Voices: No need for new regulations?

July 21, 2007 08:37 pm

— Hooray for Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon and the Sierra Club. It may be “truly disappointing” to you, Mr. Kruse (Charles Kruse, president of the Missouri Farm Bureau), but the majority of Missourians don’t like living with the stink and air, land and water pollution of industrial farms. Haven’t heard any complaints about the family farms and ranches, so why do you keep bringing them into the argument?
Trying to scare the family farmers and ranchers into thinking new regulations are directed towards them is hogwash. The industrial farms, ie. CAFOs with thousands of animals confined in buildings, that pay your way are the culprits, and we are sick and tired of them being shoved down our throats. If you don’t think the majority of Missourians aren’t, why do you think 20 Missouri counties have adopted their own health regulations regulating CAFOs? There is currently so little statewide regulation in place that the only setback requirements for the location of a CAFO are 100 feet from a perpetual stream or well and 1,000 feet from an existing residence. In theory, they could put chicken houses all along the banks of Roaring River, Shoal Creek, Spring River or any other creek, stream or lake or for that matter surrounding any municipality where there are no county health regulations in place, and there is nothing that can be done about it thanks to the current governor, Legislature, and the Missouri Farm Bureau that has bought and paid for them.
I, too, grew up on a family farm. We had chickens, beef and dairy cows, horses , etc. and a wonderful way of life. I was a little boy in heaven, and for the same reason, my children grew up in the same atmosphere. The Missouri Farm Bureau’s misleading defense of industrialized farms is wrong for Missouri. In fact, I bet the majority of Missouri Farm Bureau members would drop their membership if they only knew. Mr. Kruse, you are not fooling everyone.
Mark Stephenson
Joplin