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Wisconsin AG seeks to stop Elon Musk's $1M payments at rally giveaway; Rural advocates urge CA lawmakers to safeguard banking protections; Federal, state job cuts threaten FL workers' rights, services; Alabama counties lack high-speed internet and health access.

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President Trump says there are ways for him to take a third term. New tariffs are scheduled for this week, but economists say they'll hurt buying power. And advocates say the Trans Day of Visibility is made more important by state legislation.

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Rural folks face significant clean air and water risks due to EPA cutbacks, a group of policymakers is working to expand rural health care via mobile clinics, and a new study maps Montana's news landscape.

IL CAFOs on rise as industry remains underregulated

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Tuesday, February 25, 2025   

Illinois is known for having some of the weakest environmental laws for concentrated animal feeding operations, with a lack of oversight and public transparency for the entire process. A coalition of rural landowners is working to change it.

In Illinois, it is estimated there are more than 21,000 concentrated animal feeding operations.

Chad Wallace, director of rural affairs for the Illinois Environmental Council, works with the Illinois Livestock Reform Coalition, which has about 70 members across states. They are trying to come up with legislative solutions for the growing concerns of landowners who have been affected by them.

"The industry is basically embedded," Wallace acknowledged. "It is very hard for folks to go up against something that is so broad and so organized."

Nearly all applications submitted in Illinois over the past decade have been approved. Wallace pointed out several attempts to introduce legislation to increase regulation have failed, with the most recent in 2019 for a proposed moratorium on lagoons being used for holding confinement waste.

More than 90% of animals raised for agriculture in the U.S. come from concentrated animal feeding operations, yet environmental advocates argued the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is unaware of the locations of the majority of operations, making it difficult to regulate them and account for their environmental impact.

Wallace, who grew up in a farming family, raises beef, pork and lamb and has been approached by people wanting to construct operations on his land. He declined but noted it came with a cost.

"One of the struggles is constantly having to build the value of your product due to not being in the industry," Wallace explained.

Wallace sells locally to get the best prices for his products. He added many in his position are left discouraged by the difficulties they face in going against the industrial ag industry. Proponents of concentrated animal feeding operations said they are an economic necessity to keep retail prices of meat, milk and eggs affordable for consumers, and are crucial to the viability of rural communities.


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