Chad Wallace sells his product locally to get the best prices. Many farmers in his position are left discouraged by the difficulties they face in going against the industrial ag industry practices.
Concentrated animal feeding operations, also known as CAFO, in Illinois are hurting small farmers and possibly the environment due underregulation by the state.
Photo: Emilian Robert Vicol/Pixabay
by Judith Ruiz-BranchIllinois News Connection
CHICAGO - Illinois is known for having some of the weakest environmental laws for
concentrated animal feeding operations, with a lack of oversight and public transparency for the entire process. A coalition of rural landowners is working to change it.
In Illinois, it is estimated there are
more than 21,000 concentrated animal feeding operations.
Chad Wallace, director of rural affairs for the Illinois Environmental Council, works with the Illinois Livestock Reform Coalition, which has about 70 members across states. They are trying to come up with
legislative solutions for the growing concerns of landowners who have been affected by them.
"The industry is basically embedded," Wallace acknowledged. "It is very hard for folks to go up against something that is so broad and so organized."
Nearly all applications submitted in Illinois over the past decade have been approved. Wallace pointed out several attempts to introduce legislation to increase regulation have failed, with the most recent in 2019 for a proposed moratorium on lagoons being used for holding confinement waste.
More than 90% of animals raised for agriculture in the U.S. come from concentrated animal feeding operations, yet environmental advocates argued the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is unaware of the locations of the majority of operations, making it difficult to regulate them and account for their environmental impact.
Wallace, who grew up in a farming family, raises beef, pork and lamb and has been approached by people wanting to construct operations on his land. He declined but noted it came with a cost.
"One of the struggles is constantly having to build the value of your product due to not being in the industry," Wallace explained.
Wallace sells locally to get the best prices for his products. He added many in his position are left discouraged by the difficulties they face in going against the industrial ag industry. Proponents of concentrated animal feeding operations said they are an economic necessity to keep retail prices of meat, milk and eggs affordable for consumers, and are crucial to the viability of rural communities.
CHICAGO - Local chapters of the League of Women Voters of Illinois will host community protests and rallies in five cities across Illinois tomorrow, March 4. The goal is to bring people together in solidarity during the president's address to Congress on Tuesday.
Donald Trump will deliver the first joint congressional address of his second presidency on Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST. While not a State of the Union address, the president is expected to announce his goals for the year and accomplishments as he starts his second term before a packed House chamber.
LWVIL says the events around the state are being held to "offer a peaceful and unified space to come together for the health of our democracy, the future of our nation, and the well-being of all its people."
Gatherings will be held in Batavia, downtown Chicago, Naperville, Rockford, and at the Courthouse Plaza in Peoria.
"Defending democracy is our mission," Becky Simon, president of the League of Women Voters of Illinois, said in a release today, stressing an "urgent" need for peaceful protest during this administration. "The League’s spirit to act and fight for our democracy is exactly the courage we need to defend our constitutional republic."
Kathy Cortez, LWVIL vice president for issues and advocacy, noted that "The League has been defending democracy for 105 years, and we are just getting started."
League of Women Voters of Illinois protests will take place on Tuesday, March 4, at the following locations:
