"Factory farms in Iowa produce 109 billion pounds of waste each year, according to a new report from Food and Water Watch about concentrated livestock operations in the U.S.

That’s 25 times more waste than what all Iowans combined produce, according to the report.

“Factory Farm Nation” is an analysis of the 2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture census of agriculture compared with previous ag census data.

Over the past 20 years, the number of animals living on factory farms, which the report defines as operations with at least 500 head of cattle, 1,000 hogs, 500,000 broiler chickens (annually) or 100,000 egg laying chickens, has increased by nearly 50%."

Cami Koons reports for States Newsroom September 24, 2024. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Factory Farm Nation: 2024 Edition" (Food & Water Watch) [3]