Factory Farm Cesspools — where's the common sense?!
By the way, I always want to share “all sides” of an issue, so once you read this post, be sure to pop over to Facebook to read the comments from some who did NOT agree with what I wrote here…
We have a son who is into all things related to aviation, to put it mildly. (He might have gotten it from his Mom.) Last spring we got him a remote control plane, which he flies at various remote control airfields around us. Whenever we're on the other side of town, there's a certain field we always go to. The first time we were there the guys warned us, “You don't want to crash back there, because there's a HUGE cesspool – it's the waste from that dairy farm.” They pointed to the big factory farm that we'd just driven by and I said, “Wow, it's so sad that those cows NEVER get to go outside.”
This was obvious since there wasn't a fence OR a cow in sight.
The picture at the top of this post is an actual shot from Google Earth. You can see the big rectangular factory farm cesspool, also called a “manure lagoon”, and the airfield just to the south. On the right are their two big barns. And these barns are HUGE, so it gives you an idea of how big the cesspool is. Below is a shot of the barns from the road. 
Keep in mind, I've been told by a reputable source that as far as conventional/factory farms go, this is actually a pretty good one because even though the cows are never outside, never eat pasture grasses, and are never off of cement, they're treated humanely otherwise (?), and it's a clean environment. There was no house in sight though, only what looked like a small office. How far we've strayed from traditional farming! And you wouldn't believe how bad the stench is when you're anywhere near the place.
The part that especially bothered me is that it doesn't have to be so complicated.
This now-common conventional farming method of ‘handling manure' is what Nina Planck calls, “Neatly dividing one solution into two problems.” (See her comments on this in the video below, and she's actually quoting Wendell Berry there.)
Imagine how much money it takes to build these huge manure holding tanks?!
And to pay for the system of pipes to get the manure over there! And I wonder what happens to the waste then? (OH but wait, Nina says in the video that our government gives out grants for this, so all of US are paying for it!!!)
I'm just a city girl, but even I have to wonder, wouldn't it be smarter instead to let the cows out on pasture where they're happiest and healthiest? Where they can poop wherever they may and fertilize the ground, which produces rich soil, which grows lush nutrient-dense pasture to feed the cows what they were meant to eat? Then the cows could nourish us with nutrient-packed milk or meat!
Doesn't that just make more sense?
It's better for the cows, for the environment, and for our health too, because naturally managed pastures, and the animals out in the sun happily roaming around and munching on it, produce nutrient-dense food for us!
This is “Salad bar beef” (or “salad bar milk”) as Joel Salatin calls it.
It's the way it was always done until the past few decades when things got so far off-track. Pasture grasses are what the cows always ate, with maybe a small amount of supplemental feed. Nowadays they also truck in their feed, again, costing more in trucking expenses — it's all so screwed up! And by the way, that feed is usually a mixture “specially formulated by a veterinarian” to have the right amount of calories. Most of that being corn or other grains, which is not a cow's natural diet for one thing (partly why conventional cows are sicker and don't live as long as naturally-raised cows), and also more grains are not what I want in the meat or milk I serve my family, especially since it's all genetically modified!
Again, how far we have strayed…
I'm very thankful for our dairy and meat farmers, who know how and why to use traditional farming methods, and I'm just sad that so many modern-day farmers follow the path of a conventional factory operation – obviously, they've somehow been convinced that it's better.
- Here’s a book on the topic that you’ll definitely want to read: The Untold Story of Milk
Here's where you can find safe meat and milk near you:
- Find local real milk here.
- Find local safe pastured meat and eggs here.
- Here's where to buy safe, clean, pastured meat online if you don't have a good local source, but finding it locally is always best! (I'll buy there to fill in sometimes, if my farmer is low on chicken or bacon or whatever.
- (Also here's where you can get beef tallow from pastured cows for healthy and guilt-free frying! See my post Deep Fried Heaven for recipe ideas or my recipe for homemade French fries!)
You still have to ask questions to be sure your farmer is doing things right though:
- Here's my friend, Karen, telling what to look for in choosing a safe, clean farm.
- Read more about why we drink fresh milk right from the farm and from farmers we know and trust.
- Raw Milk Benefits and Information: Q & A with Mark McAfee
- Cowspiracy Film Farce — It’s Not WHAT You Eat, it’s HOW its GROWN! (And Why Allan Savory is my HERO)
Here's the video with Nina Planck:
Her comments about factory farm cesspools/manure lagoons and “neatly dividing one solution into two problems” are at about minute 18:19, but the whole interview is really good about real food:
More:
- Factory Farm Cesspools of Shame — How Factory Farm Lagoons and Sprayfields Threaten Environmental and Public Health
- What You Never Even Knew You Should Ask About Grass-Fed Beef
- How I Got Lazy and the 5 Ways I Have Recommitted to Real Food and Healthy Eating!
