What does it take to get our attention in this cluttered world? Usually it’s something that hits close to home, such as outsized transmission lines proposing to march across our Ozark landscape like a scar.
More often, though, the issues that end up impacting us the most aren’t so obvious.
The threat of a degraded and spoiled Buffalo National River is something that captures the attention of those who prize having one of America’s last free-flowing rivers right in our backyard. First we learned that there were people at ADEQ who aided and abetted special interests and a multinational corporation in sneaking a factory hog facility onto property along a major tributary to the river. This turned out to be merely the top layer in a complex issue that has been unfolding right here in Carroll County, as well as all over the United States, for decades.
It’s hard to ignore oil spills and other sudden disasters. The insidious pollution of waterways often happens incrementally, making it harder to prove and fight. The same can be said of the shift in American agriculture to an industrial model of raising animals. First it was poultry, then hogs. Those who believe cattle ranching is still a safe alternative are just beginning to feel the effects of markets being quietly closed off.
Some say it started in the 1970s, when a chicken farmer in Springdale figured out how to increase efficiency and profits by taking over all the elements of the supply chain. At the outset, contract growers got a fair shake, but over time the pressure to increase profits has resulted in squeezing growers’ returns while hiking prices for consumers.
None of this is new. Corporate greed has a long history. The East India Company has been called the “original corporate raider.” Thomas Jefferson warned us that giant corporations were the greatest threat to a democracy.
Corporations exist to make money. Despite public relations campaigns and contributions to “worthy” causes, corporate entities do not exist to be good neighbors or good citizens. They exist to make money for their shareholders, who will then reward leadership with astronomical compensations packages. This creates tremendous incentive to throw money at politicians willing to protect and support their business model.
Have you heard even one elected or appointed representative speak out about the issue of rising rural poverty? When questioned about the plight of contract poultry growers, Congressman Steve Womack refused to even acknowledge that there might be a problem. The powerful interests that steer contributions his way have assured him that all is well. Ditto Boozman, Bryan King and most others.
Tyson was recently named the #1 producer of manure in the U.S. JBS, who bought out Cargill’s pork division, is #2. Concentrating animals means concentrating waste in volumes far greater than can be safely used as fertilizer, but since the corporate model establishes that waste disposal is the job of the grower, the biggest problem is left to the weakest link. Is it any wonder that nonpoint source runoff (or seep down) is now wreaking havoc with our water resources? People and industries can lie. Rivers don’t.
At one public hearing, an industry supporter scolded concerned citizens for opposing the presence of a 6500 head hog CAFO in the Buffalo River watershed. We were told that we needed “to share the river.”
The result of such “sharing” is now being reflected in breaking news about harmful algae blooms that render reservoirs toxic. Excess nutrients spur algae growth now clogging waterways all over our country, suffocating fish and mussels, and choking off recreational usage. Not all at once, but incrementally and relentlessly.
Dr. John Ikerd, a former extension agent, has been speaking out about the threats to our resources, including our farming communities, for many years. He makes a powerful case for the need for grassroots efforts that spur the creation of local ordinances to protect our communities and our environment. He will speak at the Fayetteville Public Library on Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. Please consider attending this free program.
What we don’t know is costing us all.
Lin Wellford