Opponents of large-scale livestock rally at Statehouse

Opponents of large-scale livestock operations rallied at the statehouse today as they have in each of the past several years, asking state officials to give local cities and county officials authority to restrict the placement and operation of livestock facilities. Rosie Patridge of rural Wall Lake grew up on a farm and has a brother who continues to farm. “We are here today to make our voices heard,” Patridge says. Frank Jones of Bloomfield says calls large-scale livestock operations “factory farms.” “Now’s the time for us as a state to renew our determination to support independent, family farms,” Jones told the crowd. The “Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers” — an organization that represents the Farm Bureau and many other commodity groups — issued a statement criticizing the rally, saying more livestock regulations would divert attention from finding ways to make rural Iowa grow. And a republican Senator who had a hand in writing the most recent livestock regulation bill to clear the legislature doubts the legislature will take up the issue this year. Senate Co-Leader Stewart Iverson, is a republican from Dows. Iverson says legislators are willing to listen, but he says Iowa’s waterways are cleaner today than they were 30 years ago.