in several questions from the audience, such as wondering who regulates antibiotics in livestock, and how does antibiotic residue affect the groundwater; how to report sewage leaks; and potential manure-spreading violations.
This topic hit close to home for many in the audience who have debated a recent attempt of two Jefferson County, Ind., residents to apply for a CFO.
“There is the idea that large farms are bad for the community,” said Miller. “But nothing could be farther from the truth. The largest farms are held to the highest level of regulation.”
CAFOs and CFOs are regulated at the local, state and federal levels. Under the Clean Water Act, these operations are at a no-discharge tolerance level. Operators of a CAFO must adhere to regulations enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
A primary concern when it comes to large livestock operations is odor. Dr. Albert Heber of Purdue University is heading up an extensive research project on air emissions from livestock. The results of this study will be used by EPA to further determine acceptable levels of emissions.
“We can’t regulate odor, so all we can do is keep the light industry away from where people live,” said Kelly.
He said there is no real planning and zoning for agriculture. Because farming has changed so much in the past 25 years – heavy equipment, noisy and dusty operations, major chemicals – Kelly suggested such operations should be considered light industry instead of residential.
According to USDA, 98 percent of U.S. farms are still family farms. “Just because an operation is large, it is still a family farm. And family farms have it in their best interest to protect the natural resources they rely upon,” said Miller.
There are violations in agriculture, however, just like in any other industry. And in 2006, only 11 of 2,250 large livestock operations faced enforcement action for a discharge.
“This is a relatively very small number compared to other industries. Farmers want to be good protectors of the land. We want to make sure we have the cheapest, safest, most reliable food supply in the world, while still protecting our environment,” said Miller.
ISDA plans to host more summits throughout the state to further educate about livestock farming. More information can be found at www.in.gov/isda This farm news was published in the June 13, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. |
