Latest news with #InvestigateMidwest
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Inside the business of killing millions of chickens in response to bird flu
A commercial turkey flock is killed using foam. (Photo provided by Dan Hougentogler) When a poultry farm tests positive for bird flu, the clock starts. Within the first 72 hours, farmers start depopulating, an industry term for killing contaminated flocks. Despite the sweltering heat inside the barns, hired workers wear gloves, face masks and other protective equipment and repetitively pick up flailing, sick chickens and place them into a metal container filled with carbon dioxide. In a few minutes, the chickens are dead. In other cases, workers seal the barn doors and crank up the temperature, causing the birds to die from heat stroke, or flood the barn with a suffocating foam. In a few hours, most of the chickens are dead and workers begin to haul thousands, if not millions, of lifeless caracasses out to dump trucks. The stench of death seeps into workers' clothes, sweat and even the water they're supposed to shower in. This is the business of killing chickens during the ongoing bird flu epidemic. And business is booming. As the virus spreads and drives up grocery prices by shrinking the nation's supply of eggs and meat, bird disposal companies, environmental waste businesses and large poultry producers have received millions of federal dollars to kill flocks, compost their bodies and clean barns across the country. However, the scale and urgency of these recent depopulation events have left room for worker protections to fall through the cracks, Investigate Midwest has found. A review of thousands of pages of state depopulation inspection records and conversations with dozens of people who work behind the scenes has revealed: Underage workers, in some cases, have been hired to kill poultry flocks, handle dead carcasses and clean industrial poultry farms. Workers sometimes lack personal protective equipment or receive damaged gear, despite the risk of the virus jumping from animals to people. Dealing with a federal backlog, some farms have used killing methods considered inhumane because it can be quicker and cheaper. 'The biggest factor in agricultural safety is the urgency,' said Bethany Alcauter, director of research and public health for the National Center for Farmworker Health, a Texas-based nonprofit that advocates for worker safety and health. 'Everything has to get done in a short amount of time and that really can be problematic because there's not the same amount of time to adequately train workers.' The current bird flu outbreak is also the first time in the nation's history that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has put a single federal contractor in charge of responding to outbreaks when a business or state agriculture department can't handle a farm's depopulation request. In the past, the USDA would train emergency response contractors across the country to deal with outbreaks in their state and region. This practice changed with the most recent outbreak when the USDA awarded a contract to Patriot Environmental Services to be the single provider of federal depopulation services. The use of a single federal contractor has caused delays when a farm requests assistance from the federal government to depopulate a flock, according to depopulation consultants, veterinarians and state agriculture agencies interviewed. In July 2024, hundreds of workers descended on two poultry farms in rural Colorado, an hour northeast of Denver, to kill over 3 million egg-laying chickens. Two of the state's largest egg companies had tested positive for bird flu and their flocks needed to be destroyed. Officials with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), the USDA and the Centers for Disease Control were onsite at both outbreaks to monitor for symptoms of human exposure to the virus and to spot behavioral health concerns — that is, the psychological impact of performing high-volume animal killings in hazardous, often distressing conditions. CDPHE forms obtained by Investigate Midwest through public records requests show agency workers interviewing primarily Spanish-speaking workers. A behavioral health worker wrote in a daily report that USDA staff approached farm management and asked if they could meet with full-time farm employees to discuss working conditions, to which management said 'absolutely not.' 'They did not have the ability to go to the workers with us and did not have anyone who could be an interpreter for us,' the behavioral health worker wrote in a report, referring to USDA employees onsite. A separate behavioral health official wrote that they witnessed workers with torn or missing PPE, PPE not being utilized, and saw 'animal matter, including blood stains and feathers' on workers' torn PPE. The same behavioral health official noted that culling and disposal workers were required to shower at the entrance and exit of the barn, but workers said several people were not showering because the 'water has a dead chicken smell' and 'the horrible smell stays on the skin.' One of the July 2024 outbreaks was at an Opal Foods commercial egg facility in Roggen, Colorado, where 1.8 million egg-laying hens were killed. Opal is a private company headquartered in Neosho, Missouri, and partially owned by Indiana-based Rose Acre Farms, the nation's second-largest egg production company. Opal Foods has received $24 million in payments from the USDA to cover the cost of the lost flocks since 2022, a federal response known as 'indemnity payments.' The other outbreak occurred at Morning Fresh Farms, half an hour away in Platteville, Colorado, where 1.2 million egg-laying chickens were killed. Morning Fresh is a subsidiary of Versova Holding, the nation's fifth-largest egg-production company, which employs more than 2,000 people and purchased Morning Fresh in 2023. Morning Fresh received nearly $7 million in indemnity payments in 2022 and 2023, but federal data does not list them, or their parent company as a recipient of funds in 2024. Depopulation workers on both farms spent hours each day picking up chickens, putting them in metal rolling carts and filling the carts with carbon dioxide. This process subdues and kills the birds in a few minutes but poses a danger to workers because of the repeated exposure chicken handlers have to sick birds, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association, a nonprofit that set guidelines for depopulation methods with the USDA in 2019. