Title: Perceptions of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)
1Perceptions of Concentrated Animal Feeding
Operations (CAFOs)
- Presentation by Jeff S. Sharp
- OLC Annual Meeting Industry Symposium
- Plain City, Ohio
- February 24, 2003
2Contact Information
- Jeff S. Sharp
- 311 Ag. Admin. Bldg.
- 2120 Fyffe Road
- Columbus, OH 43210
- E-mail sharp.123_at_osu.edu
- Phone 614-292-9410
3Outline of Presentation
- Project background
- General ag-related findings
- Livestock related attitudes
- Familiarity with the issues
- Level of concern about large-scale livestock
- Conclusions future plans
4Project Background
- Data are from the 2002 Version of the Ohio Survey
of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Issues - A biennial survey of Ohioans funded by
- OSU Department of Human Community Resource
Development - OSU Extension, OARDC, College of FAES
- Focus on social issues in agriculture as they
relate to the ecological paradigm
5Survey Methodology
- A stratified sample of 7,976 Ohioans was selected
from rural and Urban Ohio - Response rate of 56.4 was achieved
- Over 4,000 respondents
6Survey Sample Compared to State Population
Statistics
- Sample closely matches 2000 Census statistics on
- gender, age (over 24), households w/ kids,
employment status and household incomes - Limitations
- sample had lower proportion of renters, lower
of 18-24 year olds, and lower proportion of
African Americans than expected compared to state
population statistics
7Respondents by place of residence
8Ohioans Social Links to Farming and Rural Areas
9Parents ever owned or operated a farm
10Grandparents ever owned or operated a farm
11Number of farmers known
12Observation on Ohioans Social Links to Ag.
- Despite a very small proportion of Ohioans
residing on farms, many Ohioans have connections
to agriculture through family histories or
regular social interaction - These relationships can be an important social
resourcefor teaching about agriculture, for
garnering support, etc.
13Views of Agriculture, Farmers and the
Environment
14Overall, farming positively contributes to the
quality of life in Ohio
- 1 Strongly Disagreed or Disagreed
- 7 Undecided
- 92 Agreed or Strongly Agreed
15Ohios economy will suffer if it continues to
lose farmers
- 5 Strongly Disagreed or Disagreed
- 15 Undecided
- 80 Agreed or Strongly Agreed
16Q. I trust Ohio farmers to protect the
environment.
- 12 Strongly Disagreed or Disagreed
- 29 Undecided
- 59 Agreed or Strongly Agreed
17Q. Ohio farmers are generally sensitive to the
concerns of nonfarm neighbors.
- 11 Strongly Disagreed or Disagreed
- 45 Undecided
- 44 Agreed or Strongly Agreed
18Q. Environmental protection laws regulating
farming practices are too strict.
- 19 Strongly Disagreed or Disagreed
- 59 Undecided
- 22 Agreed or Strongly Agreed
19Observation on Farmers and the Environment
- There is a tremendous repository of good will
toward farming and farmers among Ohioans but - There appears to be a sizable amount of
indecision regarding farmings impact on the
environment - The Ohio Survey will be monitoring this
indecision to identify any trends
20Ohioans Views of Large-Scale Livestock and Poultry
21Familiarity with Livestock Issues
- Respondents were asked Are you familiar with the
issues associated with large-scale poultry and
livestock facilities? - 33 percent of respondents indicated yes
- 67 percent indicated no
22Familiarity by place of residence
23Familiarity by region of the state
24Concern about livestock
- How concerned are you about the development of
large-scale poultry and livestock production
facilities in Ohio? - 21 percent very concerned
- 51 percent somewhat concerned
- 28 percent not at all concerned
25Concern among those familiar with the issues
- Concern was higher among those indicating they
were familiar with the issues - 34 percent very concerned
- 51 percent somewhat concerned
- 15 percent not at all concerned
26Level of Concern by region (among those familiar
with the issues)
27Level of Concern by age (among those familiar
with the issues)
28Observations on Familiarity Concern
- Very strong regional pattern to who was familiar
with the issue in 2002 - Some association between age and level of concern
- Also find that persons living in cities, and
persons aware of a livestock facility near where
they live also express higher levels of concern
29Ohioans Attitudes about livestock among those
familiar w/ the issue
30Q. Large-scale poultry and livestock production
facilities in rural areas are a threat to rural
quality of life.
- 22 Strongly Disagreed or Disagreed
- 19 Undecided
- 59 Agreed or Strongly Agreed
31Q. There needs to be increased regulation of
livestock production in Ohio to protect the
environment.
- 17 Strongly Disagreed or Disagreed
- 26 Undecided
- 57 Agreed or Strongly Agreed
32Q. Large-scale poultry and livestock facilities
pose a serious threat to water and stream quality
in Ohio
- 11 Strongly Disagreed or Disagreed
- 18 Undecided
- 71 Agreed or Strongly Agreed
33Q. Odors are the most serious problem with
large-scale poultry and livestock facilities in
Ohio
- 43 percent Strongly Disagree or Disagree
- 16 percent Undecided
- 42 percent Agree or Strongly Agree
34Q. Large-scale livestock facilities positively
contribute to the economy of Ohio.
- 13 Strongly Disagreed or Disagreed
- 27 Undecided
- 60 Agreed or Strongly Agreed
35Q. In general, increased regulation of the
treatment of animals in farming is needed.
- 34 Strongly Disagreed or Disagreed
- 23 Undecided
- 43 Agreed or Strongly Agreed
36Q. Animal agriculture raises serious ethical
questions about the treatment of animals
- 37 Strongly Disagreed or Disagreed
- 29 Undecided
- 34 Agreed or Strongly Agreed
37Observations on Ohioans Attitudes of Livestock
- There is substantial concern about the
environmental impacts of large-scale livestock - Additional analysis shows that Ohioans that view
economic benefits of livestock have lower
environmental concerns
38Observations (cont.)
- Livestock welfare concern is mixed among Ohioans,
but is found to have a modest impact on overall
levels of concern about livestock developments
39Concluding Observations
- Through 2002 this was a regional issue
- Social capital (trust and networks among
farmers and nonfarmers) is associated with lower
concern - Family histories associated with agriculture
appears to temper some concern
40Concluding Observations on Livestock (cont.)
- As we track this issue into the future, will
recent changes in the regulatory environment
impact environmental concerns - Will also be tracking animal welfare concern, how
is it changing and is it influencing other views
or behaviors
41Future plans of interest
- The 2004 version of the Ohio Survey of Food,
Agriculture, and Environmental Issues is
currently in development - Some questions related to livestock concern and
animal welfare concern will be repeated from 2002 - Results from this project should begin to be
available in Fall of 2004.
42Future Plans (cont.)
- New project, under leadership of Bob Birkenholz
and Bill Flinn, to conduct case study research
examining differences between contested and less
contested large-scale livestock developments in
Ohio - Collect both interview and survey data in select
communities to understand social dimensions of
why facilities are opposed or not.