The Iowa Alliance for Responsible Agriculture aims to stop the expansion of unwanted factory farms until Iowa has fewer than 100 water impairments.

DES MOINES — A new coalition, the Iowa Alliance for Responsible Agriculture, launched Sept. 21 at the Iowa State Capitol with a campaign calling for a statewide moratorium on new and expanding factory farms until Iowa has fewer than 100 water impairments, down from a record-breaking 754 impairments in 2014.

IARA consists of over 20 national, state, and county environmental, family farm, and community advocacy groups across the state. Appanoose County was represented at the campaign by members of Iowans Down Wind, a local grassroots organization that opposes industrial agricultural operations which threaten the environment or Iowans’ quality of life. Five representatives of six member organizations spoke at a press conference on Wednesday before a crowd of supporters describing why Iowa needs a factory farm moratorium immediately.

“Iowa hasn’t done nearly enough to address the problems of industrial agriculture that are clearly documented in over 50 years of respected, peer reviewed professional studies. IARA formed to find solutions to the devastating impacts caused by industrial livestock production on thousands of Iowans throughout the state. We are here today to call for a factory farm moratorium. With over 9000 factory farms in Iowa, we say with conviction, enough is enough!” said Francis Thicke, a farmer and Jefferson County Farmers & Neighbors, Inc. board of directors member.

Others spoke on the impacts of factory farms on their lives.

“It broke my heart to watch a 90 year old suffer – gasping for air because of asthma. Her symptoms began within a year after 5,000 hogs moved in within ½ mile of my home. That ended my business of caring for disabled, elderly people in my home,” said Joyce Otto, BSN, RN, CWON and President of Poweshiek CARES. “It broke my heart when my daughter decided to go somewhere else for childcare because research validates the dangers of asthma in children exposed to the toxins from hog factories.”