Would You Barter Corn For Manure To Cut Your Fertilizer Cost?

With commercial fertilizer prices soaring, some corn growers may consider bartering their corn for manure from the neighboring hog farm they fought against locating there some months back. Manure is “the other fertilizer” and its value has increased as prices for N, P, & K have doubled in price over the past several years. If you have a source of manure in the neighborhood, that livestock producer may become your best friend.

Liquid swine manure used to be a commodity that had more cost than value, but with increased value of its components, the attitude toward manure has changed. That is the contention of Minnesota Extension economist William Lazarus and Extension specialists Robert Koehler and Mindy Spiehs in their research on the changing economics for manure. They say, “The increasing price of commercial fertilizer has heightened interest in the use of livestock manure for supplying crop nutrients and has significantly increased the value of manure as a nutrient source.” The first step is determining the value of the manure.

The basic challenge is to relate the manure components to the value of the commercial fertilizer they would replace, and the researchers provide a worksheet to accomplish that. Unfortunately, the manure is going to have a different ratio of elements than the dry bulk fertilizer you had spread on the field last year. While the greatest impact will be in the first year, there will be some carryover benefits to the second year, and even some savings on application and benefits related to tillage and weed control. The key to success according to the Minnesota specialists is to maximize nutrient utilization efficiency, by not wasting available nutrients and only placing a value on the nutrients that will be used by the crop as well as not placing a value on the nutrients which a soil test indicates will not be required.

Expectations may be that manure may be applied at concentrations less than what is needed, with commercial fertilizer blended to achieve the target of a soil test. Other choices may be an application at the maximum phosphate rate, with nitrogen and potash supplied from a commercial dealer. Application costs will be higher per acre, when lower rates are applied.

The Minnesota researchers calculated the economic benefits and published them in their research, however, readily acknowledge that commercial fertilizer prices have substantially changed since the research began, along with the value of the grain being produced on the land where the manure was applied. Both of those factors will change the economic outcome.

Economic tests were taken on 47 sites over a three year period where liquid swine manure was being applied. Nitrogen averaged 43 lbs per 1,000 gallons and phosphate averaged 18 lbs, but there were wide variations. Applications were made primarily to corn ground, but also to beans and alfalfa fields, and some with varying crop rotations. From 2005 to 2007 the application rate declined from 5,723 gallons per acre to 4,975 gallons per acre, with costs from 1 cent to 1.28 cents per gallon.

Based on 2008 prices for commercial fertilizer, the Minnesota researchers calculated a per acre manure value of $54 in 2006 and $44 in 2007, with the best case scenario at a $101 per acre manure contribution over the three years of application.

Summary:
Manure has long been used as a fertilizer for crops needing N, P, & K, but erratic nutrient ratios caused it to give way to commercial fertilizers. However, the recent doubling of fertilizer costs has caused some farmers with available supplies of livestock manure to consider using it to reduce the cost of commercial fertilizer. Research has demonstrated the success of doing that, and potentially saving substantial investments in fertilizer costs.

The Rural Vote Is Up For Grabs

Editor's Note: This is our weekly column.

With only weeks left, the rural vote is up for grabs. That sends a message to both parties: don't write us off and don't take us for granted.

A Center for Rural Strategies poll of rural voters in key swing states found John McCain leading Barack Obama, but by a smaller margin than President Bush won the same voters four years earlier. The margin among rural voters may determine the outcome of the national election.
 
The poll also shows that rural voters see little difference between the two parties on rural issues. Regardless of the party in power, Washington has subsidized mega farms to drive family farms out of business and failed to invest in creating genuine opportunity for rural people and a future for their communities. Both parties lavish tax breaks on corporate America and mega farms instead of helping ordinary rural people buy homes and start farms and small businesses.
 
Neither party has demonstrated a real commitment to ensuring that rural people – who contribute so much to the nation’s prosperity – share in it. Neither party seems to understand that America will never be as strong as it can be until all of America has the opportunity to share in building wealth, assets, and prosperity.
 
The party that demonstrates that it will fight for ordinary rural people can capture the rural margin it needs to win this election and many elections to come.

By: Chuck Hassebrook, chuckh@cfra.org, Center for Rural Affairs

Lower Feed Costs And Increased Feed Value May Be Available From New Generation DDGS.

