Rural Issue

Nebraska Farm Bureau responds to call for CAFO moratorium

A coalition of Nebraska groups is calling for a moratorium on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in the state.

The petition effort is led by Nebraska Communities United (NCU), a group formed in 2015 to oppose the Costco/Lincoln Premium Poultry (LPP) project in eastern Nebraska.  NCU calls the Costco/LPP project “the extreme vertical integration of animal agriculture” and wants a halt to further expansion “until our state and county regulations provide adequate protections for rural communities and farmworkers”.

Nebraska ag groups were quick to respond.  Nebraska Farm Bureau says farmers go through an extensive process to build a new livestock farm and must adhere to numerous local, state and federal regulations.  Farm Bureau says enacting a statewide moratorium to stop new livestock farms “would be the equivalent of halting the growth of rural Nebraska”.

We discussed the issue with Ansley Mick, director of state government relations for Nebraska Farm Bureau.