SRAP at Farm Aid 2023!

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What better way to kick off fall than with a live music festival celebrating small independent farmers and ranchers! SRAP is thrilled to announce we will be at Farm Aid 2023 in Noblesville, Indiana, on Saturday, September 23.

In honor of this year’s theme—water and agriculture—SRAP will host an exhibit in Farm Aid’s HOMEGROWN Village that connects the dots between factory farms and water pollution. 

Our exhibit, “Map With SRAP: Are Factory Farms Polluting Your Water?”, will feature a large map showing the correlation between industrial livestock operations and polluted waterways in the United States. 

Our Water Rangers team will also perform live in-person water-testing demonstrations on how to test and analyze water samples to check for factory farm pollution near you. 

If you are attending Farm Aid 2023, be sure to stop by and see us—or stream the festival live at FarmAid.org.

We can’t wait to rock out with our favorite farmers and ranchers and enjoy tasty bites made by local family farms. 

READ ‘Map With SRAP’ at Farm Aid 2023!

 

Community Pride

When a community in Morristown, Indiana, got wind of plans to build a 6,500-head dairy and factory farm gas operation, equipped with a football field-sized manure lagoon, they sprung into action. The community organized and made their voices heard. Their battlecry, a message centered around community pride, persuaded local officials to strike down the proposed megadairy and pass a citywide ban on industrial livestock operation! The community has since used their momentum to start Morristown Citizens for Responsible Growth, a nonprofit that advocates for sustainable and responsible development. 

 

Positive Step Forward for Civil Rights! 

On September 8, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agreed to investigate whether Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) discriminated against the Black, Hispanic, Latinx, and Haitian community when reviewing permits for a proposed factory farm gas and composting facility in Seaford, Delaware.

The facility would truck in 250,000 tons of poultry waste to produce methane, adding more pollution to communities already overburdened with contaminated air and water. 

EPA’s decision is a win and positive step forward for Civil Rights. 

SRAP Senior Counsel, Eli Holmes, who drafted the complaint, applauded EPA’s decision and called on DNREC to revoke the permits and stop the project immediately. 

“Access to information and public participation are central to a functioning democracy,” she said. “We hope EPA’s decision will result in stronger protections for people discriminated against because of their race, color, national origin, and language.”

The decision follows a Civil Rights complaint filed in December 2022 alleging DNREC and Sussex County, Delaware, violated the rights of the Seaford community when reviewing permits for Bioenergy Devco’s factory farm gas facility. 

READ EPA Accepts Civil Rights Complaint in Delaware Over Factory Farm Gas Plant

 

Free ‘Right to Harm’ Screening in Indiana! 

SRAP is hosting a free screening of the film, “Right to Harm,” on Sunday, September 24 at 2:30 p.m. ET at the Waldron Arts Center in Bloomington, Indiana. The screening will include light snacks and refreshments, plus a one-hour panel discussion featuring rural residents who have been personally impacted by industrial animal agriculture. Seats are limited! Reserve yours today! 

READ SRAP Hosts Free ‘Right to Harm’ Screening

 


For more than 20 years, SRAP has served as a mobilizing force to help communities protect themselves from the damages caused by industrial livestock operations and to advocate for a food system built on regenerative practices, justice, democracy, and resilience. Learn more at sraproject.org