Ethanol-blended fuel at the gas pump is sold as a higher octane motor fuel, and now some of the distillers’ grain co-products from ethanol refining are being sold as a higher value livestock feed that could have marked benefits for pork and beef producers who feed it. Just like burning super regular in your engine, feeding a “super regular” DDGS feed to your livestock may provide better performance that will pay off at market time.

The advent of ethanol production throughout the Cornbelt has not only increased the demand and value of corn, but also provided a feed alternative for the livestock industry. Distillers’ Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) have been sold at a lower price than corn, but have had their limitation in the amount than can be added to a feed ration. That provided some help over the past two years as the price of corn doubled, and the price of soybean meal nearly doubled. Iowa State University economist Jacinto Fabiosa directs the research at the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development. He says the use of DDGS is governed by the proportion livestock feeders use, which depends on pricing, as well as the maximum amount an animal can digest, and how much corn and soybean meal can be replaced by DDGS. His analysis focuses on the latter, but evaluates the nutrient content in traditional DDGS versus the nutrient content in a new generation of DDGS called “Dakota Gold.” The new product is priced 2.11% above the traditional DDGS.

The benefit of the new generation DDGS has 39.9% higher metabolizable energy, 5.7% more crude protein, and 19-58% higher specific amino acids, which are more digestible than in the traditional DDGS product. Compared to a corn-soybean meal ration for hogs, Fabiosa says the inclusion of traditional DDGS in the ration is $0.29 per cwt of feed lower than the base ration or 2.6% which would save $2.17 per head in feed costs.

Use of the new generation DDGS product, which was included in the swine ration at a maximum 20% rate, would replace 18.54 lbs of corn and 4.59 lbs of soybean meal in a 100 lb. feed ration. The cost is $1.08 lower than the basic ration or 9.88% which saves $8.13 per head in a feeder-finishing operation. Fabiosa says there are a couple limiting factors, compared to the base diet of corn and soybean meal. He says there is a surplus of the amino acid threonine and available phosphorus, but a need for added lysine. Based on the content of the new generation DDGS, 20 lbs of it would replace 18.54 lbs of corn and 4.59 lbs of soybean meal.

Fabiosa says the price of DDGS will parallel the price of the feed ingredient that it primarily replaces, either corn or soybean meal, and he says the results of his analysis is that it will track both of them. But he says DDGS prices will be based on corn prices until the new generation DDGS product is more widely available, and then it will be more closely priced to soybean meal. Currently, a traditional DDGS product will save pork producers about $2.17 per head in feed costs, and $8.06 per head if the new generation DDGS product is purchased. One additional benefit of the new generation DDGS product is an unwinding of the debate over the food, feed, and fuel trade offs that go along with biofuel production.

Summary:
A higher quality of distillers’ dried grains not only contains more beneficial nutrients for livestock rations, but may be more digestible than traditional DDGS products. Of great importance is the added savings in feed costs for pork producers that can occur with the use of the new generation of DDGS, which could exceed $8 per head.

Decorative Basement Ideas

Who wants to hang around in the basement? You will if you decorate it properly. This unused part of the home can become quite useful if you decorate it properly. There are a lot of good basement ideas that will beautify the space - you can get your whole family in on it and decorating in no time. Some basement upgrades can be expensive, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be that way. Choose a purpose for the room first. A play room? A home theater? A crafts room? Then plant the layout and decor to suit. A few coats of paint and some good lighting can make an incredible difference in any basement.
Enjoy!

Rural Brief: Leaving Rural Development Behind

The most recent issues of the Center for Rural Affairs' Rural Brief series offers an analysis of rural development spending and programs in the 2008 Farm Bill. It's not exactly an uplifting review.

As you well know, the 2008 Farm Bill continues considerable funding for commodity subsidy programs, $35 billion over the life of the Farm Bill to be precise. An additional $10.4 billion was authorized for nutrition programs and $25 billion for conservation programs. (I used to think those were big numbers.)

In comparison, the Farm Bill allocates only $150 million in mandatory spending for three rural development programs over the life of the Farm Bill. That is a 233:1 ratio of commodity subsidy spending to rural development spending.

That's just pitiful, folks. Pitiful.

The 2008 Farm Bill also represents an 85% reduction in mandatory rural development spending compared to the 2002 Farm Bill when $1.03 billion in mandatory spending was allocated for rural development programs.