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment employees surveyed contract workers at both Colorado facilities to monitor for symptoms of bird flu and in a subsequent report, the Centers for Diseases Control showed workers self-identifying as young as 15. The Colorado Youth Employment Opportunity Act prevents workers under 18 from performing hazardous work such as euthanasia and disposal of animal carcasses unless performed in certain programs, such as student-learning initiatives, agricultural education opportunities like 4-H, and work apprenticeship training, according to a department spokesperson. The Colorado health agency confirmed with Investigate Midwest that workers under the age of 18 were present based on self-reported answers to survey questions and conversations with farm staff. The department did not provide the specific ages of workers, citing state privacy records laws. Investigate Midwest also received records through the Freedom of Information Act for Occupational Health and Safety Administration, or OSHA, inspections done at both facilities in July and August 2024. The records included the names of four contract labor companies interviewed by OSHA, two of which matched company names provided by the Colorado Department of Public Health. All four contract labor companies denied using employees under the age of 18. Aaron Garcia, owner of Atlas Labor and Staffing Solutions, which was hired during the Colorado outbreak, said his company and other contractors were working at both egg farms around the same time, given their proximity to each other and similar outbreak timeframes. Garcia said he has heard of agriculture contract companies hiring underage workers throughout the bird flu epidemic, but his company has not done so. He said his company, based in Iowa, was paid to provide laborers who cleaned and disinfected barns and provide laundry services for workers' uniforms. For a few days, his crew picked up dead birds and placed them in disposal trucks. He said all of his workers' ages were verified through federal E-Verify services. 'It's illegal, in the first place, and it does affect the reputation of the guys that are actually trying to do it right and follow the laws,' he said. Brian Mouw, a manager with D&H Poultry Services based in Sibley, Iowa, who was contracted to work at Opal Foods during the July 2024 outbreak, said all of their employees' ages are verified before being hired. OSHA compliance inspection report for Opal Foods / D&H Poultry Service 'The other 200-275 people were with three other contractors hired by Opal, it could've been them,' he said in an email to Investigate Midwest. 'They didn't work under us.' Khali Depardo, chief operating officer at 5280 Staffing, a Colorado-based staffing agency listed on OSHA documents as a contractor for Morning Fresh Farms, said his company 'does not hire anyone under the age of 18, at any time.' A spokesperson for Express Employment Professionals, an Oklahoma-based staffing agency also listed as a contractor in OSHA documents, said its Greeley, Colorado, office does contract work with Morning Fresh Farms but was not contracted to provide labor related to bird flu depopulation. 'Express Employment Professionals of Greeley, CO., has not employed individuals under 18 years old at Morning Fresh Farms,' the staffing agency spokesperson said in an email. OSHA compliance health narrative report for 5280 Productions LLC Investigate Midwest provided its findings of potential underage workers and their tasks to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. An agency spokesperson said it was unaware of any underage labor working on commercial egg farms. 'Without a full investigation, we are unable to definitively determine whether the work at issue was 'hazardous' under Colorado law, and if so was otherwise permissible, and we cannot opine on federal law as that is outside of our authority,' the spokesperson said. Asked about the Colorado case, a U.S. Department of Labor spokesperson said it 'is not clear' whether the specific case violates federal laws. Federal child labor regulations prohibit workers under the age of 16 from conducting certain hazardous tasks while working on farms, such as working with pesticides and chemicals, but makes no mention of the gases and tactics used to kill poultry during depopulation. The commercial egg companies behind culling events in July of 2024 denied the use of child labor as well as the hiring of contractors who used child labor. 'Morning Fresh Farms holds the highest standards for ensuring all employees are eligible to work,' a company spokesperson said in a statement provided to Investigate Midwest. 'Our company has no awareness of any underage labor issues by contracting companies working on our farm during our response to highly pathogenic avian influenza.' Versova Holdings, parent company to Morning Fresh Farms, did not respond to repeated requests for comment. 'Opal Foods, LLC is a separate, independent company in which Rose Acre Farms has partial ownership,' said a spokesperson for Rose Acre Farms, parent company of Opal Foods. 'We do not know all the details nor can we speak to Opal Foods' internal operations, but Rose Acre Farms is not aware of any instances of underage hiring at Opal Foods, LLC. You should however direct your questions regarding this issue to Opal Foods.' Opal Foods did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Over 168 million birds have been depopulated in the U.S. since early 2022, the majority of which have been at commercial operations. When a flock is killed, the USDA can compensate producers for the loss of revenue and the cost to depopulate. Currently, operators are paid a flat fee for depopulation and disposal fees, regardless of whether the farm handles the killing on their own or hires a contractor. Producers are reimbursed $1.62 per bird for egg-laying chickens, $2.95 per meat chickens, $4.50 for turkeys and just over $5 per duck, as of February 2025, according to USDA documents. When a farm doesn't have the resources or money to kill a flock on its own, the state's agriculture department is contacted. If the state does not have access to equipment or labor, a USDA-approved contract company steps in and kills the birds. Patriot Environmental Services