Poweshiek CARES meeting: September 17, 2013

Joyce Otto, President of Poweshiek CARES, thanked us for attending tonight and asked for questions and announcements or new concerns.

Val Vetter had sent out (by e-mail) an article about superbugs, and announced that there was another article in today's Des Moines Register. Food and Water Watch has argued for allowing antibiotics to be administered to animals only if they are ill.

Laforest Sherman recounted a news report about gases emerging from abandoned manure pits and posing a public menace, and another about porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, which can run through a herd quickly and annihilate it. It can spread through manure spread on fields. He argued that overcrowding is the heart of the problem and must be address for sustainability.

Donna Winburn reported that Iowa has had two manure spills in the last week, at least one resulting in a fish kill. Joyce recalled one that was never reported, resulting from a truck that overturned next to a stream.

Joyce announced that Tayler Chicoine will be conducting IOWATER training on October 5. Sue Kolbe has registration forms and can forward them to Tayler.

The Iowa Environemntal Council is holding an educational conference on October 11. There will be speakers and booths, including our booth. At least six of our members plan to attend. Val suggested that it will be a good opportunity for us to network.

The annual meeting of Jefferson County Farmers and Neighbors is on October 16, and Joyce is organizing a bus to attend. It's in the evening (7:30–9:30 p.m.). Joyce is particularly concerned to get participants in the currently active lawsuits to go, but she urged all Poweshiek CARES members who can make it to attend.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will be holding an open meeting in Newton some time next month, on the topic of the role of the Environmental Protection Agency in overseeing the DNR.

The Women, Food, and Agriculture Network is having a nationwide meeting at the airport Holiday Inn in Des Moines in November. It will be a three-day meeting, Thursday through Saturday.

Committee reports: Partnering is continuing to contact people in other counties—ten so far, another fifteen in progress. Sandy Moffett is planning to attend meetings of various hunting and fishing societies this month. Food and Water Watch responded unexpectedly promptly and favorably. We're finding, however, that in many counties the opposition to hog factories “burned out” many years ago; some of the former activists are now discouraged and humiliated. The committee's next meeting is on October 1, at 7 p.m., in the board room of Drake Library.

Education and outreach. The first big event is the IEC meeting, where we'll be putting together a booth. Attendance at the meeting was poor, and Laforest has not yet scheduled another. Newton Manufacturers makes flyswatters that can be customized; it was suggested that a flyswatter with the Poweshiek CARES name and URL might be an excellent giveaway item for such events.

Legislative action. The committee has sent out many e-mails to legislators—sixty-seven in all—and encourages us all to write e-mails, respectfully informing legislators and asking whether other legislators might be interested in joining the effort to better manage the siting of hog confinements, perhaps by changing the matrix. Marilyn Barnes read some of the replies; she hopes to establish a dialogue with legislators in the next session.

The committee is planning a tour of the state capitol, with an emphasis on learning the structure of the legislative offices.

Marilyn mentioned some reference documents that she has available: a map of the counties of Iowa, a list of the state legislatures and committees, and maps of the Senate and House districts.

The next meeting of the committee will be in the large study room at Drake Library, on October 1, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Response, action, and mobilization. The committee is planning for our participation in the upcoming parades in Montezuma (September 26) and Grinnell (October 3). The goal is to raise awareness in the community, through spectacle. Two groups: the gas mask cohort, carrying signs and a banner, followed by a hayrack with riders, followed by distributors of flyers—as many people as possible. Jeremy Chen has asked for help in editing the flyers. Angela Winburn has lists of people to call.

Community impact: The committee is seeking images and handouts. They report that our colleagues at the Environmental Health Sciences Research Center don't seem to be fast responders.

Liz Queathem and a student at Grinnell College are preparing a module for local high-school teachers, to test water quality. Jean Perri is interviewing people who live near CAFOs, collecting stories—she needs names of locals with stories.

Poweshiek CARES members who have received the basic certification from IOWATER can now proceed to the more advanced tra