You can download a pdf of the Rural Brief here for a list of rural development programs and their funding levels.

Extension Update

Extension Update is a weekly summary of news from Extension, government, and other attributable sources, focused on marketing, farm management, and other issues that are of interest to Midwestern farm owners and operators. (UPDATED)

Exports are a function of the dollar and Darrel Good says its value is now a function of the roiling financial markets. The IL marketing specialist says corn exports are behind 2007, but it is early in the marketing year. Since Sept. 1 export inspections have been 50% of last year and through Sept. 11 export commitments have been 60% of last year.

Soybean exports are also lagging behind 2007 levels, but Darrel Good says unshipped sales exceed 2007 volumes. USDA expects a 13% drop in soybean exports for the marketing year, but the early picture shows a 9% increase. Read his weekly newsletter.

US grain exports will be competing against global production, which is expected to reach record levels in the current marketing year. For example, wheat production will be large enough to raise ending stocks for the first time in 4 years. However, wheat growing areas of Australia and Argentina are still suffering from dry weather conditions.

Global coarse grain production is also noted by Extension’s Jim Hilker at Michigan State. He says world coarse grain ending stocks in 2009 will be 3 MMT larger than once expected; and while the world corn production estimates have been lowered because of a smaller US crop, the world coarse grain situation looks bearish to the market.

Hilker’s observations on marketing first include a comparison of the Dec corn contract and the Dec light crude oil contract, which he says is a bit scary, then rhetorically asks, “But what do you expect when 25% of your corn crop is used as a competitor to oil?” He says don’t carryover any old corn, and consider pricing new corn on sharp upswings in the price of oil. Hilker says the market is apparently willing to pay on-farm storage.

Regarding soybeans, MSU’s Hilker says given soybean production around the world and current ending stocks, the world will not be short on soybeans, assuming South America raises its expected crop. He says the market is willing to pay for on-farm soybean storage, but only into March. After then the spreads narrow and don’t cover either storage or interest. He says watch for sharp price upswings to do further pricing.

Michigan State’s Jim Hilker says the wheat basis has problems with predictability. He suggests wheat producers sell cash, and buy futures if they thought the market would rise, or use a basis contract, which does the same, and is more profitable than paying for commercial storage. Hilker says CBOT officials have proposed more delivery points to solve the convergence issue between cash and futures, but he says it will not be solved until futures contracts force delivery. Read more.

More corn ear rots are showing up, (see the Sept. 19th edition) and the fungi will grow while corn is in the field or even in the bin as long as moisture is at or above 18%. IL plant pathologist Suzanne Bissonnette says that may determine your priority of when to harvest, particularly if the infection is moderate and wet weather continues.

Your variety of fungus will determine how dry the corn has to be. If you have diplodia and the corn will be in long term storage, 15-16% should be your target. If you have aspergillus, it will grow in 14-18% moisture and produce aflatoxin, which is not good.

UPDATE: Know your corn fungi. Fusarium is a pinkish colored fungus growing on the kernels and produces a mycotoxin called fumonisin, which will reduce the value of the corn as a livestock feed. Diplodia can be identified by a bleached color on the husk, with a white fluffy fungus on the ear. It will not produce toxins, but the kernels will be light in weight, shriveled, and poor quality. Droughty areas should be scouted for the presence of aspergillus, since it will produce a mycotoxin called aflatoxin, which can cause cancer. Read more.

UPDATE: Carefully harvest at-risk corn as soon as the moisture content reaches 23% to 25% for shelled corn. Set the blower on high, adjust the combine to minimize kernel damage, and create cracked corn and fines that will enhance mold development once in the bin.

UPDATE: To prevent continued fungal growth, dry corn to 13% (for long term storage) or 14% (for quick sale) moisture within 48 hours after harvest. Use heat to reduce the moisture, and don't rely on natural air drying. Aflatoxin levels can expand to Biblical proportions if infected corn is stored at high moisture levels. Fields infected with aflatoxin should be reported to a crop insurance adjuster prior to harvest.

Make only one combine adjustment and evaluate its success before any other changes says Iowa State. Read more.
1) With shorter beans, keep in mind that 90% of field losses are at the header.
2) Each one inch of uncut bean stubble can result in a one bushel per acre yield loss.
3) If beans are small, reduce cleaning fan speed to avoid blowing soybeans away.
4) If sieve openings have been reduced, also reduce the airflow to compensate.
5) Adjust deck plates over snapping rolls for predominant ear size to avoid kernel loss.
6) If corn is lodged, keep snouts low, drive slower, and harvest “against the grain.”

