How to respond to the threat of Factory Farms

We know it is not easy to be calm when faced with the threat of corporate factory farms in your neighborhoods. We've been through it. We know.

We've been to the local meetings with all the emotion boiling over. We've shared the frustration - and anger -  that comes from the feeling of helplessness. County Boards who's hands are tied, DNR officials who claim there is nothing they can do. State politicians who act concerned and thoughtful, only to inform you there is nothing they either can do, or will do.

It leaves one wondering what happened to the so called "democracy" we learned about in school. What happened to The Bill of Rights in Iowa? What happened to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness? What is happening to our quality of life? Why does no one care about the impact these corporate factory farms have on our families, our health, our environment - our life.

The simple answer is this: The consolidation of agribusiness in the USA has grown to the point that it is powerful enough to "buy" a politically friendly environment. Our legislators have passed laws that have removed your rights as individuals and protected the economic interests of agribusiness. Our democracy, our Constitution, our Rights are all being replaced by a plutocracy. Plain and simple.

While you search for solutions to the threat facing you you will eventually find some startling and disturbing facts:

1.) Your County Board of Supervisors have been stripped of the "Local Control" they once had to make sure developments in their county suited the needs of residents. Thanks State Legislators.

2.) The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) can not protect your neighborhood from the environmental damage these factory farms will do. The legislators have stripped them of over-sight.

3.) Your State Representative may talk the talk, but will do nothing to help you.

4.) If you live within a city limit, your local government can do nothing to stop a hog confinement. They can not, for instance, zone against it.

5.) You can not sue, even if the CAFO is an obvious nuisance. The State legislators have effectively  removed your right to do so.

6.) You can not appeal. The only avenue for appeal is to the Environmental Protection Commission (EPC). This is a shill organization some of whose members are directly involved in the factory farm industry or are, in fact, factory farmers themselves.

So what CAN you do?

The only effective course of action is to organize to "Vote the Bums Out". We know... that is a long term solution to a very immediate problem. But the reason we are facing this problem in the first place is because we haven't effectively organized, we haven't spoken with one voice. We haven't voted together.

And we can change that.

IFN will help you organize a "Farmers and Neighbors" group in your county. We will help with communications, social media and news releases. And we will provide you with help fighting your local disaster in the making.

We will identify (with your help!) 3-5 State Legislators who are both vulnerable, and who are ignoring the demands for real change. And we will work together, as a state-wide organization, to replace them with representatives who will listen.

We know this is a tall order, but using the power of Social Media we can have an impact like never before. We can make the kind of change that will bring some balance back to the laws of our state. Laws that will protect us from corporate greed, will protect our health, our children and our quality of life.

Join us today - Join our Facebook page - subscribe to updates.

Most important - talk to us. Email with your story. Add your voice to the thousands of fellow Iowans who vow to stand up the big money corporate interests and the politicians who do their bidding!