The life of a CAFO pig makes vegans out of the more sensitive souls. Dietary habits contributing to an ever-expanding America, however, have resulted in the establishment of a growing number of feed farms. (Photo thanks to all-creatures.org)
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources on August 31, 2007 issued another construction permit, this time to Dennis Gessling of Marshall, MO for a 4800-head CAFO hog farm just outside Arrow Rock in Saline County.
What purpose does the DNR serve? Alas, instead of truly looking after the natural (including cultural) resources of this state, the top-level/political leadership of the DNR seems to see itself as an arm of the department of agriculture, whose new and naive director stated on the record that if trees are put around CAFOs, they will be "out of sight and out of mind." Yikes!
The residents of Arrow Rock are disappointed that the DNR saw fit to serve only the interests of "Big Ag" (which owns the hogs and fronts the money for these factory operations). The department claims to be concerned with the water-quality impact of the millions of gallons of hog-waste effluent, but having no jurisdiction over the draw-down effect on neighbors' wells, or of air-quality if fewer than 17,500 hogs are involved. Of course, the Gessling operation is considered by the DNR as just another "no-discharge animal feeding operation manure management system."
We believe that the DNR also has the responsibility for preserving the public's interest in state parks and historic sites. However, the DNR completely has shirked its responsibility in this area in the present permitting process.
DNR Director Doyle Childers may claim to "understand" our concerns, but as a figurehead for Gov. Matt Blunt's pro-business initiatives, has done absolutely nothing to address them. He claims to "balance" various interests, but, so far, the balance has tipped entirely away from the mission of the parks.
While we believe that the law and federal guidelines mandated a delay in issuing a permit, they have been flouted and ignored. Childers could have awaited the outcome of the federal "Section 106" consultative process initiated by a number of parties, including Friends of Arrow Rock, who were guided by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. But, no, Childers served the CAFO interests alone-- here, as well as the pending factory-farms near the Battle of Athens and Roaring River state parks.
Our part in this fight only has begun! Thankfully, we saw bills supportive of CAFO operations introduced in the legislature that didn't make it out of committee. We saw the Farm Bureau fail in its effort to remove local control over the health effects of CAFOs. We continue to win sympathy from an ever-widening public who are learning about the negative effects of CAFOs as we are. We have garnered nation-wide attention through the involvement of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. We now have no choice but to enter a litigation phase.
Most hopefully, there are a growing number of state-wide groups joining us in a fight that begins in Arrow Rock but will have broader implications for protecting the public's assets in their parks and historic sites anywhere.
Commentary by David Finke, Arrow Rock,
treasurer of Citizens to Protect State Parks and Historic Sites Go Back | 
