The latest attack on North Carolina hog farms comes from an unlikely source: Esquire magazine.
Now, Esquire is a perfect resource for celebrity interviews, men’s fashion advice, and things like that. Just this past week, they posted helpful articles such as How to Take the Stress Out of Wearing Suede Shoes and How to Pick a Haircut Like Your Celebrity Hair Doppelgänger.
When it comes to those important issues, Esquire is a “go to” resource. But an article this week about HB 467 and North Carolina hog farms (I love the smell of pig sh*t in the morning!) proves that they don’t know sh*t about farming.
The article repeats the same tired, untrue claims that have been made for years by the Waterkeeper Alliance and others who want to put North Carolina family farmers out of business. The writer claims that, “wind being what it is, sometimes the spray takes wing and people's houses get a primer coat of pig shit.”
To further illustrate the point, Esquire quotes Cape Fear Riverkeeper Kemp Burdette: “You could be sitting on your back porch, and depending on the wind, have hog (expletive) sprayed on your kids."
Clearly, this reporter didn’t bother to learn anything about our industry or the strict regulations that all North Carolina farmers must follow, including a mandatory 200-foot setback from their neighbors.
Esquire should stick to the subjects they know best, like this one: You Don't Have to Be on Vacation to Drink a Piña Colada.