In response to the recent "rural development" package announced by Senate Republicans in Michigan, a rural resident who wishes to remain anonymous writes:
Sen. Sikkema notes that "rural areas are a great place to live and
raise a family." In general, I'd be the first to agree with that statement. However, those families who live in the vicinity of CAFO's and similar operations that the Senator and his colleagues appears to desire to further de-regulate may not agree... Keeping the country a great place to live means environmental stewardship. Family farms have practiced that for decades, but agribusiness increasingly does not, which means, like it or not, regulation of farming activities will be increasingly necessary to protect both our farmland resources and the quality of life for farm families.