Seems like Jeff is pushing leglislation in order to raise money - that’s ethical. It will be interesting to see who donates to his campaign now.

Not really the type of person I want in the AG’s office.

Jack,

I’m not sure I see your point. Jeff is pushing the legislation to provide local control over CAFOs because it’s an issue he believes in. I consider that quite ethical and even admirable among politicians today.

If you want to get into a discussion about ethics in fundraising perhaps we can talk about the $100,000 Chris Koster and the $25,000 Mike Gibbons accepted from Republican Rex Sinquefield. Is that ethical? Not in my opinion. What about Gibbons’ acceptance of contributions from Rudy Farber after his political appointment last year? Ethical? Probably not.

Are those the guys you would prefer in the AG’s office? Not me. Jeff is clearly the most qualified and the strongest candidate in the entire field.

Love the weak Donnelly pushbacks on here. Harris isn’t attacking her, he’s pointing out that she doesn’t have a plan, which is true. It’s something that sets him apart from her and Koster. The video doesn’t say she supports CAFOs. It just rightly says that he’s the one who is leading on the issue, which is true.

If she wants to do the same with her product safety bill, more power to her. If voters are compelled to vote on that issue, then maybe she’s the better choice, but if voters care about CAFO, then clearly Harris is the right candidate.

And it completely escapes me how Harris is using legislation to “in order to raise money.” It looks like what he’s doing is sponsoring bills to make a difference and to help show what he’ll do as Attorney General. Looks pretty smart to me.

I agree with you Roger…Jack is just skeptical it looks like.

WOW What a hog happy issue for an Attorney General candidate—where is the slop?

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I am afraid that Mr. Harris and many of the people who have commented on this ad are misinformed on the topic of Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO). First of all, most CAFO’s are owned by families or individuals who are full or part time farmers. It is true that most of the livestock within the buildings are owned by large Agribusinesses such as Cargill and Tyson, but the people doing the work are small business owners just like a local fast food franchise owner.

Second, the claim about livestock waste generated by a CAFO contaminating local water is absurd! By in large, these facilities are 100% containment which means that there is no run off from these sites that contains animal waste. Most cities cannot make that claim as their sewage is treated and then dispersed directly into local streams. True, the waste is cleaned out of the holding pits from time to time, but it is applied to local farm land, at a rate recommended by soil tests and crop uptake. Animal waste is a great natural fertilizer source supplying the three main plant nutrients of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

Finally, the point about local control is a mute point. The EPA and Missouri DNR have more than enough rules and regulations already on the books to ensure our environment is kept clean. The route most counties are taking to achieve local control is via a health ordinance. The folks behind these ordinances claim that CAFO’s have negative effects on public health but have failed to back up that claim with any science. This is just an example of fear-mongering by individuals who wish to impose their beliefs on the citizens.

I think the real problem here is the NIMBY syndrome (Not In My Back Yard). Before rushing to judgment, politicians and the public need to understand how our food is produced and not be lead astray by self proclaimed “experts” until they talk to the people who really know how these facilities work, the American Farmer.

I believe that this kind of slaming of agriculture is becoming common place now especially by those who want to leave the “city” and have that rural lifestyle. Folks are uneducated about such issues about animal agriculture now a days it makes me sick to follow such lies and trash talk. If you have never been on one of these farms, then go back to your coffee houses and talk about something else like how you are going to pay for your volvo and maxed out credit cards with your home value’s plumiting (I suppose we are to blame for that too!). Farmers are a small population these days and we are an easy target to put the blame on. I say stop watering your lawns that serve no practical purpose except to max out your water treatment facilities, quit appling tons of N-P-K fertilizer on grass just so you can show off to your neighbors (really, you do not know what you are doing or how to apply it properly!) Streams from urban streams are those most poluted in the country. Get off of agricultures back and let us do what we know best. Raise food for those who don’t appriciate it!

Amen Ed! I agree with you every word you said!

DNR & the EPA have regulations in place. Where do you think the run off from animals goes when they are raised on dirt?

My biggest concern is where do you prefer our food be raised? Think about your food coming from foreign countries and what safety precautions they have in raising animals. Another thought is the cost of shipping in food. Just as we do oil.