is the nation's only federal contractor able to provide depopulation services when requested by the USDA. The company is a subsidiary of the national environmental cleanup company Crystal-Clean and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, with 18 locations across the country. Parent company Crystal-Clean works with oil spills and waste management and is owned by the private equity firm J.F. Lehman & Company. Crystal-Clean was fined $1.1 million in 2023 by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failure to have proper permitting and handling of hazardous waste materials. Patriot Environmental Services has received more than $18 million in USDA poultry depopulation contracts since the beginning of the most recent outbreak, a figure that accounts for nearly a quarter of all depopulation contracts, technical assistance payments, research and grant funding related to bird flu funded by the federal government. This money has been paid to private companies, state agencies, universities and research groups related to poultry depopulation. Federal contracts and grants related to poultry depopulation during the ongoing outbreak have exceeded the total amount spent during the 2014 to 2015 outbreak of bird flu, from $68 million to $73 million and counting. In some states, poultry producers receive technical training from the state department of agriculture on proper depopulation methods and previously, the USDA would train emergency response companies across the country to handle outbreaks, according to Dan Hougentogler, an emergency response and depopulation consultant with nearly two decades of experience in the animal disease outbreak and research industry. This practice changed with the most recent outbreak when the USDA awarded a contract to Patriot Environmental Services to be the single provider of federal depopulation services. Hougentogler said this switch has caused a bottleneck when multiple farms need access to the federal services at the same time. A common depopulation tactic is to fill barns with suffocating foam and Patriot Environmental Services is the only company that can access the federal foaming equipment, he said. A state agency located in the same area as the national equipment has to wait for Patriot Environmental Services to deploy a team and use the equipment, even if they have staff trained to operate the equipment, he continued. 'Not having an expansive, trained network to operate this federal equipment, or allowing states to utilize the equipment that's just sitting here with minimal people to use it, does cause some concern,' Hougentogler said. The nation's largest poultry companies do not typically use a third party for depopulation services, according to a spokesperson for the National Chicken Council, an industry advocacy group whose board members include executive leaders of several major poultry processors. The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, whose members include leadership at Rose Acre Foods, Versova and Cal-Maine Foods, said its members follow all guidelines set by the American Veterinary Medical Association and referred questions to the USDA. The USDA, Patriot Environmental Services and Crystal-Clean did not respond to repeated requests for comment. In some cases, the backlog has caused companies to use more controversial methods of depopulation because they do not have the equipment or labor on hand to complete the killings in the needed time frame. Hougentogler said he was aware of turkey farms that used 'less appropriate methods' when they couldn't access the federal contracts in time. He noted an example where a turkey farm used ventilation shutdown and heat, referred to in the industry as VSD+, to depopulate a flock of commercial poultry. VSD+ is a controversial method of killing animals, but is currently accepted by industry standards set by the American Veterinary Medical Association. The USDA and the AVMA note that VSD+ is to be used only in 'constrained circumstances,' but the majority of birds killed during the ongoing outbreak have been killed using ventilation shutdown. Workers close off the circulation of air and seal entrances to barns with ventilation shutdown, oftentimes adding extra heating units to increase the temperature. 'Ultimately, the goal is to have the production system and the state veterinarian agree on what is best for both the production system and animal welfare,' Hougentogler said. 'We are depopulating the animal regardless, but until they are unconscious, we should still take as much care for them as possible.' Utah state veterinarian Amanda Price told Investigate Midwest that the state was able to receive help from the federal contractor Patriot Environmental Services when requested, but some instances were delayed by a few days. This resulted in farms using ventilation shutdown in an effort to stay within target time frames meant to prevent virus spread. Crystal Heath, a California-based veterinarian and co-founder of Our Honor, a nonprofit group of veterinarian members that advocate against using ventilation shutdowns in the U.S., said that ventilation shutdown is a cruel method to kill flocks. The practice is banned in the European Union and has been criticized for its cruelty to animals in both commercial pork and poultry depopulation. 'If producers are going to get bailout money, they should put plans in place to depopulate with less cruel methods.' – Crystal Heath, veterinarian and co-founder of Our Honor 'If (producers) are going to get bailout money, they should put plans in place to depopulate with less cruel methods,' Heath said. The American Veterinary Medical Association is currently reviewing proposals to update its depopulation guidance and is expected to announce changes later this year. The AVMA did not respond to a request for comment. Once a farm has depopulated its flock, the work isn't over. Carcasses, feed, eggs, manure, and other organic materials are gathered and composted or disposed of, a process that requires a fleet of equipment and workers. Michigan, a state with 31 confirmed cases of bird flu in dairy cattle herds, has had 16 commercial poultry farms infected with bird flu since 2022, with more than 7 million birds killed. Most birds killed in Michigan were at egg-laying commercial farms using the ventilation shutdown method, according to USDA data. 'Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) isn't going to discuss details about the responses done on individual farms as most of that information is protected by Michigan law,' MDARD Director Tim Boring said in a statement provided to Investigate Midwest in response to questions about the use of ventilation shutdown. 