MORATORIUM NOW 2019 Legislative Toolkit Factory Farms & Clean Water

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1 MORATORIUM NOW 2019 Legislative Toolkit Factory Farms & Clean Water

2 About the organizations Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) is a statewide, grassroots community organization with over 40 years of political and issue organizing experience. CCI s mission is to put people and planet before profits, politics, and polluters through grassroots organizing and activism. We believe that everyday people have the power to create real, meaningful change. CCI works directly with impacted communities to address key issues like environmental justice, worker justice, racial justice, immigrant justice, climate justice, economic justice, and political justice. Facebook: Iowa CCI iowacci@iowacci.org Forest Ave, Des Moines, IA Food and Water Watch (FWW) champions healthy food and clean water for all. We stand up to corporations that put profits before people, and advocate for a democracy that improves people s lives and protects our environment. Facebook: Food and Water Watch Iowa Emma@fwwatch.org

3 Index How to use this toolkit Tips for attending forums Find your representative Find a forum Factory Farms & Clean Water Myth busters Talking points Questions for legislators Petition Signs

4 How to use this toolkit This toolkit is designed to help factory farm fighters and water protectors push for a moratorium on factory farms. With over 10,000 factory farms and over 750 impaired waterways we know it is time for a moratorium. No more new or expanded factory farms in Iowa. The purpose of this toolkit is to provide the resources for everyday Iowans to have meaningful connections with their representatives. We believe that the most impacted individuals are the ones with the solutions. So, it is important for your elected officials to hear your voice! Not sure where to start? That s okay. We have laid out tips for going to forums, connecting with your representatives, and resources to help you talk about why we need a moratorium now.

5 Tips for going to forums There will be opportunities to talk to your representative both at the Capitol and in the district where you live. Here are some small tips and tricks to create a meaningful experience at your next legislative forum: Seek them out. Find out where your elected officials are going to be and then show up. Attend events often and arrive early. Arriving early ensures you ll get a good seat - one where you can be easily called upon for a question. Take a few people with you. It s more fun and makes it easier when you have support. Have your questions prepared. Know what you are going to ask -- keep it short and to the point. Be prepared to ask a follow up question if you feel your representative dodged the first one. Ask your question early. Getting your hand up fast will help ensure you get to ask your question. Some forums require you to write your question down, so they can be pre-screened. Bring a pen and notecard just in case. Take notes and share what you learned. Keep track of what the candidate said and tell others who care about your issues. Print one of our signs at the end of this packet- this way if your representative dodges your question, you can still make your point. If you can t talk to your legislators at forums, you can lobby them at the Capitol. Join us February 21 st for our Moratorium Lobby Day.

6 Find your representative Click here to find your representatives in the Iowa House and Iowa Senate. Or you can call (515) to find your Senate Representative, and (515) to find your House Representative. Find a forum There are a couple of ways to stay in the know about when your representative will be hosting a forum. Once you have identified your representative, check out their website. Different officials do things differently, but many include upcoming events -- including forums -- on their website. You should also sign up for s from your representative and keep your eyes peeled for information about their stances on issues and upcoming forums. You can also visit the respective party s websites, listed below: You can visit Iowa CCI s website here. We will be updating the forums to the best of our ability before the start of every work week. We list them by city and include what representative is hosting the forum. Finally, if you still can t find a forum, give your representative a call and ask. Know about a forum we don t have listed on our website? Send an with the forum information to Ava at ava@iowacci.org.

7 Factory Farms & Clean Water Myth Busters The factory farm industry has created a false narrative that says we have to use the industrial agricultural system that they created. We know that s not true. We are fighting for a system that works for farmers, workers, eaters and the environment. Here are a few of the myths perpetuated by the factory farm industry. Myth #1: The Master Matrix works just fine. Truth: The Master Matrix has amounted to little more than a rubber stamp: applicants fill out the applications themselves, they score themselves and they only need a 50% - an F by most standards to pass. DNR records show that only 2% of applications have failed the Master Matrix. 1 With factory farms skyrocketing across the state and water quality getting worse, it is clear that the Master Matrix has failed. Myth #2: The factory farm industry is too important to our economy for a moratorium. Truth: Our water, air, and communities are to important not to pass a moratorium. The corporate owned factory farms extract the profits and leave us with the pollution. What we really need are independent family farms who buy locally, grow locally, and sell locally. The first step towards independent family farms is a moratorium. Myth #3: Factory farms are family farms. Truth: Iowa has over 10,000 factory farms. 2 In Iowa factory farms are vertically integrated one way or another. A local person may own the land, the buildings, 1 Animal Feeding Operations Database, IOWA DNR, (last visited June 5, 2017). Id. (Select Reports, then Construction Review Activity, and sort the Matrix Required column to remove facilities categorized as No or Not Assigned (default) ). 2 Animal Feeding Operations Database, IOWA DNR, (last visited November 28, 2018).

