The Truth about Prestage Farms
Members place half page ad in the Ames Tribune
CCI members have a message for Prestage Farms and they pooled their money to place it loud and proud in Tuesday's edition of the Ames Tribune.
Why Ames? Because that is where Prestage's top Iowa official Ryan Pudenz resides.
Prestage Farms isn't exactly a household name, but they're doing as much as any factory farm corporation to oppose our vision of an Iowa that puts people first. Read on to learn the truth about Prestage Farms!
Who is Prestage Farms?
Based in North Carolina, Prestage Farms is one of the giant ag corporations behind the explosion of factory farms in Iowa. Prestage is the fifth largest hog corporation in the country with 165,000 sows (each sow produces a litter of around 20).
What are they doing?
Prestage operates 360 factory farms across Iowa, mostly in a 100-mile radius around Webster City. But that's not the worst of it. This year, Prestage Farms has filed permits to build 40 more confinements in our state. CCI has fought a number of these proposals, including sites in Black Hawk County, Poweshiek County, and Greene County.
Why are they in Iowa?
According to international watchdog group Food and Water Watch, North Carolina imposed a statewide moratorium on new factory farms in 1995, after a local hog farm spilled 25 million gallons of manure — more than twice the oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez — killing 10 million fish and contaminating more than 350,000 acres of coastal shellfish habitat.Since they couldn't continue poisoning their own home state with corporate manure, Prestage looked to expand in other states with weaker regulation of factory farms — and settled on Iowa. Iowa's fragile natural resources cannot afford a disaster like North Carolina's.
Are Prestage's factory farms really that bad?
YES. Not only do they pose a proven threat to our environment, but Prestage Farms wholly owns all of their factory farms, from the land to the building to the hogs. This means that the profits generated at the expense of our natural resources don't even stay in the state. And because the factory farm lobby can buy the attention of legislators, Prestage pays no state taxes and minimal property taxes. We need to stand up and protect our rural economy. We need to defend our environment. We need to stop the influx of factory farms that Prestage is leading!
What can we do to fight back?
CCI members across the state are fighting factory farms in many different ways every day, but here is one extremely simple step that you can take right now: Ryan Pudenz is the lead representative of Prestage Farms in Iowa. Call him today at (515)233-8200 and tell him that Prestage Farms' corporate hogs aren't welcome in Iowa.
Join the Fight
Factory farm proposing to build near you? Have concerns about an existing facility?We can work with you and your community to fight back and stand up for clean air, clean water, and your quality of life.
Contact us for more information
Join as an Iowa CCI member today or chip in $10 to support our organizing on this issue.
Sign up for our E-Mail Action list to get the latest updates