Over the past century, agriculture has shifted from small-scale local farming to large industrialized farming. As technology and farming methods have increased in efficiency, farms have grown to produce mass quantities of food. Only a few corporations dominate the food industry today. Livestock farming has shifted from pasture-raised to concentrated animal feeding operations (Gurian-Sherman). The EPA defines CAFOs as buildings that contain thousands of animals for the purpose of food and are “found to be a significant contributor of pollutants.” The purpose of CAFOs is to breed and grow animals at a rapid rate to produce the most amount of food at the lowest cost.  The nature of these operations as well as the lack of regulations has led to high costs on taxpayers, communities, and the environment (Gurian-Sherman). The current agriculture system is not maximizing our food output and is destroying our health and depleting our resources. The realities of agriculture often remain behind closed doors for much or our society. However, clean water and air is vital to everyone and it won’t be long before more people face the harmful effects of these agricultural industries. The air we breathe and our water sources are becoming more polluted every day. Many of our resources such as land and water are being consumed by agriculture. There are many ways, on a global scale, to improve the agriculture system; from farming methods to stricter regulations to our diets. Current farming practices need to change before we jeopardize our nation’s health and the environment.  

Many will argue that factory farms are necessary to keep up with food needs around the world. The global population continues to increase causing the demand for food to rise. Some reports estimate that consumption of meat will rise over 70% by 2050 (Leyonhjelm) as the population grows to an estimated over nine billion (Foley). To meet not only the current demand for animal products but to also keep up with increasing demands, many do not believe that there is not a method that is more efficient and effective then factory farming. However, for CAFOs to continue to meet the demands for animal products, more land will be needed to grow crops for more animals, more waste will be produced, emissions from these facilities will grow, and more resources will be required to run these industries (Gurian-Sherman). As nations are developing, becoming wealthier, and increasing in population, the demand for meat continues to rise. The unfortunate truth, however, is that our earth cannot continue to sustain these demands and will not be able to keep up with the current predictions for meat consumption based on our global agriculture system (Notaras). While some may view factory farms as essential, what they may not realize is the true cost of these industries and the effect they have on both our health and the environment. Large changes need to be made for our food supply to be secure and to live sustainably. 

CAFOs produce twice the amount of waste as the nation’s entire human population produces in one year. Approximately 300 million tons of waste come from CAFOs and without enough land for proper disposal, most factories develop waste lagoons on their property. Unfortunately, this method creates pollution in air and waterways affecting not only surrounding communities but any communities that these waterways run through. Waste water leaches into groundwater and creates runoff into surrounding bodies of water. This causes contamination of drinking water and recreational water sources. Some pollutants volatilize causing respiratory issues in surrounding communities. Ammonia is a respiratory irritant and when combined with other airborne particles can cause respiratory disease. Ammonia is one of the most common pollutants that volatilizes and causes health and respiratory issues for the surrounding community. (Gurian-Sherman) Even when waste is spread over land, due to the high volume, this often still results in high levels of runoff into waterways and particles spreading into the airways. The communities that face these effects most directly are those near factory farms. These communities report complaints of smell, obvious air pollution, higher than average number of people with asthma, repertory irritants and infections. These large industrialized farms are dramatically reducing the quality of life for many communities as well as jeopardizing their health and well-being. 

Many may argue that pesticides and fertilizers from crops are casing issues to those communities as well as our environment. And this is true. Over the past 50 years alone, pesticide use has increased 26-fold. Pesticides often run-off into surrounding bodies of water polluting the water and affecting marine life. Pesticides are not only toxic to the target species but are often toxic for many organisms and even people. This is more commonly a problem in countries outside of the United States, such as some in South America, but by polluting these waterways, farms are often limiting clean water resources for people and sadly even poisoning communities. Whole ecosystems can be effected as these pesticides can disrupt hormone messaging systems for both wildlife and people. The effects last for many generations (World Wildlife Fund). While some people may learn about these issues and put the blame on crops, with over 50% of our crops fed to animals instead of people, we need to be looking at the whole picture (Notaras).

Large amounts of livestock in a very confined space are a breeding ground for bacteria. An easy way to promote growth and prevent disease is to feed the animals large amounts of antibiotics. It is estimated that a majority of antibiotics in the United States are used for large-scale farming purposes, not to treat human disease. Due to the high levels on antibiotics in livestock, animal products including both meat and dairy, contain small levels of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Over the past decade, research has shown this causing problems for once curable diseases. As the antibiotic bacteria builds up, vaccines and medicine for humans is not working as effectively as it once had (Gurian-Sherman).

When the large waste lagoons fail, tens of millions of gallons of manure spills into surrounding streams and bodies of water. Not only do these spills effect our health, but also the environment. This leads to substantial loss of wildlife and major disturbances in ecosystems. Two of the primary pollutants from manure are nitrogen and phosphorus. These pollutants lead to eutrophication in the water which causes depletion of oxygen, kills or harms aquatic life, and alters the balance of the ecosystem (Gurian-Sherman).

The industrialization of agriculture is threatening our clean water supply. The agricultural sector consumes about 70% of the planet’s accessible freshwater (World Wildlife Fund). It is reported that 80% of California’s total water usage is due to agriculture and meat and dairy alone account for 47%. Drought has been a big issue in the state for years but when the governor decided to take action, he looked strictly at household water use which only accounts for approximately 4% of California’s water use (Wells). Most people today think of taking shorter showers, turning off the tap when brushing their teeth, and maybe even using water saving appliances in their home as the best ways to save water. What most do see is how industries are affecting our global water consumption and that their diet has the biggest affect in conserving water resources. 

There are many solutions that need to happen to help the current situation. The first is a decrease in the consumption of animal products. Americans today consume much higher quantities of animal products then they did even 50 years ago. We cannot sustainably support the increase of demand. Plant-based diets reduce the water use required for food. From growing the crops to feed the animals to keeping the animals alive and even to the slaughter and processing of the meat, there are large amounts of water required at each step. By increasing plant-based diets, we remove that costly middle step of animals and are able to move food directly from farm to table. Factory farms are not the most efficient way to feed the world. A decrease in animal product consumption would also cause a decline in the number of factory farms and instead allow for smaller farms that can control the waste produced and reduce the water consumption. Although adopting a vegan diet would be most beneficial, greatly reducing overall animal product consumption (meat, dairy, eggs) and purchasing food from local farms would still have significant impacts. 

Only 55 percent of the calories in all the crops grown worldwide are used by humans (Foley). Most of that remaining percent is fed to livestock. This method is extremely inefficient as most of the calories fed to livestock turn into only a fraction of calories for humans. In a National Geographic article on feeding the world, Jonathan Foley states that, “for every 100 calories of grain we feed animals, we only get about 40 new calories of milk, 22 calories of eggs, 12 of chicken, 10 of pork, or 3 of beef.” Thinking about this on a larger scale, a person could get 2,000 calories from plants but by feeding those crops to a cow, they would only end up with about 600 calories while also requiring more energy and resources for the cow to live and eventually be slaughtered and processed. It is typical in American society to see meat as a necessity. We are often raised thinking meat contains everything we need and it is efficient in providing more calories and nutrients then plants alone. Not only do plants contain far more nutrients and health benefits with no cholesterol, no increase in risk of heart attacks, and no research showing evidence of promoting cancer; but they also would provide more calories to feed the world and growing population. If the entire world followed a plant based diet, on the land we have now, we would have enough food to feed the predicted world population in 2050. 

Our planet cannot afford further deforestation. Massive amounts of land have already been cleared for agriculture. In total, an area the size of South America has been cleared for crops and an area the size of Africa has been cleared for raising livestock. Our environment cannot afford any more deforestation, particularly of our rain forests. We do not need to clear any more land if we become more efficient on the present farmland. There are many ways to increase yields on less productive farms, such as those in Africa and India. If farmers incorporate more high-tech, modern methods as well as borrowing organic farming practices, they could produce significantly higher yields (Foley). 

There are many ways that the current farming practices could be improved. With the technology developed today, farmers now have the ability to use tractors with sensors and GPS to target and improve their application of pesticides and fertilizers. These sensors help them to find the perfect blend for the soil conditions and this reduces runoff and optimized the chemical use. Farms can also adopt methods from organic farming such as incorporating cover crops, compost, mulches and focusing on improving soil quality and reducing water use. The biggest concern people have with organic farming is crop yields.  Based on studies done in the past, organic farming produces roughly 19% less than industrial farming. However, due to these studies being biased towards these industries, it is estimated that the difference is less than that (Yang). When looking at the bigger picture, the difference in crop yields isn’t a big deal. We currently produce more than enough food to feed the world but we are not using it efficiently. It is also important to understand the many benefits of organic. Organic farming helps keep our air, water, and land clean and free from pollution from pesticides. The practices also focus on genetic diversity in plants, not stripping the soil of its nutrients, reducing water consumption, and overall producing sustainable and healthy produce (Beyond Factory Farming). 

It is also extremely important for nations, such as the United States, to work with developing nations on creating a sustainable agriculture system. It is much easier for a nation to develop sustainably then to have to change their methods after developing in a way many other countries have that is unsustainable and requires large amount of resources. By using sustainable practices, countries are also able to learn how to better use their resources and have the ability to develop at a higher rate. There are many changes farms across the globe can make to greatly improve farming. This switch will take time, however it is necessary for the future to start making changes now. 

The last solution that needs to occur is stricter regulations on agriculture industries. They are the highest source of pollution and without stricter regulations, communities across the country will have to deal will the harmful effects these industries cause. Right now, the communities near these factories are the ones taking the brunt of the pollution but it is an issue every person should be concerned with. Lack of regulations on agriculture industries has allowed for increased pollution of our air and waterways in the United States. Waste from these factories runs off into waterways contaminating surface and ground water. This not only affects our water supply but also damages aquatic ecosystems. Regulations need to change to place strict limits on these industries. Currently, the Clean Water Act is the only large scale regulation in place to "restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters” (Laitos). Unfortunately, this Act places very lose regulations on these large scale agricultural systems. Because the Act identifies most agricultural pollution and discharge as non-point sources, they are not covered under federal regulations and are left to be monitored by the state or not at all. Although nonpoint sources are not viewed as a large threat in these regulations, “in Western states…agricultural runoff is the leading cause of water impairment” (Laitos, 1036). By not addressing these issues, factory farms are able to continue to get away with using unsustainable practices and face no consequences. Due to the large power from money that many of these dominating meat and dairy industries hold as well as the current agriculture system seeming necessary to many, regulations are rarely put on these industries, issues are not often talked about, even within environmental agencies, and these companies often win against any battles people have fought in the past. The public needs to demand stricter regulations on agriculture and the government needs to force those regulations on these industries. 

Most of what happens in factory farms remains behind closed doors, it isn’t something the public wants to know about and corporations are happy keeping them in the dark. Due to this, the public hasn’t been putting pressure on these industries to have cleaner and more sustainable practices, nor have they put the pressure on government officials to increase these regulations. Factory farms are not sustainable; they produce far too much waste that is not manageable to deal with and require unreasonable amounts of water to maintain, the ratio of calories in to calories out is extremely inefficient, resources are being consumed by agriculture, particularly the meat and dairy industries, at an alarming rate, and these practices are jeopardizing the public’s health, food supply, and the environment. Drastic changes need to occur. These changes will take years, even decades, to implement and make a difference. However, at this point, there isn’t much of a choice. We have already put ourselves in a tough position and if we let these practices continue then we could end up at a dangerous irreversible point. Our resources are not endless, our water and air will not always be drinkable and breathable, and unfortunately food might not be as abundant in supermarkets as it is for the current American. These are the harsh realities of our current world and we cannot continue to pretend these issues do not exist or pretend that they are not our problems. You do not have to be a farmer, or a CEO of these industries, or in the government to make a change. But you need to be educated, make choices in your life that support what you believe is right, and advocate for the changes you want to see. 
