How To Spot A CAFO

A CAFO is a “confined animal feeding operation” sometimes referred to as a factory farm. There are however, many smaller farms that have shifted to this same confined model of raising animals, yet because they are small many would be unwilling to dub them factory farms. For this reason they are referred to here as a CAFO.

There are a few things of commonality on most CAFO buildings that will help you to recognize if one is in your area. Some of these can include elongated metal buildings containing many vents, mostly or entirely windowless buildings, silage bins, waste lagoons, and often concealed or out of the way locations.

Why would you want to know which buildings in your area are CAFO’s? There are a couple of reasons that are readily apparent. First, it is always helpful to an activist in conversation to have knowledge of where these buildings are located. Many people that activists encounter think that these horrible factory styled production facilities are not located near them and that because of this it is a problem somehow removed or distant. These facilities are everywhere and being able to prove there is one near you can be a priceless tool in a conversation.

Second, they are picture opportunities. There are a variety of reasons an activist may want to take pictures of them or the surrounding environment. Large factory farms can damage the roads on which their trucks run. They are also polluters of the environment. Some of this pollution could be photographically documented under certain (legal) circumstances. You could also sit on a public roadway leading from the facility and watch or photograph the often overloaded trucks while they exit. I take every opportunity to photograph animal use situations because you can never know when such pictures may come in handy.

If you do take pictures that you feel should be seen, but have no method of showing them, I may be able to help in that regard. Depending on their content and quality I would be more than happy to post them on this website for you. The pictures would have to be digital. Just make sure and contact me before e-mailing any images.