Hurricane Ike’s track through the eastern Cornbelt left many acres of downed corn, and OSU ag engineer Randall Reeder says that means harvest will be more stressful and longer than usual. He’s concerned about tired and frustrated farmers ignoring safety:
1) Find harvesting aids that specifically deal with downed corn.
2) Before solving an in-field problem, turn off the combine first.
3) Use any auto steering or guidance equipment available to reduce vision stress.
4) Adjust the header to accommodate downed corn plants and broken stalks
5) Tape safety reminders in the combine cab, take breaks, stretch, and drink water.

Harvest may put you in a no-win situation when it comes to soil compaction. With wet soil and a late harvest, IL Extension’s Duane Friend says many producers will take compaction as the lesser evil. If that happens, plant stress will show up next spring.
1) Restrict trips to specific tracks or lanes. The second trip compacts less than the first.
2) When unloading, use the combine wheel track on the prior round in the field.
3) Never cross the field diagonally, even though that may be the shortest distance.
4) If a semi cannot be parked on the road, at the least, keep them on the headland.
5) Tires that are over inflated will increase the compaction of the soil.
6) Soil compaction is cured by wetting/drying/freezing/thawing and just takes time.
7) Only well-defined compacted layers 4+ inches down are candidates for sub-soiling.

Alfalfa cuttings have been delayed all year, and you may have one more cutting, but will that interfere with the fall rest period? Iowa St. forage specialist Steve Barnhart says that will continue for 6-10 more weeks. Read more.
1) If you don’t need the hay, leave it in the field and don’t graze in fall or winter.
2) If you need the hay, wait for a killing freeze to cut it, and leave 4-5 inch stubble.
3) Cutting hay now causes the plant to re-grow, unnecessarily using its stored reserves.

When your crops are out, get a soil test and set a date for your quadrennial limestone application. Row crops like a pH of 6.0, and the pH should be 6.5 to 7.0 for alfalfa and clover. It also enhances nitrogen fixation and improves soil structure, and if being spread on a field that will be planted to a legume, spread 6 months ahead for good soil reaction.

A new crop of winter annual weeds will be germinating in the next couple months, and may be more numerous than last year. Reductions in use of pre-emergent herbicides, a shift to post-emergent use of glyphosate, primarily, and increased no-till practices have spawned the weed crop that Dad never saw. Visit this resource to brush up on winter annuals.
1) Dandelions, marestail, henbit, and pennycress are harder to control in the spring.
2) If soil moisture is short, control of winter annuals saves moisture for the spring.
3) Fall herbicide applications can save time in the spring and allow timely planting.

With late maturing soybeans, wheat will be a late planted crop. IL Extension’s Mike Roegge says that means fewer fall tillers will develop and he suggests increasing the seeding rate. He says for each week that seeding is delayed beyond the Hessian fly free date, the seeding rate should be increased 10%. 20-30 lbs of N is recommended also.

Speaking of Hessian flies, the purpose of planting wheat after the date for your latitude, is to prevent females from laying a full complement of eggs. If wheat has not germinated, the Hessian fly will not have the opportunity for larvae to hatch and survive. They live at the base of the plant, remove plant juices, and the wheat will fail to tiller.

When harvesting corn stover for ethanol production, your nitrogen bill goes down. That is the thought of MN agronomist Jeff Coulter, who says when 50% to 100% of the residue is removed from continuous corn crops, the optimum N rate is cut 13%. Coulter says less N is needed for the next year because corn residue immobilizes the N and promotes tie up of N by microorganisms in the soil. Read his fact sheet on residue harvesting.

Export demand continues to support pork prices where they are. MO economist Glenn Grimes says the value of pork exports per hog slaughtered in Jan-July was $35.89 per head, and that is up 46% from 2007. Grimes says the net exports caused the 9% increase in demand for live hogs for Jan- July, while US consumer demand for pork dropped 4%.

