CAFOs and small, family farms represent two distinct approaches to agriculture. CAFOs are large-scale facilities designed for maximum efficiency in meat, dairy, or egg production. Animals in CAFOs often live in high densities, with limited space for movement and restricted access to natural environments. They are typically fed specialized diets aimed at maximizing growth or… cafos-vs-small-farms/" title="ReadCAFOS vs Small Farms”>Read more »
What Are Harmful Algal Blooms? Harmful algal blooms (HABs) represent a grave systemic threat to our waters, underscoring the inextricable connection between water-energy-food and climate change, and the need for comprehensive and holistic policies and regulations. The slimy green algae excrete toxins that threaten our drinking water, fish populations, and water recreation. Urban, industrial, and agricultural phosphorus… CAFO)”>Read more »
By Carrie La Seur, FLOW Legal Director It’s getting warm this spring down in Allegan County. In late February 2024, attorneys in the Michigan Attorney General’s office brought an enforcement lawsuit against J&D Brenner Farms, an Allegan County dairy operation and successful scofflaw until this year. EGLE has been trying since 2016 to get Deb… cafo/" title="ReadAG Nessel’s lawsuit against Allegan County CAFO“>Read more »
By Carrie La Seur, FLOW Legal Director My lungs remember. While I was an Iowa Environmental Protection Commissioner, I said yes to a chance to visit a relatively small hog confinement run, by the dad of one of my son’s best friends. It was just a few miles from our home in Mount Vernon, population… cafo-amicus-brief/" title="ReadFLOW joins amicus brief in Michigan Supreme Court CAFO case”>Read more »
Guest author Pam Taylor is a volunteer with Environmentally Concerned Citizens of South Central Michigan. Taylor’s family came to Lenawee County, Michigan in 1837 to farm, and some family members are still farming there. She and her brother own a farm that’s been in her family for 117 years, where she lived and raised sheep… CAFO Sewage Runoff Threatens Water Systems”>Read more »
By Zach Welcker, FLOW Legal Director On February 16, 2023, FLOW (For Love Of Water) and 10 other environmental groups filed an amicus brief asking the Michigan Supreme Court to strike down an appellate court ruling that prevents the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (“EGLE”) from fulfilling its duty to protect Michigan’s… cafo-pollution/" title="ReadCombating CAFO Pollution”>Read more »
Public notice in a local newspaper in October 2017 announced a permit application for a mammoth swine factory near the Oceana/Muskegon County line along Lake Michigan. Called a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO), this proposed pollution factory activated our resistance. Reviving Our American Democracy (ROAD) is a White Lake Area public interest group that has worked hard to stop this outrage ever since.
Nitrate pollution might not be a familiar term, but it could be affecting your drinking water more than you realize. Nitrates are a naturally occurring form of nitrogen found in soil and water, but human activities, particularly industrial agriculture, have significantly increased nitrate levels in rivers, lakes, and groundwater. This invisible, odorless, and taste-free contaminant… Read more »
By: Carrie La Seur, Legal Director — Stand aside Silicon Valley, the next big tech disruptor might be a giant manure scooper. Why? Because the Great Lakes, the largest freshwater system on Earth, are becoming a sea of livestock excrement. Traverse City is pleasantly distant from the factory farms of central and southern Michigan – but… Read more »
Our programs Who we are Our story is about water. 20 percent of the world’s fresh surface water – and the need to educate citizens and leaders about protecting the Great Lakes as a commons held in public trust now and for future generations. At FLOW (For Love of Water), we believe the enduring ideas… Read more »
