ICAN - Family Farms, Not Factory Farms Home Page

Family Farms, Not Factory Farms Home Page

ICAN Organizer Matt Russell and MN farmer Audry Arner at the G8 Final Push concert in Edinburgh

Iowa is an agricultural powerhouse. It is number one in the nation for pork, corn and soybean production. Twenty-four percent of all hogs nationally are raised in Iowa. Many of the state's industries are related to agriculture including meatpacking, which is a major source of jobs in many areas of the state. As an agricultural state, farming issues greatly impact all of Iowa's residents, effecting everything from water quality to property taxes.

There have been drastic changes in the rural economy in the last decade. While farmers and their families are working hard to make ends meet, agribusiness interests, particularly industrial livestock facilities, are infiltrating our rich farmland and pushing the family farmer out of business. As factory-style animal production has gained a stranglehold in Iowa, thousands of Iowa's family farmers go under every year. The livestock factories that replace the family farms greatly distress Iowa's environment and rural economy.

ICAN is committed to policies that will promote sustainable family farms and strengthen rural communities. ICAN promotes these policies by building coalitions that unite family farm advocates with environmental and community groups and through education, research and grassroots lobbying. By building coalitions across constituencies, ICAN and its allies are taking on the agribusiness industry.

ACTION ALERT!!!

Iowa needs Environmentally-friendly guidelines for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. If You Are Concerned about Factory Farms in Iowa, Your Action Is Needed Today!