'At every facility, we are balancing multiple priorities; including, but not limited to, stopping the spread of the disease, animal welfare, practicality given the structure, and of course safety of the people involved,' the statement continued. Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development HPAI activity logs obtained via public records requests. Documents obtained through records requests from the Michigan Department of Agriculture show Herbruck's Poultry Ranch, the state's largest egg-producer and supplier of eggs to McDonald's, disposing of dozens of dump trucks filled with chickens by the day during a depopulation that occurred in April 2024. Records referred to Herbruck trucks hauling caracasses to be composted at an outbreak site named 'IO 02,' which is a reference to 'Ionia 02.' This was the site of an April 2022 depopulation event that killed 2.1 million egg-laying chickens. Herbrucks used ventilation shutdown to kill the flock, based on USDA depopulation data and references to renting and using 'heaters' made in the daily logs filled out by staff on site. Daily worker logs describe days where 55 loads of dead chickens and other material were hauled off the farms to be composted or sent to a landfill. Contracted environmental waste companies, composting companies, labor and disinfecting crews hauled dead birds and contaminated materials to nearby landfills as well as composted the dead carcassess. Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development HPAI activity logs obtained via public records requests. Composting the bodies of birds infected with bird flu is a common practice in disposal and requires all organic material to reach an internal temperature of at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit for three days in order to kill the virus and other pathogens. Contaminated feed, manure, bodies, eggs and other waste are stacked into large mounds, monitored for internal temperatures and eventually spread back onto land as fertilization. Herbruck, which received $89 million in indemnity payments for the flocks killed by VSD+, was part of fast-food giant McDonald's push for cage-free eggs and the decision to 'prioritize the health and welfare of the animals,' according to a 2024 company press release. Herbruck announced it was laying off hundreds of workers in Michigan a month after its 2024 bird flu outbreak. Mohamed Mousa, Herbruck vice president, declined to answer questions about the company's depopulation events and bird flu outbreaks. In an email, Mousa said the company does not have a media contact and is trying to 'move on.' This article first appeared on Investigate Midwest and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { url: ' urlref: }); } }
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
One legislator blocks bill to prevent dumping sewage on farmland
Kenton Patzkowsky, R-Balko, is the Oklahoma state representative for District 61, the largest and most rural of the state's districts. He states that his 'legislative priorities include the protection and sustainability of Oklahoma agriculture.' However, this noble sentiment is belied by his recent actions in the 2025 Oklahoma legislative session. Before we get to specifics of this charge, some background information is needed. More: As officials consider 'forever chemical' regulation, see where PFAS is found in Oklahoma A bill, Senate Bill 3, submitted in the current legislative session would have placed a moratorium on the application of biosolids (solids separated from the liquid waste stream at sewage processing plants) onto farmlands. So what's the concern here? For decades, farmers across America have been encouraged by the federal government and state officials to spread municipal sewage on millions of acres of farmland as fertilizer. Converting sewage to fertilizer saves cities money on landfill costs, is a cheaper nutrient-rich fertilizer for farmers, and has become a billion-dollar industry for a handful of companies. We now know, though, that sewage sludge isn't a green plant food. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, it harbors a mishmash of all kinds of dangerous substances that leach into soil, plants, water and even the food we eat, including: Heavy metals such as lead, copper and mercury. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which can harm our reproductive systems, suppress our immune systems, and increase our risk of cancer. Microplastics, which spread the various chemicals added to plastic, such as flame retardants and endocrine disruptors. And most concerning, sludge is a huge conveyor of PFAS, known as 'forever chemicals,' because of their longevity. They are linked to a range of serious health problems, including increased risk of certain cancers, thyroid disease, liver damage, immune system effects and reproductive issues. According to Investigate Midwest, more than 80% of Oklahoma's wastewater sludge ends up on crop fields. Presently, there are no viable means to remove PFAS from sludge at scale or to remediate the farm soils that sludge contaminates. So let's return to SB 3. It passed the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee on a nonpartisan basis and moved to the Senate chamber for a vote. The Senate passed the measure overwhelmingly with 44 votes 'For' and only 4 votes 'Opposed.' Then the bill went to the House Agriculture Committee for consideration. Here is where Rep. Patzkowsky enters the picture. As chairman of the committee, he serves as a gatekeeper and has the discretion to either put a bill on the committee's agenda for a vote or not. If he decides not to put the bill on the agenda, the bill does not receive a vote and dies in committee. His decision was to kill the bill. More: What can we do about 'forever chemicals' in Oklahoma's drinking water? | Opinion There is certainly an issue here as to whether a state representative in a district with a population of about 37,500 should be in a position to obstruct legislation that could affect 4 million Oklahomans. We can also play armchair psychologist and question why Rep.e Patzkowsky would potentially put his