The rapid concentration of farm animal production in factory farms makes meat, dairy, and eggs plentiful and cheap, but this type of agriculture comes at a great cost to human health, communities, and the environment. A new book by Johns Hopkins University Press, Industrial Farm Animal Production, the Environment, and Public Health, brings together public health and other experts to examine some of the most critical topics related to industrial farm animal production.

In conjunction with the book’s release, The Harkin Institute is hosting a two-day conference examining pertinent topics such as the history, structure, and trends in the factory farming industry; water and air pollution; infectious disease health effects; community and social impacts; environmental justice and sustainable agriculture; and the impacts of COVID-19 among meatpacking workers. With an introduction by Senator Tom Harkin (retired), the hope of the conference is to highlight the serious risks posed to environmental and human health by current farming systems and to examine local and national strategies for moving towards a system that prioritizes health and well-being.

WHAT: Industrial Farm Animal Production, the Environment, and Public Health Conference
WHEN: September 25 & 26, 2024
WHERE: Parents Hall, Olmsted Center 
RSVP: Drake students can attend for free! Register using this link.

This event is hosted in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future and is part of Iowa Environmental Education Week co-organized with the Iowa Environmental Council.

–Kathryn Kuckelman, Harkin Institute