A dose of reality!

Yesterday I had an experience that I felt should be shared. These are photos of the largest chicken egg laying Factory Farm in PA.  Hillendale corporations just bought this farm. I had the pleasure of riding along with Erin DeCou from Clean Water Action, Mike Helfrick the Susquehanna River Keeper, and the Environmental Attorney for the Stewards of the Lower Susquehanna as they were monitoring toxic gases with a Hound around Factory Farms in PA.  The hound is about a 50,000 meter that takes readings of toxic gases put off by large  factory farms.  Peach Bottom Concerned Citizens Group was also shown how to take air quality tests in their community and air quality reading were taking around 2 farms in their township.  I felt it was important for consumers to actually see where their eggs  come from.  I wish I had the dimension of this building.  It was enormous!  It looked at least 2 stories to me.  What really struck me was that there didn't seem to be any opening in the building for fresh air to come into the building for the chickens that were laying eggs.  Only extremely large fans that were filthy, blowing air out of the building.  The building looked to me to be about 300 ft. long if not more.  I only stood outside the car for about 4 minutes and the stench was unbearable.  I almost immediately started choking, felt sick to my stomach and had a headache on the way home that lasted for the rest of the night.  I didn't stay to see the rest of the buildings, which totaled about 6 or 7 more.  I was told there are around 1 million chickens in these buildings laying eggs.  The manure that comes from these building has polluted the waterways in the area and made the neighbors wells non-potable.  I can only imagine what the conditions are like inside these building.  If I was choking outside the building after only 4 minutes, what was it like inside the building, It will be interesting to see what toxins the hound will sniff out!  Without regulations on farming communities are left to deal with these dangerous situations on their own.  And have found that the industry has been busy passing laws to protect these factories and the polluting they are doing to the earth. There is a sign in front of the building saying that it is a Bio Secure area.  What really does that mean?  It saddens me to see that farms are a thing of the past.  And that factory have replaced them!  I personally cannot ever buy another egg that was brought into this world by these means.  What came first the factory or the farm?  I hope that this will encourage you to purchase your eggs from a sustainable farm! Help bring back the real farms! You really can make a difference in this world...at your local grocery store!