constituents, indeed, all Oklahomans, in harm's way. Perhaps he is simply uninformed about what science says about the dangers of biosolids. Perhaps he feels beholden to Synagro, a company that handles much of the biosolid material produced by Oklahoma City's wastewater system and turns it into fertilizer for farms and money for shareholders. We will probably never know. What we do know is that Rep. Patzkowsky knowingly or unknowingly has put the health of Oklahomans and the environment at risk. Regarding his stated priority of 'the protection and sustainability of Oklahoma agriculture,' there will be at least one more year of poisoning farmlands, livestock, crops. Another year of PFAS infiltrating ground, surface and drinking water supplies. Further out, there will be law suits, condemnation of farmland, medical costs entailed by affected farming families. For a glimpse of that future, look no further than Johnson County, Texas, when on Feb. 11, 2025, it declared a state of disaster due to PFAS contamination on agricultural land. The county says test results showed an 'immediate threat to the county's agricultural sector, drinking water supplies, and public health.' Farmers in Johnson County, who said they were no longer able to make a living off their land due to the contamination, have filed lawsuits against the EPA and Synagro. Concern is increasing across the nation regarding biosolids contamination in general and PFAS in particular. The Johnson County situation is being closely watched nationwide as some of the first litigation involving fertilizer PFAS contamination. Let's hope Rep. Patzkowsky is also paying close attention. (Editor's Note: The Oklahoman requested, but did not receive, a response to this columnist's viewpoint from Rep. Patzkowsky.) Mike Altshuler is a retired educator and environmental activist who lives in Edmond. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: A missed opportunity to halt farm sewage dumping | Opinion
The Guardian
15-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
‘Shock to the system': farmers hit by Trump's tariffs and cuts say they need another bailout
Farmers across the United States say they could face financial ruin – unless there is a huge taxpayer funded bail out to compensate for losses generated by Donald Trump's sweeping cuts and chaotic tariffs. Small- and medium-sized farms were already struggling amid worsening climate shocks and volatile commodities markets, on top of being squeezed by large corporations that dominate the supply chain. In recent weeks, farmers in Texas and across the midwest have suffered millions of dollars of crop losses due to unprecedented heavy rainfall and flooding. The climate crisis-fueled extreme weather is compounded by the US president's looming trade war and the administration targeting popular federal programs and staff, leaving farmers reeling and resigned to needing another bailout. 'There's a lot of uncertainty around and I hate to be used as a bargaining chip. I am definitely worried,' said Travis Johnson, who lost more than 1,000 acres of cotton, sorghum and corn after a year's rain fell within 48 hours in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) in southern Texas last month, turning parched fields into lakes. RGV farmers sell sorghum, wheat, corn and vegetables to Mexico among other crops, while buying fertilizer and equipment – and relying on Mexican farmhands for cheap labor. Mexico is the US's largest trading partner, while China is the main buyer of American sorghum and cotton. All US products destined for China face a 125% tax thanks to Trump's tariff war, and could cut farmers off from core markets. 'I can see how some tariffs might help us compete with Mexico but are we really getting targeted by every other country or are we on the wrong side of this? We've already had two years of absolute disaster with falling prices and weather patterns … no farmer wants this but without a bailout this could be devastating and a lot more people could go under,' Johnson said. Rural counties rallied behind Trump in 2024, winning a majority in all but 11 of the 444 farming-dependent counties last year, averaging 78% support, according to analysis by Investigate Midwest. Trump's vote share rose among farming communities, despite his last trade war which required a $23bn taxpayer bail out for farmers in 2018-19. Yet anxiety is mounting among the agricultural base. First came widespread cuts to oversubscribed and chronically underfunded federal climate and conservation schemes designed to reduce costs and greenhouse gases, and improve yields and environmental health. Trump is also shuttering local food programs which provide farmers stable domestic markets like public school districts and food banks, helping make farms more resilient to global economic shocks. The USAID, which purchased around $2bn every year in agricultural products particularly wheat, sorghum and lentils for humanitarian aid programs, has been dismantled. The loss in federal programs alone would have been tough to cope with, but then came the trade chaos. Trump's tariff announcements began when most farmers already had spring crops in the ground – or at the very least had prepared the land and purchased inputs such as seeds and pesticides, making it impossible to switch to crops that could potentially find a market domestically. Consensus is growing among experts that the turmoil represents an opportunity for rival agriculture economies – and disaster for US farmers. 'It's all happening so fast and in the middle of the growing season, it's a shock to the system that's going to be tough for farmers, especially those growing commodities for export,' said Ben Lilliston, director of rural strategies and climate change at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IAPT). 'Tariffs are not magical, they need to be used strategically as part of wider reforms to the domestic economic agenda.' 'The volatility of the tariff policy decisions, with new tariffs frequently being announced, paused and placed will take a toll on the American agricultural industry,' according to economist Betty Resnick for the Farm Bureau, a right-leaning lobby group. 