- Spy Drones Expose Smithfield Foods Factory Farm Cesspools:
Amanda Kotter says
#veganforallthereasons
Amanda Kotter says
? yeah, I’ll pass.
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
Amanda Kotter, have you seen this option to not eating meat at all?: https://kellythekitchenkop.com/are-meat-eaters-ruining-the-earth/
Kevin N Lisa Campbell says
Me too Jill! Plus the benefits are too numerous to mention in a post.
Jill-David Boman says
This is why I buy grass-fed and finished beef from farmers I know!
Liz Weaver Endsley says
Ugh. Kelly, you need to do research on the other side of the story. Big farms aren’t factories. They are usually family farms that have grown to meet the needs of multiple families involved. Conventional farming isn’t ideal in many ways, but it’s the way we pay our bills. Many of the things in your dairy farm articles are simply not true or not in our case anyway. We have a very clean farm and treat our cows well. 99.9% of the dairy farmers we know do the same. I know you didn’t mean to misrepresent conventional farmers, but I see this happen a lot in the natural world. People watch Food Inc. and assume all farms are the same. Those farms are the exception, not the rule. If you’d ever like to talk to my husband, I’m sure he would be happy to answer your questions.
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
Hi Liz Weaver Endsley! Did you see my post I just put up the other day? See #2 here: https://kellythekitchenkop.com/what-sally-fallon-morell-feeds-her-cows-raw-milk-round-up/ I couldn’t remember who I was chatting with on FB, but now I remember, I think that was you, wasn’t it? Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I did hear you back then and I posted what you said so others know, too. It just took me a while to get it up and posted. 🙂 xoxo
Rhiannon F S Knight says
Yuck
Commenter via Facebook says
They produce products that people need??? No. They produce products that people LIKE! 😛
AnnaR says
One of the biggest problems to the dairy industry is the government. As with a lot of other farming aspects the government has stepped in and manipulated the price, so in order to get the best deal the farmer is obligated to “conform” to the rules and regulation, giving up the “good ole way”. The theory of “bigger” is “better” and guaranteed prices outweighs the more conventional practice. I have a few jerseys, all are more like family then bovines (except maybe their hard headiness somedays). I couldn’t imagine having them confined daily (I don’t think they could imagine it either). I’d love to have a dairy but when I look at all the rules and regulation to conform I just can’t do it. We have plenty of milk for our family, I raise bottle calves instead, and our family enjoys almost every minute of it, and wouldn’t want it any other way. Keep up the good work.
Commenter via Facebook says
I am a raw milk organic pastured dairy farmer, I get paid extra from my customers for a product they feel is safer than store bought milk. My cows are on pasture every day the snow doesn`t fly, and they are never pumped full of GMO grains, they eat grass and hay on the most part. Cows from traditional dairies of today don`t live long because they are pushed for maximum production, most won`t make the cut after their third lactation. I have cows that are ten years old and still milking and having calves, and are happy. Dairy farmers of today have been told that the way they need to make money is have the cows in confinement, it does not work. Cows are not production machines, they are animals that give milk, and the one thing that you should never forget, They are ” MOTHER`s”.
Commenter via Facebook says
A dairy (or any farm/ranch) that raises happy, healthy animals in good conditions, low stress, and produces clean quality products is an AWESOME thing, and I absolutely support those.
The dairies, farms and/or ranches that DON’T do those things are a totally different cesspool of fish.
Commenter via Facebook says
CAFO cesspool farms are a relatively new invention for dairy farming. Your view is far from twisted, as I’m sure you already know. But your view is dangerous to Mary, sister of an Oklahoma dairy farmer, because it forces her to come to grips with an uncomfortable truth…one that casts a bad light on the family business. Denial is easier on the conscience.
Danette says
I’ve never milked a cow, raised beef, pork or chicken, goats, bees or even lived close to a farm (close enough to catch a whiff). However, you cannot even compare cooking results of food not tainted with pasteurization , chemicals or additives or colorings to conventionally prepared food. Our food bill is our second highest expense next to our housing. If you want to eat well and don’t have a lot of money (we don’t ) there are tons of ways to eat delicious ‘un -armed’ and ‘un- harmed’ food. Pool with a family or 2 or three to buy your meat (from a farmer you know). Raw milk farms. Urban gardening. Food share networking. Food co-ops. Talk to the grocery store manager you buy your food at ( and tell your friends to talk to them as well! They LISTEN To their shoppers.). If they don’t, find a new grocery store manager at a new store and tell them you left hoping to find new alternatives. YOUR answers are out there if you really WANT to eat this food. I just don’t get it. This is one of many blogs that share the love of REAL food and instead people are defending the joy of their personal healing and health. Keep typing everybody!! Change the world with your stories!
