I live in Duplin County. This article portrays the general setting of this area of downeast NC. But the focus on how awful it is distracts from an issue about the powerful motives of industrial farming.

You see, as more and more people realize that Duplin County's a mess, many move away and fewer consider moving in. This creates a perfect environmental waste location because the only thing that stops polluters is when people complain. Using simple logic, it's easy to see how one way to fix the compaint problem is to get rid of the people.

It's working in Duplin County. The article didn't mention how local "Leaders" selected a site for a poultry poop incinerator to be located at the first Duplin County exit people see when driving to the ocean on the Interstate. Right on the exit - is planned a 300' smokestack.

I don't think there's a better way to say: "Don't even think about stopping here" than seeing a chicken-poop factory from the Interstate. So it seems like "Mission Accomplished" for factory farms. Their chances of getting complaints are going down all the time.

Some may wonder why such a rural location is worth considering, let alone saving. I don't because of history, where I can see Gen. Sherman's headquarters just by looking up from my laptop; and to see the "Lifeline of the Confederacy" railroad I only have to glace to the east. Maybe it's enough to consider that the people who do know why this rural locations is important may be in a bad position, but we're still not as bad-off as those who don't.

CAFOs are gross. About 3 years ago I think the regs changed to trigger regulatory permitting for waste management at a significantly lower headcount but that construct seems to have little affect on reducing livestock density. Biosolid as fertilizer? Biosolid application loading rules were promulgated based on a 2 year greenhouse strawberry metal uptake experiment...they should have tested for pharma loading too (note sarcasm).