• Sustainable Agriculture
• Sustainable farms produce foods without excessive use of pesticides and other hazardous chemical inputs. Research indicates that sustainable foods are often healthier than their industrially-produced counterparts.
• Organic foods contain higher levels of antioxidants, which help fight certain types of cancer.ⁱ
• Organic crops contain significantly more vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus.ⁱⁱ

• Industrial Agriculture
• Industrial crops contain more nitrates. ^iv
• Heavy use of pesticides is associated with elevated cancer risks. ⁱⁱⁱ
• Unsanitary conditions in factory farms and industrial slaughterhouses cause high levels of meat contamination which has resulted in recurrent epidemics of foodborne illness. In the U.S., foodborne illness sickens 76 million people, causes 325,000 hospitalizations, and kills 5,000 people every year.^v
• A 1998 study by Consumer Reports revealed that 71% of store-bought chicken were contaminated with Campylobacter and/or Salmonella, bacterial contaminants responsible for thousands of deaths and millions of sicknesses.^vi
• Industrial agriculture operations strive to increase production and maximize profits without regard for human health.

• Sustainable farmers recognize the importance of protecting the natural environment. These individuals manage their farms in a responsible manner, maintaining the fertility of the land and preserving resources for future generations.
  

• Industrial agriculture practices are responsible for a host of environmental problems; in addition to causing massive topsoil erosion, aquifer depletion, and the reduction of genetic diversity, factory farms pollute our air, water, and soil with hazardous gasses, toxic chemicals, and harmful pathogens.
• Industrial farms cause $34.7 billion worth of environmental damage in the U.S. each year.^vii

• Sustainable farms do not raise more animals than the land is capable of sustaining. Farmers are able to use manure as fertilizer for their crops. This eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers and avoids the pollution problems associated with manure lagoons.

• Since factory farms concentrate an enormous amount of animals in a very small area, the farms generate far too much manure to be absorbed by the land. Excess manure is stored in huge holding tanks or manure lagoons, and is often over-applied to fields. Not only does all this manure create an overwhelming stench, it also releases hazardous gases into the air, and often contaminates local groundwater and surrounding waterways with pathogens and excess nutrients.
• A Factory Farm containing 5,000 hogs can produce as much solid waste as a human city of 20,000 – unlike cities, these industrial farms are not required to have a sewage treatment plan.^viii
  

• Sustainable farms conserve scarce water resources and protect local aquifers from being contaminated with harmful pollutants.

Sustainable Farm.
Take a look at more Sustainable Farms in the FactoryFarm.org Photo Gallery.

• Industrial agricultural practices contaminate groundwater and surface water with toxic pesticides, fertilizers, hormone residue, antibiotics residue, and harmful pathogens contained in manure. This damages aquatic ecosystems and poses a serious threat to human health.
• According to the EPA, agricultural practices are responsible for 70% of all pollution in U.S. rivers and streams.^ix
• Many operations consume water at an unsustainable rate, causing aquifer depletion and ground subsidence.

• Sustainable farms conserve our valuable soil resources through erosion-prevention methods such as windbreaks, use of cover crops, continual addition of organic matter to the land, and no-tillage or low-impact tillage techniques.
• Minimal use of chemical pesticides and elimination of excess fertilizer ensures that existing soil remains uncontaminated.

• Industrial farming causes chronic erosion due to extensive plowing, lack of cover crops, and failure to replenish soils with organic materials.
• Excessive use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers causes soil contamination.

• Sustainable farms often rely upon alternative pest control methods such as habitat manipulation, biological control, and use of pest-resistant plant varieties.

Organic Blueberry Picking. The American Association of Poison Control Centers estimates that in 2002, 69,000 children suffered from pesticide related poisoning or exposure to poisonous pesticides. ^xi
Photo by Jason Houston.

• Chemical pesticides are either excluded from production entirely, or used only in small amounts when other pest-control methods are ineffective.
• Industrial agriculture operations use huge amounts of toxic pesticides to eliminate pests. These chemicals are known to damage the environment and human health.
• According to the EPA, over 1 billion tons of pesticides are used in the U.S. every year.^x
• The American Association of Poison Control Centers estimates that in 2002, 69,000 children suffered from pesticide related poisoning or exposure to poisonous pesticides.^xi
  

• Animals are raised without routine use of antibiotics. Antibiotics are administered only if an animal is sick. Other farmers (such as organic farmers) do not give antibiotics to their animals at all. If sick, the animal is pulled from the herd and treated, but the meat is not sold as "no antibiotics used."