'Without direct support from USDA or a farm bill with an updated safety net, farmers will almost certainly bear the brunt of these tariffs.' Ben Murray, senior researcher with the consumer advocacy group Food and Water Watch, said: 'Without a bailout, we can only imagine how bad this will be for farmers and what an opportunity for Brazil – and this is all being done for a tax cut for the wealthy.' For decades now, US farmers have been heavily incentivized through the Farm Bill to grow commodity crops destined for export such as wheat, corn, soy, sorghum, rice and cotton, rather than produce for domestic consumption. The price of commodities is tied to the global market, even if sold domestically. Meanwhile US imports of fruits and vegetables mostly from Latin America have risen, now accounting for more than 50% of consumption, according to USDA data. This globalized agricultural system favors large and corporate-owned operations, as smaller farms struggle more with boom and bust prices, and access to government subsidies and other credit. The number of farms continues to decline, while the average size continues to rise. Market consolidation and corporate profits tend to surge in the agriculture industry after every economic shock including the Covid pandemic, Trump's last trade war and the banking crisis. Biden implemented a range of modest, imperfect policies to try and ease the pain for smaller scale farmers including a greater focus on anti-trust, local and regional food systems, and climate resilience – all of which are under attack by the Trump administration. The vast majority of a $19.5bn funding package by the Biden administration for evidence-based conservation practices that improve soil health, air quality and reduce the use of costly fertilizers, pesticides and water will not be honored. The 10-year fund allocated through the Inflation Reduction Act was an addendum to money ring-fenced in the Farm Bill for four oversubscribed programs, after years of pressure from farmers to expand access to the initiatives. Two Biden-era healthy eating schemes worth a combined $1bn to local farmers have been canceled: the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program matching producers to food banks, and the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program which helped public schools add healthy, locally grown produce onto lunch menus. (The USDA recently agreed to unfreeze funding for existing contracts.) 'My farm will survive because we've been working with school districts for 20 years, but for others in our coalition the funding cliff is very real,' said Anna Knight, who owns an 80-acre citrus farm in southern California. Piling on further misery are mass layoffs within the USDA that were seemingly orchestrated by billionaire Trump donor Elon Musk. More than 10% of USDA staff have already reportedly agreed to voluntary buyouts, with more expected in coming weeks. This is in addition to several thousand probationary employees who were laid off last month – a move which disproportionately hit local offices beefed up under the Biden administration, and is being challenged in the courts. USDA field offices play a crucial role in rural communities, the place where farmers go for tailor made technical help from agencies including the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) on the latest pest control and planting practices, conservation programs, loans, and disaster assistance programs. 'It makes no sense taking billions of dollars off the table for programs that improve long term farm viability and resilience – and which farmers have been lining up for years for – and then spend billions bringing back farmers from financial collapse,' said Jesse Womack, policy expert at the National Sustainable Agricultural Coalition. 'It's looking really bleak with a lot of pain ahead for farmers.' A coalition of environmental and agricultural groups is suing the USDA after it purged an array of climate-related online resources including information on the NRCS website helping farmers access federal grants for conservation practices, and technical guidance on cutting emissions and strengthening resilience to extreme weather like floods and drought. Even if there is a bailout, getting them money to farmers in time to avoid bankruptcy will be much more complicated this time, according to Lilliston from IATP. 'Another bail out seems inevitable but there are serious questions about how quickly it could be implemented with such a dysfunctional congress, local USDA offices shuttered and fewer staff. It's a very messy situation and farmers are already experiencing harm.' And in the medium- and long-term: 'The US reputation has taken a huge hit. We can no longer be considered a reliable trading partner which is terrible for farmers,' added Lilliston. Even before the current mayhem, almost two-thirds of US rural bankers surveyed in March expected farmer income to decline in 2025, with farm equipment sales dropping for the 19th straight month, according to the latest Rural Mainstreet Economy survey by Creighton University. Grain and cotton prices have plummeted since 2022. 'We were already in a precarious situation but now, unless there's a bail out or this trade war is resolved by harvest time, it will be disastrous and a critical mass of farmers could go out of business,' said Adam Chappell, 46, a commodities farmer growing corn, cotton, soybean and rice in Arkansas, where dozens of local USDA staff have reportedly been furloughed or fired in recent weeks. Chappell's town Cotton Plant was hit with 13in of rain in early April, causing crop losses for many farmers. Chappell's fields survived the rain but he spent a nervous few weeks after the USDA froze all conservation funds, unsure whether the government would reimburse him, as agreed, for an upfront investment in cover crops and a compost operation. Eventually, after a backlash, the administration backtracked and agreed to honor existing contracts. 'The weather is getting stranger and more challenging to deal with every year, while big monopoly corporations are allowed to manipulate the system and squeeze us at every part of the supply chain. Farmers like me lean heavily on the NRCS conservation programs to improve soil health and reduce input costs,' said Chappell. 