"If society wants a means of producing food, then a few, large farms is one way to do it. But if society wants a clean, thriving rural place to live and work and raise children, then you have to rethink this formula."

-Cheryl Tevis, Successful Farming Magazine

One of the most important issues confronting agricultural communities in the U.S. is the future structure of the livestock industry. The issue is whether livestock will be raised on sustainable family farms or produced in large, capital-intensive confinement facilities (factory farms) that concentrate the animals and their wastes in vast quantities and concentrate economic control in the hands of absentee investors.

What's at stake?

• The prosperity of family farmers & rural communities
• The future of our country's rural environment
• The health of families and children
• The safety and affordability of our food