-- Missourians from all over the state provided personal stories and connected with others to build power in support of family farms, local control, clean water and air, democratic action and much more.

-- Jeff Jones, livestock and grain farmer from Callaway County, described his communities' work coming together and organizing against a 10,000 head Iowa-based sow operation moving next to their farms and homes.

-- Loka Ashwood, Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at Auburn University, explained the new corporate structure of swine CAFOs, such as Illinois-based Carthage Management System (CMS), made up of folding LLCs for the purpose of diffused financial liability in the event of pollution or bankruptcy. 

-- Patty Lovera, Assistant Director of Food & Water Watch, addressed CAFOs and how the Farm Bill and public taxpayer funding fuels the industrialization and corporate takeover of our livestock industries.

-- Adam Mason, Policy Director from Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, spoke to the negative impacts of over 10,000 CAFOs in Iowa, including on their water, health and property rights.

-- Axel Fuentes, Executive Director of the Rural Community Workers Alliance, shared experiences of workers who are exploited by the current industrial food and agriculture system.  Axel brought a message of unity that demonstrated how the same corporate policies that hurt family farmers and rural communities are also harming workers. 

-- Experts joined us to explore everything from legal issues and using social media in savvy ways, to exposing the health and environmental impacts of CAFOs and how we can take action to fight back.

CAFO Summit Picture Project

Members and supporters participated in our CAFO Summit Picture Project by sending pictures that show "why our families, farms, communities, clean air and water, and good food are worth fighting for!" Check out these few examples!

Thank you to all of our 2019 Missouri CAFO Summit attendees, speakers and sponsors.


*CAFO is an acronym for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation.