“From the very beginning of the hog facility, we started experiencing, there is no other word to describe it but gut-wrenching odors that could just wake you up out of a dead sleep.” This line kicks off our new documentary on the harmful impacts that Illinois factory farms can have on rural communities. The […]
Report: Interior Must Address Bird Deaths Caused by Canada’s Tar Sands
Interior Department Must Declare Canada is Undermining International Wildlife Protections Destructive mining and drilling practices in the heart of Canada’s forest bird nurseries have already killed thousands of birds and are putting millions more at risk, including the critically endangered whooping crane. That’s according to an issue brief released yesterday by the National Wildlife Federation, and […]
Marshall County Board Votes Against Massive Hog Factory Farm
On May 8, the Marshall County Board voted 11-1 against the construction of a proposed hog factory farm. Members of Save Our Sandy were elated by the vote, which surely reflected their months of grassroots activism. The proposed Sandy Creek Lane facility would house almost 20,000 hogs on a few acres near Sandy Creek, a […]
Neighbors Consider Proposed Hog Farm a Threat to Beloved Local Creek
Yesterday, Prairie Rivers Network attended a heated, public informational meeting on a proposed hog farm in Marshall County. We attended because we were asked to by a group of local residents who don’t want to live near what they call a “hog factory.” If approved for construction, the hog farm will house almost 20,000 hogs […]
Farm Bill Passes with Important Conservation Requirement
Finally, we have a federal Farm Bill! President Obama signed the long-awaited bill into law on February 7, bringing an end to a multi-year effort to pass the legislation. And fortunately, the environmental community has something to celebrate: conservation compliance was re-linked to federal crop insurance subsidies! The relinkage of conservation compliance to crop insurance […]