Commenter via Facebook says
I understand that farmers have been absolutely screwed by the govt to the point that CAFO’s are ultimately often viewed as a way to make it work. Coming at it from that perspective, I guess I could see people defending the right to farm. HOWEVER…. CAFO’s are absolutely awful, no good in any form can came from them. I wish I could link it here but Joel Salatin from Polyface Farms just posted an article on his FB called “From different worlds” about how far apart him and a CAFO farmer are that he had an encounter with a week ago. It speaks volumes….
Commenter via Facebook says
This doesn’t change my opinion. I think we need to go back to the way cows were meant to live if we’re going to get their dairy. I hate the cesspools, but I do love dairy farms–when done responsibly.
Beverly says
If you got close enough to take the picture of the barns, why didn’t you go up and ask your questions of the dairy farmer? Why do you have to post pictures and ask you questions of others (who mostly have no real experience in animal agriculture). Maybe the farmer would have told you that they use the lagoon materials for fertilizer on their crops. Perhaps he would have told you that they don’t have enough pasture space because people are growing too many houses.
Everybody buying grass-fed raw milk from local farmers sounds great in a Norman Rockwell painting, but it is not logical in the real world. In many states Raw Milk is illegal. In many farming areas, the farms are feeling the pressure of human encroachment. Everybody wants to live in the country, but nobody wants the smell, noises, etc.
KitchenKop says
@Beverly, when I took the picture I didn’t go in to ask questions of the dairy farmer because this is a *factory* – I knew there would be no “farmer” there, and likely only a few people in the small office.
Kelly
Beverly says
A dairy of that size would not have just a “few people in a small office.” I guarantee that there would be activity of some level. They probably milk 2-3 times a day and can’t do that in only a few minutes. Perhaps you could have gotten an education instead of supposing. I think what bothers me most about this post and the comments is that people are putting all large farms into the same “mean and dirty” basket. I have no doubt that some farms can be like that, but the majority are not. Dairy farmers have to protect their investment and their “workers.” They want the cattle to be healthy and can be shut down if their milk is not to acceptable standards.
I know I won’t change your view of things. As long as you are driving by and making your own conclusions without investigating further, there is no point in trying to let you see the light.
Have a good day.
Commenter via Facebook says
I have to share a story with you. When I lived in NV I was in the country and lived across the road from a large cow dairy. Well we always knew when they were raking up the cow poo because the smell would be really strong. Well , a man moved in across from us and 6 months after he was there he came storming over and stated he was moving he didn’t know there was a dairy across the road !! Well, where was he for 6 months ? He drove by it everyday and what did he think those big black and white things were ? :>) Good grief if you move to the country there are smells and some of them you may not like but remember you moved into there area they were there first. This is why the Gov. is taking over our rights ! You move to the country but you don’t want the things that go with it. Where are the farmers and dairys supposed to go ?
Commenter via Facebook says
I have a friend who is the wife of a dairy man. And they aren’t organic, though they also aren’t CAFO. I have often thought of her and wondered what would happen if she suddenly realized (or maybe admitted) that she didn’t agree with conventional farming methods. How would that conversation go? How badly would it affect her marriage and family? Let’s be honest, disagreeing with our spouse on a BIG issue is really hard, and not everyone has the skill set to do it well. Most of us weren’t taught how to argue or disagree and still love each other! So…I pray for them. HE is the only one who can move hearts and make changes in that kind of situation!
I personally don’t know how a parent, particularly a mother, could ever handle having a cesspool on the same property as her home, where her kids play and hide and eat and drink. **Shudder**
Keep it up! Those of us in this fight need to realize something…people don’t change until their discomfort level is greater their desire to stay the same. So, don’t be afraid to make people uncomfortable & expose the truth! That’s all we can do!!
Commenter via Facebook says
Dairy farms don’t have to smell bad. There’s no smell on a raw pastured dairy farm. Hmmmmm funny how that works out.
Commenter via Facebook says
These pools are needed to hold all the waste because they don’t have enough land to spread the amount they have. They have too many animals for the amount of land they own. When they spread, it runs off into the water system. I am not sure how the pool helps this, because I am sure it is leaching into the water anyway. Don’t blame the farmers, the people demand cheaper food, so that is what they are getting. I can’t even call it cheap because it is expensive to eat. I feel sorry for people that are caught in the grocery store and food producing trap.
