Factory Farm Pays Up

On March 4, seven Gentry Farm families were awarded $11 million, after Premium Standards Farm (PSF) lost a court case regarding the stench produced by its pig factory farm. The most damaging evidence was PSF’s failure to clean up odors over the past 11 years, despite being ordered to do so by the Missouri Attorney General. The case, which was brought to court by one attorney representing all families, does not mark the first time local farmers have squared off against PSF. The factory farm lost a similar case in the 1990s, and awarded $5.2 million to the 52 families involved. PSF plans to appeal the court’s most recent verdict, claiming the jury could not sort through each individual’s claims.