With the Senate passage of the Farm Bill just hours ago, family farmers and conservationists scored major victories over the last two days in the Senate.

Congratulations and many thanks to all who made calls to Senators. On Tuesday, there was the failure of the Crapo amendment which would have removed a voluntary water conservation program allowing farmers the option to transfer water rights on a temporary basis.. If this gain can be preserved in conference with the House, family farmers will have tools and economic incentives to preserve stream flows for endangered fish and wildlife. Also, on Tuesday, the passage of language to clarify the intent of the Johnson-Grassley packer ownership ban passed resoundingly helping to stem the tide of market "vertical integration" that unfairly limits markets and prices for family farmers. For the major victory against factory farms see story number two below. Everyone stay tuned for the next week or so.

This story is far from over as the gains garnered in the Senate now need to go to conference with the agribusiness run House of Representatives. There will be a struggle to hold on to these victories and your help will be needed.

2. SENATE LIMITS SUBSIDIES TO MEGA FACTORY FARMS

Yesterday in the Senate, there was a major coup for all farmers and conservationists who worked to ensure that corporate factory farms could not exploit EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentive Program) money. Bouncing back from a defeat last week, Senator Wellstone reintroduced a scaled down version of his amendment to place restrictions on EQIP funds to livestock producers. In a resounding display of common sense, the Senate passed his amendment, which ensures that livestock producers must have a comprehensive nutrient plan to receive EQIP funds and corporations that own multiple factory farms can only receive funding for one operation.

The subsidy payment limit has also been reduced from $50,000 to $30,000. This legislation will go to conference with the House and will need to be closely watched and protected. Senator Wellstone and staff are to be highly commended for taking the important leadership to ensure family farmers, rural residents and the environment are protected from mega factory farms.

Tyson's animal factories emit so much ammonia that they trigger the Superfund law, alleges the Sierra Club in a new lawsuit against the meatpacking giant. Sierra Club plans to sue Tyson in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, over the failure of four animal factories in Webster, McClean and Hopkins counties to report the release of ammonia gas from their facilities. Under the Superfund and Community Right-to-Know laws, companies must disclose when they release 100 or more pounds per day of ammonia, a nitrogen compound that is released from the breakdown of organic matter such as animal waste. Exposure to ammonia can cause irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, headaches, nausea, coughing, and irritation of the lung tissues.

"Giant, corporate owned animal factories are polluting our air and water, and are displacing local family farms," said Sierra Club representative Aloma Dew. "Kentuckians will only be able to breathe easy when our state holds corporations responsible for the air and water pollution spewing from their giant factories."

South Carolina's Department of Health and Environmental Control has approved tougher regulations for confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) of over 3,500 hogs. The new regulations would ban open manure lagoons for new facilities, require that new facilities be located no closer than 25 miles apart, and require an environmental management plan. The regulations stem from the plethora of bad experiences in North Carolina, including a 22-million-gallon waste lagoon spill in 1995. 

"We've never had an accident in South Carolina and we don't want it, but we need to protect what we have now," he said. Thom Berry, a DHEC spokesman. South Carolina currently has 209 hog farms, of which only 21 have more than 3,500 hogs. By contrast, North Carolina raises 10 million hogs annually on over 2000 facilities. The new regulations still need to be approved by the General Assembly. 

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