[Guest]

Once upon a time, only a decade or so, it wasn’t hard to know where factory hog farms were because they were nearly all in North Carolina. But since those days, the practice of crowding together huge concentrations of animals — hogs, poultry, dairy cows, beef cattle — in the interests of supposed efficiency has spread around the country.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/opinion/31tue4.html?th&emc=th

 

[hunter gatherer]

Our area, known for it's small family farms and multitude of organic farms, is faced with it's first large hog operation. This is a huge issue for our county. Most people don't want it but there are no regulations or zoning that prevent it from happening. It will be the downfall of our beautiful area should it ( and subsequent other operations that are sure to follow) become a reality.

 

[Spinner]

One of my neighbors used to have a commercial hog farm. He hated it and got out of the business. Now his pastures are full of free ranging boer goats.

 

[CGUARDSMAN]

we have a total of 3 turkey operations on our 3 mile road. the neighbors all raise there birds for windham farms. 1 operations handles up to 45000 birds the other 2 at about 30000 a piece depending on the time of year.

 

[Jaclynne]

I live in the white chicken capitol of Texas. Around here when you go to buy a piece of land they ask, "You not going put in a chicken house, are you?"
With in a 10 mile radius we have more than 30 chicken farms, egg farms or fertile egg farms. Most of those have 5 to 25 houses per farm."

 

[willow_girl]

I lived down the road from a large hog operation for 6 years. Never had a single problem with it. :shrug:

 

[Scrounger]

I have a neighbor about a mile from me with a few hogs. On a hot day you can smell them for miles. My county is zoned to prohibit an over abundence of hog/cattle/poultry operations from coming in. We DO have several chicken houses and a chicken plant, but not a tremendous amount.

I once worked with a man who spent 4 hours every night working at the country's largest underground hog facility (just outside of Hastings NE). He had worked there for about 8 years. One day, he came to work (at his day job) and I told him that "something was "different" about him". He told me he had quit the hog plant about a month before. He said it took nearly that long to get the hog smell off of him. His wife (who worked with us) said it was nice not having to sleep with a pig.