Commenter via Facebook says
One of the biggest factors in buying our farm was to house a milk cow. I bought Peaches, who incidentally thinks she’s my dog, before we actually moved onto the property. We moved in tandem with her arrival 😀 since drying her off in anticipation of calving we haven’t had milk – and all my old fibromyalgia pain is back. Coincidence? I don’t think so. I’m sure there are ppl who get along fine without good fresh milk, but I’m not one of them.
Commenter via Facebook says
It’s sad that this is what farming has come to, it IS an unnatural way to raise cattle and it IS environmentally unsustainable and bad for the cattle. It could use, however, more discussion about WHY farming has come to this. How farmers have been trained to do things this way, how government oversight has made traditional farming more difficult, how costs and pressure from consumers for an ever cheaper product has made it more difficult for farmers to make the right choice.
Commenter via Facebook says
And as long as we want cheap food there will be CAFOs. For pork, chicken and beef along with milk
Commenter via Facebook says
The system has become increasingly stacked in favor of big ag methods. Even farmers who would prefer to run smaller operations on pasture may not know how to make the switch without going bankrupt. Watch this excellent video when you have 30 min. – it explains exactly what is driving the big corporate engines, and how they got and maintain so much power. https://www.hiddensecretsofmoney.com/videos/episode-4
Commenter via Facebook says
I will have to read it when I have time. I was employed on a cafo and they are blinded by the fact that they need to feed the world. Ha the majority of that world can’t afford to buy food so are they giving it away? They get lots of feel good info on how they need to feed everyone. Just a thought I had. Like I said I will read it as soon as I can 🙂
Commenter via Facebook says
I don’t think there is any defense for CAFOs…I don’t see how they get around animal cruelty charges aside from the fact that there is some warped sense that we need milk so badly that we are willing to use it full of pus and antibiotics and God knows what else just so we can have milk. It’s not sustainable, it’s not humane, it’s not safe. I’m sorry she feels offended. I know how scary it is financially for farmers who get caught up in the monsanto seed/triple mortgage to pay for the next bigger tractor trap….but at some point even the farmers need to see that the milk and the cows are not healthy and this is no way to treat our earth. People will get away with what ever they can until someone catches them or changes the rules. The lobbyists help prevent those rules from being changed.
Commenter via Facebook says
I agree about CAFO’s completely.
Commenter via Facebook says
I love raw milk! I watch my body respond to it. I lost weight without exercise and feel better on it. Whereas on pasteurized milk I couldn’t lose weight. I was drinking skim milk and felt terrible. I was doing all the things the government said was healthy but not losing weight. I found out the government had sold out. I am angry at the big CAFOs. There was one in Idaho and some of staff were kicking and beating the poor animals. When they were caught, the owners seem to only care about the fact that there were hidden video tapes on their property. The owners swore they didn’t know about the abuse. Well guess what it’s their job to know! Instead, the owners helped push the gag law to prosecute anyone who videotaped dairy farms. I think they have a lot to hide and I won’t ever buy their products again! Thanks to you bloggers, I’ve changed my life and I’ve never been happier. We appreciate your great, informative posts.
Commenter via Facebook says
Commercial/Factory Farm Dairy’s I believe are cesspools – hence why they have to pasteurize it. Small local dairy farms that sell clean raw milk should be available to everyone!
Commenter via Facebook says
I completely agree with you. I have also learned that as we go away from the natural design by God (in many arenas), we lose. For example, cows were never intended to be locked up nor to be fed grain. The government was never intended to provide subsidies, nor regulate small farmers practically out of existence, nor control what people eat. We all lose. Mary is a good example of how her allegiance to her brother (I’m sure a wonderful guy) has prevented her from thinking clearly of the big picture. Also, her brother is probably in a Catch 22 situation because of government idiocy and interference. Overall, it’s a sad, sad situation.
Commenter via Facebook says
Raw milk is a wonderful product that people have consumed for thousands and thousands of years. Just because conventional pasteurized homogenized milk is unhealthy doesn’t mean that ALL milk is.
Commenter via Facebook says
Dairy is NOT a product people need. That’s stellar marketing by the USDA and the milk industry talking… food pyramids and the Got Milk campaign ring any bells? The only thing that NEEDS cow’s milk is a baby cow.
