• Monitored for proposed CAFOs and sent out neighborhood alerts for three instances of proposed CAFO development. These were a 1200-head confinement in Polk Township, two adjacent 1200-head CAFOs in Penn Township east of the city of Pleasant Plain, and two more adjacent 1200-head factory farms also in Penn Township. Urged the DNR to investigate each time for suspected common ownership and use of the LLC loophole.

 

• Co-lead an ongoing effort with the Iowa Environmental Council to make detailed recommendations to strengthen CAFO regulations during three separate public comments periods for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Five-Year Rules Review of Chapter 65. Emailed action alerts to JFAN supporters recommending and encouraging public comments.

 

• Continue to urge the DNR to close the LLC loophole. Researched and discovered a definitive approach to confirming LLC ownership, and pressed the DNR to adopt it during the Chapter 65 Rules Review.

 

• Publicized the impact of Executive Order Number 10 (EO10) on CAFO regulations, calling for the DNR to mitigate its effect on CAFO regulations and enforcement. This issue was poorly covered in state media, but The Bleeding Heartland published three JFAN articles on EO10. Urged the DNR to include the costs to public health, water quality and tourism to be included in a cost/benefit analysis of CAFO rules required by EO10.

 

• Co-sponsored the launch of The Swine Republic by Dr. Chris Jones, drawing over 80 people to the event. Another 500+ viewers watched the recording of the launch on JFAN’s YouTube Channel. Dr. Jones is now a JFAN board member.

 

• Organized the webinar “The Farm Bill and Factory Farms: Could the Farm Bill Be Encouraging CAFO Growth Near You? with speakers Joe Maxwell, President of Farm Action, and Aaron Lehman, President of the Iowa Farmers Union. The webinar drew over 100 participants and another 260+ people viewed the recording on JFAN’s YouTube Channel.

 

• Gave a presentation on “Real Farms or Factory Farms? What You Need to Know about CAFOs” to Iowa Farmers Union (IFU) members. Collaborating with the IFU to develop a JFAN training series beginning in January to educate IFU members on how to protect their counties against CAFOs. 

 

• Publicized the EATS Act with an action alert and a letter to the editor published in the Southeast Iowa Union. Joined the 120+ member Defeat EATS coalition to help advocate against the dangerous bill.

 

• Pursued a moratorium resolution with the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors, made a formal presentation to the board, and achieved an agreement for a follow up public hearing to discuss adoption of a resolution, date to be announced.

 

• Provided a declaration for an Earthjustice petition to the Environmental Protection Agency calling for stronger regulations of CAFOs under the Clean Water Act. Referred Earthjustice attorneys to several other potential declaration candidates, five of whom were among the 16 declarations included in the petition.

 

• Organized the JFAN Annual Meeting, “Raising Livestock without CAFOs” with regenerative livestock farmers Will Harris and Greg Gunthorp. Over 100 people attended the November 2022 Zoom meeting and over 230 have viewed the recording on JFAN’s YouTube Channel.

 

• Produce JFAN E-News: Farms Not Factories, a digital newsletter published every one to two months featuring a variety of articles and videos on CAFO-related news and issues, including at least one article written by JFAN.

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