Factory Farm By-Products

Yesterday, The Washington Post published an article examining the ecological harm of excess manure that results from factory farming. Due to overcrowding on the farms, animals now produce more manure than can be recycled as fertilizer. This excess manure gives off methane gas and acts as a water pollutant when it is washed to the coast, where it feeds the unnatural algae blooms that cause dead zones. Although states like Oklahoma and Florida have pushed for legislation regulating the disposal of animal by-products, laws have been met with resistance from agricultural groups looking to keep farming costs low.