8 and the manure but a large corporation or private company owns the hogs, the profits and dictates operations on the farm often through the use of unfair contracts. Farmers know best about what should be happening on their farms not a big agribusiness corporation. We need independent family farms, not factory farms. Myth #4: Factory farming is an economic boost to rural communities. Truth: A 2003 study of nearly 2,250 rural counties nationwide found that counties with larger farms had lower levels of economic growth, suggesting that larger farms make smaller contributions to local economies. 3 Large agribusinesses pocket the profits, while independent family farms invest in their local communities. Myth #5: Factory farming is the only way to get into farming. Truth: Iowa shed 41.6 percent of its farm jobs between 1982 and 2007, amounting to 64,000 positions statewide. 4 This decline coincides with the expansive growth of factory farms. As factory farms increase in number, rural employment and income decline. Many small family farms employ more people than one large corporate controlled farm. Family farms are possible, but the biggest barrier is the factory farm industry. That s why we need a moratorium. 3 Deller, Steven C, Brian W. Gould and Bruce Jones. Agriculture and rural economic growth. Journal of Agriculture and Applied Economics, vol. 35, iss. 3. December 2003 at Food & Water Watch analysis of USDA and BEA data

9 Factory Farms & Clean Water Talking points for a Moratorium Now! 1) Why a moratorium? The factory farm industry has fought us every step of the way on commonsense protections. We have over 10,000 factory farms in the Iowa. Small regulatory tweaks don t come close to solving this problem. Iowa is in the midst of a factory farm crisis. We need a moratorium on new or expanded factory farms now. 2) Iowan s deserve clean water. There are over 750 impaired waterbodies in the state; many are polluted due to impacts from Big Ag. More than 200 community water systems struggle with high nitrate levels due to factory farms upstream. We need a moratorium now. The future of Iowa s water depends on it. 3) Factory farms don t pay their fair share. Factory farms pollute our air, water and tear up our roads. Despite generating $112 billion a year in Iowa, our taxpayer dollars are being used to clean up their messes. Iowa needs mandatory compliance for factory farm corporations. Polluters not the people need to pay to clean it up. 4) Local communities deserve to be heard. Rural communities across the state should have the final decision on having a factory farm move next door, but they don t. Without local control factory farms have overwhelmed Iowa s rural communities, destroying quality of life, decreasing property values, and polluting our waterways. The industry is out of control and we need a moratorium. 5) We need to put people and planet before hogs. The state of Iowa has more corporate owned hogs then people. Corporations extract the profits and leave us with the pollution. If we want good-paying jobs, clean water and air, and vibrant communities we need independent family farms. The first step towards family farms is a moratorium, no more new or expanded factory farms. We can t wait any longer. Tell your elected officials that we need a moratorium on new and expanded factory farms.

10 Factory Farms & Clean Water Questions for your legislators Here are some key questions to ask you legislatures about the factory farm and clean water issue. Record their answers and send them back to us if you can. Do you support a moratorium? Why or why not? Do you support meaningful local control? Do you support changes to the Master Matrix? What changes? Ask your representative these questions. Then share their answer with us at (515) or at ava@iowacci.org. AND share it on social media with #STOPFACTORYFARMS and #MORATORIUMNOW

11 Factory Farms & Clean Water Petitions Click here for a single PDF sheet of petitions to print. Or you can use the petition below: I support a MORATORIUM on factory farms in Iowa Iowans across party lines want good-paying jobs, clean water, air, and vibrant communities. They don t want mammoth, polluting hog factories with a limited number of low-paying jobs, with profits going to giant agribusiness corporations. Factory farms are out of control in Iowa and the industry continues to expand at an alarming rate. State leaders need to put people and planet before corporate profits, politics and polluters. ADD YOUR NAME TO THE THOUSANDS OF IOWANS CALLING ON OUT ELECTED OFFICIALS TO SAY YES TO CLEAN WATER! AND NO MORE FACTORY FARMS! Name Address Phone 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) Please return petition signatures to the Farm & Environment team at Iowa CCI at 2001 Forest Ave, Des Moines.

12 Factory Farms & Clean Water Signs We love signs! They are a great way to get your message across. Especially, at forums. We have included a couple of signs for you to use. Including a YES and NO sign. Like what your elected officials are saying hold up YES. Maybe you don t like what they are saying hold up NO. Also, take a picture with our signs and use our hashtags #STOPFACTORYFARMS and #MORATORIUMNOW. For a PDF printable of all our signs click here.

13 STOP FACTORY FARMS For more information contact Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement at (515) or at For a PDF printable of this sign click here.

14 YES

15 NO

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