I am a small fruit and vegetable farmer in Sonoma County. (See Chalice.farm web site for details). I have been doing a crash course in Measure J—a fabulous policy move that would eliminate CAFOs (per the EPA’s definition) in Sonoma County! That’s a triple win: for animals, the environment, and human health! 

I had an interview yesterday and one this morning. I feel compelled to do this because many progressive groups are on the wrong side of this issue—and their reasons are spurious! SHAME ON YOU OAEC, CAFF, CALcan, et al!!!

The Yes on J people are all about facts; the No on J people, all about fear! Add to that: Most of the NO money—~$1.7 Million!—comes from Big Ag outside the county. …So that old compulsion—speaking truth to power—has taken over me the past  few days! 

The rhetoric at the NO website is alarmist and fear mongering—and utterly ridiculous. Twenty-one out of 700 animal farms will be affected: have to downsize or otherwise mitigate the damage they are doing to the environment (huge surface water pollution problem); animals (absolutely horrendous treatment); and human health (not only the substandard nutrition that these weak, ill, and abused animals provide, but antibiotic-resistant bacteria, avian flu, salmonella, e coli, listeria, etc. 

***NOTE: Just yesterday Oct 24, 2024, saw a massive recall of chickens for listeria contamination affecting Costco, Walmart, Trader Joe’s, fast-food chains, et al***

In addition, these mitigations open the field to more people, better players, more diversity!

I am asked, do I think passage of Measure J will cause the CAFO operators to move away from the County? My answer is No, I think they will comply. But if any do, they can run but they cannot hide. When California takes the lead in good public policy, the other states follow! That’s why the polluters and exploiters outside the  county are scared…

I am asked, does it bother me that the YES campaign started outside this county? My answer is No—they eat this food too—they have a right to clean, healthy, cruelty-free food! These CAFOs that operate in this county feed people outside the county and outside the state! Consumers wherever they reside have every right to demand integrity!!! I thank god they had the time and determination to launch this campaign! I believe that most Sonoma county residents had no idea that CAFOs even exist in Sonoma—I didn’t, but sadly they do…

In conclusion, we must stop trashing the Earth! Eliminating CAFOs eliminates one of the egregious Trashers of our planet: our waterways, our health, and the well-being of farm animals!

Measure J is a WIN WIN WIN for Sonoma County and the Earth!