'The tariffs are like adding salt on the wound.' Despite last week's partial U-turn, Trump's ongoing and increasingly chaotic trade war risks causing irreparable harm to international markets for farmers, especially but not exclusively China, as well as pushing up the cost of agricultural imports such as pesticides, fertilizer and machinery. China is the US's third biggest agricultural export market worth $24.7bn in 2024, down 15% from 2023, as soybean, corn and sorghum sales fell amid rising competition from South America, according to USDA data. China's top imports from the US are oilseeds and grains. US exports to China supported almost a million US jobs in 2022, according to the US-China Business Council, mostly around agriculture and livestock production. As of Friday, at least 15 agricultural department programs worth billions of dollars to American farmers and rural communities remain frozen, according to Politico, more than two months after they were halted for review to ensure compliance with Trump's priorities opposing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts as well as his crackdown on climate change initiatives. This includes the Biden-era partnerships for climate-smart commodities (PCSC) program – a five-year $3.2bn real-life study into the effectiveness of conservation practices such as cover cropping and reduced tillage for commodity farms. 'PSCS was about increasing our evidence base on climate benefits that also help commodity farmers improve soil health, air and water quality – and their bottom line,' said Omanjana Goswami, a scientist with the food and environment program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. 'Abandoning this will come at a cost to American farms and the taxpayer.' On Monday, the agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins defended dismantling PSCS, claiming it amounted to a Biden-era 'climate slush fund' of which less than half the money went to farmers. A spokesperson added: 'The USDA has a variety of programs available to producers who have been impacted by recent disasters … [and] is currently building a framework to deliver over $20bn in Congressionally appropriated funds to producers who suffered losses during the 2023/2024 crop year. With 16 robust nutrition programs in place, USDA remains focused on its core mission: strengthening food security, supporting agricultural markets, and ensuring access to nutritious food.' And some Trump supporters are keeping the faith. 'There are some concerns out there but our farmers are willing to make sacrifices for long term gains,' said Sid Miller, the Texas agriculture commissioner. 'Tariffs are a temporary tool, they won't be permanent, China needs our grains, they are prideful but will come around like last time.'
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
How politicians protect the profits of poultry companies, not public health
In the 1990s and 2000s, as industrial poultry production grew in eastern Oklahoma, chicken litter became increasingly used as fertilizer on area crop farms, leading to complaints that key water systems were being polluted by poultry litter. The waste leached into nearby waterways, elevating phosphorus levels that then depleted oxygen, caused algae growth, damaged the fish population and strained the nearly 20 utility systems that rely on the Illinois River Watershed for drinking water, according to news outlet Investigate Midwest. To remediate this now chronic problem, then-Attorney General Drew Edmondson sued several large agricultural producers in 2005, including Tyson, Cargill, and Simmons Foods, that commonly contract with Oklahoma's poultry farms. A trial was held in 2009, but it took 14 more years before U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell ruled for the state, agreeing that the poultry companies and more specifically, the litter on poultry farms or litter removed and used for fertilizer on nearby crop farms, were to blame for the high contaminate levels. He also criticized Oklahoma lawmakers for not doing enough to protect rivers and lakes from poultry litter pollution. Subsequently, a court-ordered mediation failed. Opinion: Influential factory farm industry presents safety challenge to Oklahomans, animals A hearing was held in December to assess whether the environmental conditions in the watershed have changed since the original trial and whether the companies' practices continue to contribute to pollution. At that hearing multiple witnesses testified that water pollution from chicken litter remains a problem. 'To help reverse the phosphorus pollution in the waters of the (Illinois River Watershed), we have to stop making the problem worse. That means we need to stop the land application of poultry waste,' wrote Gregory Scott, a scientist with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, in testimony presented to Frizzell. A final order from the judge is still pending. But instead of taking steps to reign in the clout of the growing poultry industry and protect the public, Oklahoma lawmakers have chosen to further deregulate and shield it from legal attacks. The state now allows large poultry farms to avoid a more restrictive registration process and construct buildings that house thousands of chickens closer to homes and neighborhoods. In 2023, Oklahoma's Republican-majority Legislature and governor passed House Bill 2053, which would dismiss a protest against a water-use permit for a farm if the protest is 'based solely on the industry or entity applying to use the water.' The legislation's clear intent, to which even the bill's author, Republican state Sen. Brent Howard admitted, was to make it harder for people to oppose large poultry operations. Senate Bill 136, which was introduced in the 2025 session and called for a moratorium on these mega factory farms, was killed in committee. Senate Bill 1424, which was signed into law in 2024, has been the most significant step toward protecting poultry corporations. That legislation now forbids property owners in the Illinois River Watershed, whose lands and surface waterways have been polluted by runoff from poultry litter, from pursuing legal action against contracted poultry growers unless an enforcement action has been taken by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry. The law also provides legal immunity to poultry corporations – the same ones targeted in the 2005 suit – from future lawsuits over pollution caused by chicken waste. The measure gives Big Ag and its corporate lobbyists license to despoil our natural resources and wreak havoc on our region's air and waterways. This has the potential to threaten the public health of our communities and the safety of their drinking water. Where water has been contaminated it will require cities and towns that use it to spend more on treatments or seek other water sources. Critics of this legislation have noted that it only benefits out-of-state companies who profit at the expense of Oklahoma's rivers and lakes and does not protect Oklahoma farmers. Nearly all chickens raised in the United States are under production contracts between poultry processors and farmers. Big Ag contracts with farmers can be problematic, potentially leading to unfair terms, reduced farmer autonomy, and increased financial risk for farmers. Over the length of a contract, the buying power of a contract farmer's wages may shrink by more than 20%. Lax regulations against industrial poultry farms are a gift to big agribusiness. Since our state lawmakers seem unwilling to serve as a bulwark for our environment and the economic and public health of our rural communities, we may have to depend on the courts. Judge Frizzell has said he is weighing pollution-control requirements. Since our legislators seem loath to hold Big Ag to account, let's hope the judge comes through. Mike Altshuler is a retired educator and environmental activist who lives in Edmond. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Profits before people's health, say Oklahoma legislators | Opinion
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Oklahoma continues to feel the impact from Big Ag's toxic legacy
The Illinois River is seen from an overlook at Sparrow Hawk Wildlife Management Area in Northeast Oklahoma. (Photo) In the 1990s and 2000s, as industrial poultry production grew in eastern Oklahoma, chicken litter became increasingly used as fertilizer on area crop farms, leading to complaints that key water systems were being polluted by poultry litter. The waste leached into nearby waterways, elevating phosphorus levels that then depleted oxygen, caused algae growth, damaged the fish population and strained the nearly 20 utility systems that rely on the Illinois River Watershed for drinking water, according to news outlet Investigate Midwest. To remediate this now chronic problem, then-Attorney General Drew Edmondson sued in 2005 several large agricultural producers, including Tyson, Cargill, and Simmons Foods, that commonly contract with Oklahoma's poultry farms. A trial was held in 2009, but it took 14 more years before U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell ruled for the state, agreeing that the poultry companies and more specifically, the litter on poultry farms or litter removed and used for fertilizer on nearby crop farms, were to blame for the high contaminate levels. He also criticized Oklahoma lawmakers for not doing enough to protect rivers and lakes from poultry litter pollution. Subsequently, a court-ordered mediation failed. A hearing was held in December to assess whether the environmental conditions in the watershed have changed since the original trial and whether the companies' practices continue to contribute to pollution. At that hearing multiple witnesses testified that water pollution from chicken litter remains a problem. 'To help reverse the phosphorus pollution in the waters of the (Illinois River Watershed), we have to stop making the problem worse. That means we need to stop the land application of poultry waste,' wrote Gregory Scott, a scientist with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, in testimony presented to Frizzell. A final order from the judge is still pending. Rather than taking steps to reign in the clout of the growing poultry industry and protect the public, Oklahoma lawmakers have chosen to further deregulate and shield it from legal attacks. The state now allows large poultry farms to avoid a more restrictive registration process and construct buildings that house thousands of chickens closer to homes and neighborhoods. In 2023, Oklahoma's Republican-majority Legislature and governor passed House Bill 2053, which would dismiss a protest against a water-use permit for a farm if the protest is 'based solely on the industry or entity applying to use the water.' The legislation's clear intent, to which even the bill's author, Republican state Sen. Brent Howard admitted, was to make it harder for people to oppose large poultry operations. Senate Bill 136, which was introduced in the 2025 session and called for a moratorium on these mega factory farms, was killed in committee. Senate Bill 1424, which was signed into law in 2024, has been the most significant step toward protecting poultry corporations. That legislation now forbids property owners in the Illinois River Watershed, whose lands and surface waterways have been polluted by runoff from poultry litter, from pursuing legal action against contracted poultry growers unless an enforcement action has been taken by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry. The law also provides legal immunity to poultry corporations – the same ones targeted in the 2005 suit – from future lawsuits over pollution caused by chicken waste. The measure gives Big Ag and its corporate lobbyists license to despoil our natural resources and wreak havoc on our region's air and waterways. This has the potential to threaten the public health of our communities and the safety of their drinking water. Where water has been contaminated it will require cities and towns that use it to spend more on treatments or seek other water sources. Critics of this legislation have noted that it only benefits out-of-state companies who profit at the expense of Oklahoma's rivers and lakes and does not protect Oklahoma farmers. Nearly all chickens raised in the United States are under production contracts between poultry processors and farmers. Big Ag contracts with farmers can be problematic, potentially leading to unfair terms, reduced farmer autonomy, and increased financial risk for farmers. Over the length of a contract, the buying power of a contract farmer's wages may shrink by more than 20%. Lax regulations against industrial poultry farms are a gift to big agribusiness. Since our state lawmakers seem unwilling to serve as a bulwark for our environment and the economic and public health of our rural communities, we may have to depend on the courts. Judge Frizzell has said he is weighing pollution-control requirements. Since our legislators seem loath to hold Big Ag to account, let's hope the judge comes through. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
