Letter to the Editor

The Argus Leader argues massive dairy farms have to go somewhere. I don’t agree. There’s something wrong with an economic development strategy that means a few people get rich at other people’s expense.

South Dakota has plenty of space. It doesn’t make sense to crowd so many animals into a small confined area. Too many problems arise when you do that.

Giant dairy feedlots stink. They lower property values and create health problems for neighbors. At the very least, we should have a right to vote on whether we want to take the risk.

In media photo ops, factory dairy farmers are allowed to portray themselves as family farms. But how many family farmers do you know who start out with $10 million and plan to import and exploit 20 low wage laborers who’ll do most of the work?

Big dairy proponents chant, “economic development.” But when you check behind the numbers and dubious assumptions, it doesn’t add up. Costs get shifted to taxpayers and neighbors.

We should be investing in helping small and medium sized farmers, not driving them out of business. Overproduction drives down commodity prices. Real economic development doesn’t take place at the expense of existing residents.