MEGA-WATCH

Williams County Alliance

April 2007 Newsletter Number 3

The Williams County Alliance is dedicated to preserving the quality and rural character of life in Williams County and promoting a sustainable future through education and citizen action.

The Alliance encourages citizens to interact with local, state, and Federal governments to create policy that will improve the quality of life

in Williams County.

CO-FOUNDER OF DEMOCRACY SCHOOL TO SPEAK IN WILLIAMS COunty

Thomas Linzey, Executive Director for the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), and co-founder of the Daniel Pennock Democracy School, will speak in West Unity, at the Hilltop School multi-purpose room, on Tuesday, May 15, at 6:30 pm.

CELDF is a nonprofit law firm, located in Pennsylvania, that provides free and affordable legal services to community groups and local governments working to protect their quality of life and the natural environment.

A new organizing strategy is taught at the Democracy School, where citizens learn about the history of people’s movements and the causes of the loss of local control in communities.

Thomas Linzey is a frequent lecturer to groups and municipal governments across the United States.

The WCA hopes you will take advantage of this opportunity to attend this thought-provoking presentation.

WCA NOTES

Thursday, May 3, 8-10 pm: Special program on megafarms, Channel 27.

Thursday, May 10, 7 pm: Sole Source Aquifer Petition Group Program. Ryan Dickerson, Geology Masters Candidate at BGSU, will present his thesis findings: “A modified DRASTIC model for siting CAFOs in Williams County, Ohio.” 841 E. Edgerton St., Bryan.

Tuesday, May 15, 6:30 pm: Thomas Linzey presentation. Hilltop School multi-purpose room, 113 S. Defiance St., West Unity.

Monday, May 21, 7 pm: WCA meeting at Montpelier Public Library. All members welcome.

If you have not renewed your WCA membership for 2007, this will be your last newsletter. We appreciate your support.

Applications for the 2007 Williams County Area Farm Products Directory are due May 21. Forms may be found on the WCA website.

Additional information may be found at www.williamscountyalliance.com or send questions to: WCA, P.O. Box 291, Bryan, OH, 43506.

IMPACTS ON RURAL COMMUNITIES FROM Industrialized Farming Operations

Rural communities have voiced concerns as family-sized farms are replaced by industrial farming operations. Is this concern justified?

In 2000, a report, prepared by Ohio State University rural sociologist, Linda Lobao, examined studies looking at the impacts of industrialized farming upon community well-being. This report was updated to 2006 (Stofferahn) so that the findings of past and recent research on industrialized farming could be systematically documented. In all, 56 studies, spanning five decades, were examined.

Family farms are described as operations where the “farm household owns and controls the majority of farm production factors, land, labor, capital, technology, and management,” and “farming is a household livelihood strategy.”

Industrialized farming does not meet these criteria and is often characterized by the use of production contracts so that there is “a division of labor among owners, managers, and labor with different groups of people assigned to different positions in the production process.”

Approximately 82% of the 56 studies examined, found that industrialized farming, including large scale concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), had adverse impacts on community well-being. Overall, the social science evidence collected from these and other studies supports public, academic, and government concern about the potential risks of industrialized farming. Recent research indicates the public’s welfare is at risk in at least four major areas: socioeconomic well-being, social fabric, the environment, and regional imbalances in agricultural production.

The report concludes that, “the farming system in place today has been created from both market forces and government policy and programs. It is thus logical that government can also be an instrument in changing this system toward greater public accountability.”

These reports can be found at: www.agribusinessaccountability.org/pdfs/270_Industrialized%20Farming.pdf www.und.nodak.edu/org/ndrural/Lobao%20&%20Stofferahn.pdf

HOW CAN YOU HELP

• Add your name to the Center for Rural Affairs “Strengthening Rural America” petition. Join people nationwide who are speaking out for small towns, small businesses, and family farms. Sign up at: www.cfra.org/nran.

• Make an effort to buy locally produced goods. In the US, an average meal travels 1500 miles before it reaches your plate. As a result, food is less fresh, contains fewer nutrients, and requires costly resource-intensive transportation and packaging. Farmers markets enable farmers to keep 80 to 90 cents of each dollar spent. Use the WCA Farm Directory to find local producers.
• The debate over the 2007 Farm Bill is under way. The Farm Bill is one of the most important pieces of legislation for Americans concerned about food, water, habitat, and land conservation. Contact your US representatives to voice your concerns. A sample letter and talking points can be found at: www.williamscountyalliance.com
• Display a yard sign to show your support for family farms.