• Every year, approximately 25 million pounds of antibiotics and related drugs are administered to animals for non-therapeutic purposes. This is more than 8 times the amount used to treat disease in humans.^xii
• Overuse of antibiotics is contributing to antibiotic resistance, making human medicines less effective and causing U.S. health care costs to increase by $4 billion each year.^xiii

• Hormones are not administered to animals on sustainable farms. This protects human health, animal health, and the natural environment, which is otherwise polluted with hormone residues contained in manure.

rBGH Free Dairy Cows.
Find local dairies near you that sell rBGH free dairy and milk with the Eat Well Guide.

You can also check out our rBGH-free Dairy List and find out which brands comply in your state.

• Hormones are given to beef cattle in order to speed up their growth, and they are administered to about two-thirds of American cattle. ^xiv This widespread use of artificial hormones is concerning, because no comprehensive studies had been conducted to determine whether hormone residues in meat can be cancer-causing. ^xv
• Industrial dairy farms also use a hormone called rBGH to increase milk production. Cows injected with rBGH have been known to develop an udder disease called mastitis, hoof diseases, open sores and internal bleeding.^xvi
• rBGH has been proven to damage the health of cows and is banned by the EU and Canada.

• Sustainable farms help preserve genetic diversity by raising a wide range of animal breeds and crop varieties.
• These farmers raise animal and plant varieties that are adapted to the surrounding environment, thus avoiding reliance upon large quantities of chemical inputs or genetically modified crop varieties.

• Large-scale industrial farms rely upon monoculture crop systems, thereby reducing genetic diversity. They also reduce genetic diversity in animals because they only raise a few selected breeds.
• The use of genetically engineered crops further impedes genetic diversity.

Photo by Jason Houston

• Sustainable farms minimize fossil fuel consumption through techniques such as no-tillage or low-tillage farming, efficient application of manure, and crop rotation.
• Small-scale, organic farming operations have been shown to use 60% less fossil fuel per unit of food than conventional industrial farms. ^xvii

• Energy-intensive production methods are used to produce food. Large amounts of fossil fuel are required to plow fields, produce fertilizers, process foods, and transport foods.
• As a result of industrial farming practices, 17% of all fossil fuel used in the U.S. is currently consumed by the food production system.^xviii

• Rather than shipping food thousands of miles away, sustainable farms sell produce locally through farmers markets, farm stands, or community supported agriculture (CSA) programs. This prevents environmental damage and human health problems caused by transportation-generated pollution.
• Foods purchased locally are also fresher, and therefore contain more nutrients.

• Large-scale, centralized production requires extensive food transportation.
• Conventional produce, for example, is shipped an average of 1,500 miles before reaching consumers.
• In order to facilitate long distance shipment, foods are highly processed, supplemented with preservatives, and require excessive packaging.

• Sustainably-raised animals are treated humanely and are permitted to carry out natural behaviors such as rooting in the dirt and pecking the ground.

• Factory-farmed animals are crammed together in confined areas without access to sunlight, fresh air, or open pasture. Unsanitary conditions in animal confinement units cause widespread disease and aggressive behavior.
• Most animals never see sunlight and their feet never touch the ground.

• Sustainable farms support local economies by providing jobs for members of the community and by purchasing supplies and materials from local businesses.
• A study by the University of Minnesota Extension Service revealed that small farms with gross income of $100,000 made almost 95% of total expenditures within their local communities. Large farms with gross income greater than $900,000 spent less than 20% locally.^xix
• Owners of small, sustainable farms are actively involved in their communities, boosting the level of civic participation and helping to build resilient rural communities.

• Factory farms hire as few workers as possible and typically purchase equipment, supplies, and animal feed from companies outside the region. This causes economic stagnation in struggling rural communities.
• Local governments are often forced to pay for expensive infrastructure development projects, such as paving roads for large trucks.
• A 1996 study determined that the value of homes in Iowa located within ½ mile of a CAFO were reduced by 40%, within 1 mile by 30%, 1.5 miles by 20% and 2 miles by 10%.^xx
• The focus is on gaining short-term profit; with minimal concern for the environment, the health and safety of future generations, or the long-term security of rural communities.

• Sustainable farm owners provide a safe working environment and treat their employees with dignity and respect.

Clover Mead Dairy
Sustainable farmers treat their workers well and keep their money in the community.

• Farm laborers often endure dangerous working conditions which cause significant damage to their health.
• Among the most serious hazards faced by workers is routine exposure to dust and gases emitted from sources of concentrated manure.
• 58% of swine confinement workers suffer from chronic bronchitis – this is three times higher than the incidence of chronic bronchitis among workers in conventional swine housing units.^xxi