Barbara (Wilson) Anderson, Omaha

Omaha World-Herald – Public Pulse – May 25, 2008

Goodbye, country life

When a friend recently mentioned driving through Albion, Neb., and Boone County, where I grew up, I asked how he liked my old stomping grounds.  Instead of remarking on the rural beauty and pleasant escape from the city, he just looked at me and held his nose.

 

He was reacting to the heavy concentration of livestock confinement facilities that have sprung up in that area and the unpleasant odor that so often suffuses the countryside.

 

An Associated Press Story (April 30 World-Herald) reported results of a study by the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production.

 

The study looked at the impact of massive amounts of livestock waste from confinement facilities on lakes, streams and soil, as well as effects on human health and the welfare of the animals themselves.

 

The report observed “shifting (of) rural America’s economic power from farmers to livestock processors.”  Who will provide safeguards for the environment and stand up for the quality of life for all the citizens?

 

It’s unfortunate that one can’t drive through the country on a nice day with the windows down.  It’s even more unfortunate when people can no longer open the windows of their homes.

 

Barbara (Wilson) Anderson, Omaha