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.
Apply here! FLOW seeks to hire 1L & 2L summer legal interns for summer 2025! Our legal interns engage in FLOW’s water protection law and policy programs – locally inspired, with international reach. We’re looking for two compassionate advocates ready for hands-on work in one of the best summer locations in the US, on the… Read more »
One of the military clashes between England and the United States was the battle of Lake Erie. On September 10, 1813, nine ships under U.S. Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry bested a nine-ship English fleet in a decisive battle for control of western Lake Erie and surrounding lands. Today, a 352-foot International Peace Memorial on… Read more »
Looking for an update on the Fremont Digester? Read the Fremont Digester Comments What is a CAFO? In plain English, a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation, sometimes called a factory “farm”) is an industrial facility where livestock are kept inside a structure and fed, rather than pastured. They can house thousands – even tens of… Read more »
