Agriculture - Animal Feeding Operations

Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), commonly called factory farms or megafarms, confine thousands—even millions—of animals in football field-sized barns. Pollution from factory farms can pollute groundwater and streams, posing threats to drinking water.

The Ohio Environmental Council has consistently been Ohio’s leading voice—whether before the legislature, state agencies or in the media—in advocating for better public health and environmental protections from animal feeding operation pollution.

Read more: CAFO Fact Sheet

Ohio’s current factory farm regulatory program involves several state and local agencies. Which government agency is responsible for investigating complaints and enforcing laws can be very confusing. The OEC can help the public ensure that their industrial feeding operation concerns are directed to the appropriate agency.

Click here to learn how to report a complaint.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture is poised to permit the largest dairy in the state to locate in the state’s most pristine watershed.

Some years ago, over 5,000 acres in northwestern Madison County were purchased by Vreba Hoff dairy franchising operation for a future mega-dairy. Those future plans have resulted in a proposed 5,248-head dairy sited a little over 20 miles from downtown Columbus, 13 miles from the city limit, and in the watershed of Ohio’s most protected and preserved watershed – Little Darby Creek. A primary reason the Darby Creek is so pristine is because of the significant public resources that have been invested on limiting land use that would degrade it.

Ohio EPA has studied water quality of the Little Darby in the area and calculated that phosporus levels are already too high from farm runoff to protect the stream and should be reduced by 80%. The over 5,000 cows in this proposed operation would produce tens of millions of gallons of manure and wastewater a year to be spread on the surrounding fields – potentially resulting in increased phosphorous levels. With this vast amount of manure generated and applied to the adjacent farm fields, the equivalent in volume to the waste of over 100,000 people, the potential for increased levels of manure-born nutrients, phosphorus, sediment, and bacteria could lead to the devastation of the Little Darby Creek.

OEC and our member and ally organizations will be working diligently to protect the Darby, and secure greater protections of Ohio’s waterways from animal feeding operation pollution.

Quick Facts on the Little Darby:

• an outstanding state water - in the top 1% scored areas for fish
• home to 35 endangered aquatic species
• a State and National Scenic River

Five years after the passage of a controversial state law which shifted state oversight over factory farms from Ohio EPA to the Department of Agriculture, some lawmakers are looking to beef up the law. Senator Tom Roberts (D-Dayton) introduced a bill to impose a moratorium on all new factory farms until more stringent new rules are adopted. The bill is currently stuck in the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Read the Bill (external link)

Factory Farm Links:

The GRACE Factory Farm Project
CAFOs: Public Health and Community Impact
Ohio General Assembly
Ohio Legislative Service Commission
Ohio Department of Natural Resources - Div. of Soil & Water Conservation
Ohio Department of Agriculture - Livestock Environmental Permitting Program
Sierra Club - National
Environmentally Concerned Citizens of South Central Michigan
Wood County Citizens Against Factory Farms
Citizens Against Mega Dairies