Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Huge Rosendale Dairy Project Threatens Groundwater

What would be the state's largest dairy farm - - 8,300 animals - - is undergoing a public permitting comment period, and from the looks of the crowd, the people don't want it.

Groundwater pollution is a big problem for people who get their drinking water close close to a major farming operation, with resulting basic health and safety issues raised frequently.

8,300 cows would produce close to 100 million gallons of liquid waste a year - - a quantity that would test the limits of storage, treatment, other preventative measures and happenstance.

4 comments:

Jo Egelhoff, FoxPolitics.net said...

Prior to making your terse statements Jim, did you review the environmental studies by the permit applicant? Just wondering....

James Rowen said...

I read the news story, Jo, to which I linked.

I have re-read my post, and it looks fair to me. Terse?

Anonymous said...

Looking toward sustainability of healthy food production and factoring in the costs of water, fuel and land used to grow the genetically modified corn to feed cows in that concentration simply makes no sense anymore. Along with the inherent increase in potential environmental damage in a focused area, these mega farm operations are just the wrong way to go looking to our future. Risking a particular geographical area and a specific population with likely irreversible damage WHEN it occurs,for the bottom line of a corporation, that can simply move on when the sh*t hits the fan goes against all common sense and reasonable caution.

Anonymous said...

This is not so different than the banking industry. Concentrating all of the production into gaint farms is not good for the rest of us. In other words, will this farm be "too big to fail" and what happens to all the small producers.

Spreading the sh*t around is much better environmentally, economically and better for our food supply.

I understand why big business likes this - it is to corner the market and gain the effieciencies of the large production. But, man, if TIF money is involved it should be shot down on its merits.

I think about the pig or chicken industries that have become environmental calamities.