There are more than 15,000 cattle and hog feeding operations in the United States.
There are more than 15,000 cattle and hog feeding operations in the United States. These operations rear 70% of the country’s cattle and 98% of its hogs.
Now, for the first time in the nation’s history, we know with certainty where most of them are, thanks to research from the University of Michigan.
The research team found that a quarter of the nation’s hog and cattle feeding operations are found in just 30 counties out of more than 3,000 in the United States. Going a step further, the team also found that an air pollutant linked to heart and respiratory issues near these animal feeding operations, or AFOs, was higher than in similar counties without feeding operations.
Read more at: University of Michigan
Research from the University of Michigan has revealed the location and extent of more than 15,000 hog and cattle feeding operations in the United States. This map shows how much area cattle feeding operations occupy in each county. These operations occupy an area equivalent to nearly 400,000 football fields nationwide. (Photo Credit: S. Chamanara et al. Commun. Earth & Environ)
