Farmkeepers Blog
The Farmkeepers is the official blog of NC Farm Families. It is here that words will flow, our voice will be heard, a stand will be made, and the farm families of North Carolina will be protected. In these posts, we'll set the record straight. You'll see the faces of the families who feed us. Here, you'll receive all the updates and news. It is here that we will fight for farmers and be the keepers of the farm in NC. We hope you'll join us. Follow along on social media and by joining our email list.
While Farmers Continue Efforts to Feed Communities, Waterkeepers Launch Baseless Attack
Here they go again…
When Cape Fear Riverkeeper Kemp Burdette launched another baseless attack on North Carolina’s pork industry last week, our Executive Director Chad Herring didn’t hesitate to call him out.
“You have to hand it to the activists attacking North Carolina’s pork industry — they never let a crisis go to waste,” Herring wrote in a letter to The News & Observer. “First, it was the hurricanes. Now, they are using the COVID-19 pandemic to keep attacking our industry.”
Burdette wrote a guest column taking aim at hog farmers and pork processing plants, including claims that our farms pollute the air and water. But let’s take a look at the facts.
The NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) recently collected 15 months of air quality data in Duplin County. After taking measurements of hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and particulate matter, the Division of Air Quality concluded that the results “do not constitute a significant air quality issue in the study area.” They determined that no additional testing is needed.
Burdette also specifically accuses our farmers of creating water quality problems during hurricanes. But we’ve seen time and time again that you simply cannot trust the claims these activists make — especially during hurricanes and other crisis situations.
As Herring explains in his letter, “When a crisis hits, our family farmers don’t attack others. We look for ways to help. We protect our animals, feed our neighbors, and strengthen our communities.”
It’s a shame the Waterkeepers refuse to do the same.
Letter to the Editor
You have to hand it to the activists attacking North Carolina’s pork industry — they never let a crisis go to waste. First, it was the hurricanes. Now, they are using the COVID-19 pandemic to keep attacking our industry.
The latest example: Cape Fear Riverkeeper Kemp Burdette’s May 10 op-ed.
He repeats a long list of vague, misleading claims about the impact of hog farming on air and water. Burdette also unfairly attacks our state’s processing plants, which are operating at significantly reduced capacity to protect workers and keep our nation’s food chain up and running.
When a crisis hits, our family farmers don’t attack others. We look for ways to help. We protect our animals, feed our neighbors, and strengthen our communities.
Chad Herring, Mount Olive
Executive Director, NC Farm Families