Commenter via Facebook says
Something is wrong with the ‘system’ if there are dairy cesspools full of manure. If cows are able to graze on pastures and rotated to different lots, manure or fertilizer will be spread all around, supplying needed nutrients for the soil. There is a natural order to things and we have come very far from it. I understand that there are farming families who work very hard at what they do, but we need to work with nature and not against it. I personally have a dream of owning a family farm and having my own dairy cow. Until then, I will buy our milk from a local farm, and I do not buy conventional milk from the grocery store unless we’re in a pinch.
Leah G says
We raise A2A2 jerseys. Our friends raise the same and even the dairy we used to go to. We all raise them on pasture with supplemental hay. We also supplement with alfalfa. The dairy uses sunflower meal. The milk is super rich with cream. Our girls are family. Each with a name and a personality. My heart breaks for the animals that are used like machines. I do know that the Govt causes a lot of issues in their moronic regulation. Its always a matter of keeping the little guy down while boosting the dirty big guy. As for the poopy. It can get messy even on pasture. We (the smaller guys) still scoop and compost to keep the pastures clean. The ground is full of lovely lil dung beetles and the chickens do a great job of turning it as well.
Danette says
I am currently reading the book you mentioned. It’s very good!
John Russell says
I wonder what kind of milk they produce? I have to be careful about where I get my milk from because trustworthy business, even in the dairy industry, are an endangered species. Granted, you took the farm at face value inside a plane, but…
Dairies that practice bad things with their cows outnumber the more traditional farms that let their cows have some space. So this post is, at worst, a rushed judgement and not a twisted view of the situation. After all, it’s not really twisted to worry about cows that are never let outside because they really need that sun and fresh air. And they’re big animals. Animals need to move, so logic dicates that they need lots of room, right? This is my arbitrary comment for the day.
Commenter via Facebook says
uh that is so gross. You can actually find a list of all the CAFO’s in Michigan on the MDEQ website. I have google mapped a few of them near Grand Rapids and there are always these barns surrounded by land – It makes me mad they don’t just let the animals out on that land! I am so glad there are a lot of farmers selling meat from pastured animals in this area. There is actually a small farm near me with cows out in the pasture but it is surrounded by a few newer subdivision and there is a for sale sign down the street which makes me wonder how long those animals will have their pasture. Now that I have learned so much about food I am so sad to see the real farms disappearing.
KitchenKop says
I thought I’d share an email with you that I got today (from a reader who was unsubscribing):
“I LOVE dairies. They produce a product that people need. Neighbors are forever griping about sounds and smells, and the government is forever strangling their ability to produce at a price they can live with. Your Dairy Cesspool comments pushed my button. I like your recipes and I like your food links, but I see in this post a twisted view of the situation and no longer want to receive your newsletters.
Thank you, Mary
Sister of an Oklahoma dairyman.”
She brought up something important that should’ve been mentioned in the post, so I thought I’d share my reply to her:
“Before you go, I’d love it if you’d share that view at the post, so people can hear from “the other side”. You made a great point, I don’t doubt that the *real* issue here is the government making everything more difficult than it should be for everyone involved. If you don’t want to go back and comment, do I have your permission to copy your words over there?
Either way, take care,
Kelly”
Obviously, she gave her permission. 🙂
IC says
I live 10 minutes outside of our medium sized city and there are probably are a dozen dairies and small scale beef growers within 5 or 10 miles of my home going away from the city. One dairy sells raw milk. Another sells to a local artisan cheesemaker. We love driving by! I don’t know anyone who complains probably because being small and mostly outside, they don’t smell and are a heartwarming pastoral sight! If we drive a little further out to the conventional operations, who do the spray poop sludge in the fields thing, now that smells and the runoff is just plain dangerous. A cesspool can overflow or flood and have toxic runoff too.
Dani says
It IS wrong. We have a joke in our house that those cows don’t say, “moo,” they say “poooo!”
Dani says
I, like you, would much rather see the cows out on the pasture than stuck in a barn. However there are a lot of factors that play into being able to pasture farm, including rainfall, which in many areas, it simply precludes being able to farm in thar manner, and a factory farm can literally exist anywhere that a truck can deliver feeds. My biggest beef (hee hee) with most factory farms is that the cattle are standing in their own feces for their entire lives, but this setup may have a system in which they aren’t standing in pools of urine and other nasty stuff, but it gets rinsed down and piped out? I’m definitely not defending conventional farming at all, and I sincerely hope your son’s plane never crashes in that nasty pond! I will, for as long as we can afford, continue to feed my family pastured beef, pasture finished. It’s just tastes better, and we all feel the difference, too.
KitchenKop says
Yes, I guess that’s true, at least they’re not standing in it all day, but still, it seems so wrong to not have them outside.
Kelly