Fast-Growing Factory Farm Nation

Today, Food & Water Watch (FWW) unveiled a new version of their innovative Factory Farm Map, which charts the concentration of factory farms across the United States.  Their findings showed an unprecedented growth in factory farms since 1997, with livestock on factory farms Growing by 20 percent over a 5 year period. The map illustrates geographic shift in where and how food is raised and also allows users to search for the highest concentration of animals across regions, states and the county. Furthermore, it charts the different (often detrimental) impacts that these massive operations have on human health, communities, and the environment. The map and

The map was created through the analysis of USDA Census data from 1997, 2002 and 2007 (the most current census), for beef and dairy cattle, hogs, broiler meat chickens and egg-laying operations.  FWW found that the total number of livestock on the largest factory farms rose by more than 20 percent between 2002 and 2007—while the number of dairy cows and broiler chickens nearly doubled during the same time, making them the fastest-growing population of factory farmed animals.

Further key findings of the research included:

• In five years, total animals on factory farms grew by 5 million in the US.
• The average size of factory farms increased by 9% in five years, cramming more animals into each operation.
• The number of factory dairy farm cows increased from 2.5 million (1997) to 4.9 million (2007) and growth in western states (esp. ID, CA, NM & TX) shifted the industry away from traditional states (WI, NY & MI).
• One processor (Dean Foods) controls around 40% of the U.S. fluid milk supply.
• Beef cattle on industrial feedlots rose 17 percent between 2002 to 2007 – adding about 1,100 beef cattle to feedlots per day during that time period
• In 2007, the ave. factory-farmed dairy held nearly 1,500 cows and the ave. beef feedlot held 3,800 beef cattle.
• The average size of hog factory farms increased by 42% over a decade, with approximately 5,000 hogs added to factory farms every day over those past 10 years.
• The growth of industrial broiler chicken production added 5,800 chickens every hour over the past 10 years.
• The number of egg laying hens on factory farms increased by 1/4 over the past 10 years.
• The 5 States with the largest broiler chicken operations average more than 200,000 birds per farm.
• Currently, there are 4 factory-farmed chickens to every person in the US.

Although the overall number of livestock farms across the country has decreased, big farms are getting bigger, with specific regions and states bearing the brunt of intensive animal production.  Factory farming operations introduce a number of risks to the average citizen, from groundwater contamination and air pollution affecting those near by, to food from potentially unsafe facilities being distributed and shipped across the country. “The Factory Farm Map arms consumers with critical information about how our food is being produced and what we need to do to chart a course to a more sustainable food system,” said Wenonah Hauter, Food & Water Watch’s executive director. “While more light is being shed on the ways our food system is broken and consumers are increasingly interested in knowing where their food comes from, there is still a lot of information that’s hidden from public view.  It was with this purpose of providing an simple tool that anyone could operate to learn more about where their food is actually coming from that the Factory Farm Map was created.

 “This map shows the extent to which factory farms have taken over farming and our communities,” said Robby Kenner, director of the film Food, Inc. This innovative technology is starting to highlight mega-corporations that must be held accountable for the damage they are inflicting on our physical health, the environment, and the economic wellbeing of surrounding communities. Alongside the interactive map, Food & Water Watch released Factory Farm Nation, a report explaining the forces driving factory farms, and the environmental, public health, and economic consequences of this type of animal production.

The Factory Farm Map can be found here, for the companion report, Factory Farm Nation, click here.