Why the Waterkeepers' Mantra is Wrong

The Waterkeeper Alliance has released nine new videos attacking North Carolina hog farmers. Let’s take a look at the first one, which they’ve posted on YouTube and promoted (paid to run) on Facebook.The Waterkeepers video repeats the same old mantra they have tried to foist on people for years. They say-- There are a lot of hogs, there are mountains of waste, and there’s not enough land to absorb it all. Now, that’s just plain dead wrong. And the Waterkeepers know it. Here’s why:A farmer can’t just build a hog farm and go into business. They have to obtain a permit from the state. And to get that permit, they first have to tell the state two things: How may acres of land they have on the farm, and what crops they are going to raise.Next a state lab, using soil tests and agronomic rates, calculates how much manure those crops will consume as they grow.Then, finally, the state uses the lab’s data to determine how many hogs the farmer can raise on their farm without over-applying manure to the land.It’s that simple: How much land the farmer has and the crops they grow determine how many hogs they are allowed to raise.In addition, state officials inspect every hog farm each year to verify the farmer is complying with every one of those regulations. If they don’t, the state can put that farmer out of business.But you won’t see those facts in these Waterkeeper videos. They just scream, There are a lot of hogs, there are mountains of waste, and it’s gotta be polluting. But, in fact, the whole system – from permits to studies in state labs to state inspections – is designed to protect the environment. Here’s a video that tells a story about how one farmer, James Lamb, has worked to comply with state regulations to protect the environment for almost two decades.The Waterkeepers just keep on spinning. But, of course, it’s all just politics. The hard part is, when the Waterkeepers play politics, hard-working farmers – like James Lamb –  get hurt.

Waterkeepers Turn Up the Heat

The Waterkeeper Alliance has just released nine new videos attacking North Carolina hog farmers. So why has the Waterkeeper suddenly gone into overdrive?Well, the answer may be politics.To put it as bluntly as possible: The Waterkeepers want to pressure newly elected officials to pile on even more regulations that will hurt North Carolina hog farmers.When it comes to hog farmers, North Carolina already has the toughest regulations in the nation. The Waterkeepers can holler at the top of their lungs that hog farmers are “polluting,” but Hurricane Matthew proved that the Waterkeepers are dead wrong.State reports showed that 99.5% of the hog farms weathered the storm without a spill or a leak. That proves the tough regulations passed by the state over the past decade worked. Here’s a video that tells a story about how one farmer complied with those regulations.[video width="1280" height="720" mp4="http://ncfarmfamilies.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/james-blog.mp4"][/video]There has been a lot of criticism lately in the media about “fake news stories” on the Internet. These new videos are more “fake news” – compliments of the Waterkeepers.It’s all just politics, of course. The hard part is, when the Waterkeepers play politics, hard working farmers get hurt.

Scaring the Pants Off People

There’s a lot of negative news and fear tactics being used these days, and some recent articles written by Lisa Sorg of NC Policy Watch are no exception. Ms. Sorg wrote two articles (one about a superbug alert & the other about a buy-out program) that utilizes fear tactics and puts a negative spin on the pork industry.On a hog farm somewhere in the U.S. – Ms. Sorg warns that a “wayward gene has… created a bacteria that is resistant to drugs.”Sounds like a nightmare. But is it?Ms. Sorg, an ally of the Waterkeepers, is writing about a report from Ohio State University. But, in fact, hog farmers across the nation voluntarily participate in Ohio State University’s studies for one reason: to help keep our food supply safe.Ohio State University also reported not a single pig “scheduled for slaughter carried the mutant genes.”So the system didn’t break down – it worked.But straining to find a crisis, spinning away, Ms. Sorg went on to report the wayward gene could “enter the food supply through raw meat.”Now think about that: How many people eat raw pork?Ms. Sorg doesn’t stop there with her reports on the hog industry, though. She wrote another article about swine farm buy-outs. What’s interesting about her latest broadside isn’t the story she tells – it’s her spin.Ms. Sorg starts out by reporting about a state program. Back in 1999, after Hurricanes Floyd, Dennis, and Irene the program set out to buy-out and close 42 hog farms located in the 100 year flood plain.Now one thing Hurricane Matthew proved is that the buy-out program and the state’s new regulations worked. During Hurricane Matthew, there wasn’t a leak or spill on 99.5% of NC’s hog farms, but Ms. Sorg didn’t mention that fact.Instead, she reports the state needs to buy-out more farms – to avoid a looming environmental disaster.That’s called pushing the panic button to scare people.And that’s how ‘spin’ works: You manufacture a crisis, leave out facts that say your nightmare isn’t real,  then try to scare the pants off people.