On the issue of production costs, Grimes and cohort Ron Plain say the 2007-08 marketing year price for corn was $4.20, but that will rise in 2008-09 to a range of $5-$6 according to USDA. The livestock economists say that will increase the cost of hog production by $4-$9 per cwt in the coming year, compared to the past 12 months. For cattle producers they say the higher cost of corn will add $48-$108 per head cost.

If your farm kid has a desire to be an ag engineer, Cornbelt Land Grant Universities are among the tops says US News & World Report. Illinois is best for the third consecutive year. Iowa St. is #4, Purdue is tied for #5, and Ohio St. & Penn St. are tied at #8.

Renewable Energy Fair

Last week the Center for Rural Affairs hosted our first (first annual, perhaps) Renewable Energy Fair in Hartington, Nebraska. People from at least three states gathered to talk about farm-scale biofuels, wind production of all scales, energy conservation and more.

You can read three media accounts here, here and here. Read our own account here. And here are some pictures from the event: 

I've taken up an internal lobbying campaign to have next year's event in the home town of our main office, Lyons, Nebraska. Check back with me in a year to see if I am successful.

During the 1970s the Center was home to the well-known Small Farm Energy Project, and hosted similar events at the time.

Will You Be Harvesting Wet Corn?

USDA’s Monday afternoon crop progress report indicated 5% of US corn had been harvested compared to 20% last year and 14% for the five year average. Additionally, only 33% of the US corn crop was mature as of Sept. 21, compared to 76% last year and 63% for the five year average. While the crop is still laboring to get to the black layer point of maturity, frost threats are being made for the upper reaches of the Cornbelt where corn maturity is only in the teens in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. That will force many farmers to push harvest faster than they would like, and that means extra headaches in harvesting and storing an immature and wet crop.

For some farmers the only choice will be silage. In the northern tier of the Cornbelt substantial acreage has yet to dent; and Ken Hellevang, ag engineer at North Dakota State University says, “Yield potential for corn frozen during the milk stage is low. Ears are difficult to pick and shell, kernel tips may stay on the cobs and grain will be very chaffy.” And he adds, green chopping and ensiling may be the only reasonable options. Hellevang’s Tips for Harvesting Late-Maturing Corn offers numerous checklist items for farmers whose late corn is still green in the wake of cold temperatures.

Silage:
• Harvest at 60% to 70% moisture with cut length about one-half inch.
• Store in a bunker or horizontal silo with a crowned center and slope of 1:6 or 1:8 and covered with 6 mil. plastic. If the temperature reaches 120 degrees after four days, too much air is getting under the plastic.

Field drying:
• If corn is frozen in the dough stage, test weights will be in the 40 lb. range, and although it will eventually dry, Hellevang says field drying will take an additional week.
• Frozen wet corn is more susceptible to molds if the frost is followed by warm weather, and mold growth will only stop with ensiling the corn or drying it in a bin.
• Even a warm day with a breeze will not take out more than three-quarters of a point of moisture from mature corn per day. As temperatures cool, drying rates slow.

High moisture corn:
• If using silos or bags where outside air is excluded, corn should be 25% to 30% moisture, and any air gaps should be sealed to prevent storage loss.
• If wet grain is placed in silos, it will exert more pressure on the walls, so additional support will be needed, and the silo must not be completely filled.

Bin drying:
• Natural drying in the field should be allowed for as long as possible, but as weather gets colder and drying rates diminish, then field losses will increase.
• Corn over 21% moisture should not be dried with only natural air and low temperature to minimize spoilage. Hellevang recommends adding heat to reduce the moisture content and an airflow rate of 1.25 cubic feet per minute per bushel to reduce drying time.
• Shelled corn can be stored up to 25% moisture if aeration is used and temperatures are below 30 degrees.
• Grain dryers will be used long and hard and should be in good working condition before turning them on for the first time.
• The maximum allowable drying temperature should be used to increase its capacity and attain energy efficiency. High temperature drying will reduce test weight and increase susceptibility for breakage.

Dryeration:
• Dryeration will increase dryer capacity by 50% to 75%, reduce energy use by 25%, and can remove 2% or more moisture.
• Dryeration requires close monitoring, and is labor intensive with required transfers from bin to bin.

Drying costs
• Save on energy costs and corn quality by using the maximum drying temperature of 200 degrees, which will remove water with less energy than lower temperature.
• At $2 propane, you will spend about $53 to remove 10 percentage points of moisture from 120 bushels of corn.
• For corn at 56 pound test weight, drying it from 25% to 15% moisture will remove 7.5 pounds of water.

