The Tri-State Clean Air and Water group, representing family farmers from Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, held their quarterly meeting in Columbus Saturday, January 21st.  Kat Bundy led the group in discussion about their efforts to fight the presence and pollution of factory farms in our states.  The meeting was also sponsored by CIRCA (Citizens Intent on Reforming Corporate Accountability) and CELDF (Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund).  Eme Lybarger of CELDF gave an excellent presentation which included information about Democracy School, a training seminar developed by CELDF in Pennsylvania.  Eme's presentation included the following information:

• From 1980 to 2003, the number of dairy farms in the U.S. have decreased 70%, but the average size of dairy farms have tripled
• 330 family farms are lost every week in the U.S.; many family farms are being forced out of business by factory farms
• 6% of farms control almost 60% of farm revenues in the U.S.
• The #1 cause of death among American farmers is suicide.
  

A newly produced documentary called "Living a Nightmare" was shown by the Michigan farming couple who co-produced the movie with the Michigan Sierra Club.  The film documented the many health hazards associated with factory farms.  It also documented the many air and water pollution problems created by these mega farm productions.  Monitoring of CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) is almost non-existent in our tri-state area.  One CAFO can produce as much waste as produced by 69,000 people!  

Joe Logan, President of the Ohio Farmers Union, shared information about Senate Bill 230 which would limit the placement of any factory farm in Darke County within 2 miles of a school, church, cemetery, hospital or nursing home.  This proposed legislation would also require the Ohio Department of Agriculture to monitor groundwater at manure storage structures on mega farms.