Moisture measurement
• Shrink is a factor that will need to be calculated, and is a 1.1834 % in weight decrease for each percent of moisture removed.
• Moisture meters will not provide a good reading on corn coming from a high temperature dryer because of the heat and may give a readying 2% lower than true.
• To get a true moisture reading, cool the sample to room temperature before taking the reading.
• Corn test weight rises about one-quarter pound for each point of moisture removed during high temperature drying, but there will be little increase on immature or frost damaged corn.

Kernel damage
• With aggressive shelling, more fines will be produced from kernel cracking and the presence of immature corn.
• Fines will spoil faster and cause more storage problems, particularly as they pile up in the center core of a bin.

Summary:
The potential for a late harvest because of immature corn will create harvest, drying, and storage problems for many farmers. Because there has been favorable fall weather the past several years, refresh yourself on combine settings for high moisture corn, along with extra preparation for having to dry a large crop. Kernels may be damaged in the process, and extra expense will be incurred because of the additional energy needs.

What You Should Know Before Buying a Bass Boat

by William Scott

Bass fishing is a pastime enjoyed by many from all walks of life, young and old alike. Once youve tried out bass fishing, it is likely that youll want your own boat. Looking for your first bass fishing boat is a very exciting occasion, but it is best to get some advice as a first time buyer of a bass fishing boat.

When going to pick up your new boat, make sure you have a vehicle which is up to the task of towing a boat. A lot of vehicles are simply not equal to the demands of this. A fully loaded boat can weigh as much as 3,500 pounds ” quite a lot to tow, as any one will admit. Be sure to have a car or truck which is capable of towing this much weight uphill.

Choosing the Right Size and Material

When you are trying to decide what size of boat you will need, think about where youll be doing most of your fishing. On a larger body of water, youll probably want a boat which is at least 19 feet in length. On a smaller body of water though, you can use a smaller boat and a smaller outboard motor. Youll also have a choice as to what material your boat is composed of. A bass boat will usually be made of aluminum or fiberglass. There are pros and cons to each material. If youll be doing the bulk of your fishing on a small lake, an aluminum boat may be for you.

For a smoother ride on larger bodies of water, a fiberglass boat is the way to go. While more expensive than aluminum (most of the time), a fiberglass boat is more durable and will not be blown about by wind nearly so much as one made of aluminum. Think about your options and your needs before deciding and making a purchase of a bass fishing boat.

New or Used?

Whether you buy your boat new or used is up to you, but again there are advantages and disadvantages to each. Used boats hold their value much longer, but outboard motors generally come with a short shelf life. If you buy a used boat, make sure you check out any motor that comes with before you use it. A used boat is generally going to be much cheaper, which is another advantage. Keep in mind that you often get what you pay for, so if you get the boat very cheaply, you may have to do some repairs before you can use it.

A new boat has one huge advantage over a used one ” a warranty. Rather than have to fix it up before taking it out, you can hitch it up right away and be on your way to the lake! Youll also have a wider variety of options than you would when shopping for used boats. Whether new or used, check out the boat before buying.

About the Author:

William Scott contributes bass fishing advice to http://BassFishingAdvice.com, a site dedicated to providing useful tips on aluminum bass boats.

Big Ag is Bad for Little Towns

Props go out to our good friends at the National Catholic Rural Life Conference for their top-notch work and media attention yesterday in the Des Moines Register.

Large ag facilities cut profit for towns, study says

Large-scale livestock confinements are far less financially lucrative to communities and pay workers less than medium-sized operations that tend to spend more money locally, a report to be released today concludes.

The Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production requested the report by David Andrews and Timothy Kautza.

The co-authors reviewed 40 years’ worth of peer-reviewed empirical studies on social effects of industrial livestock production, including work by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, Ohio State University and the University of Missouri.

But the report, which comes as Iowa’s long fight over large-scale confinements is intensifying, also is sure to be controversial.

One reason: The co-authors have ties to the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, which has long contended that large-scale livestock operations harm communities economically and socially. Andrews is former director of the conference. Kautza is the conference’s science and environmental education specialist. [...]

The Pew report contends large-scale confinements return $1 to the economy for every $1 spent, while smaller operations return $7 for every $1 spent on the development.

The rest.

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