Author: Inside Climate News Staff Published: 8/16/2026 Inside Climate News
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Episode 4: Cash Cow
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, commonly referred to as CAFOs, are the backbone of America’s livestock industry.
The majority of the beef, pork and chicken products Americans buy are raised and fattened at these facilities. Billions of animals are housed at these operations, which generate well over a billion tons of manure each year. These factory farms foul water, wreck the lives of neighbors and are a significant source of planet-warming emissions. Despite these challenges, CAFOs are loosely regulated, meaning people have few tools to reign in a powerful industry that continues to expand.
Inside Climate co-host Jake Bolster talks to agriculture reporter Georgina Gustin, who recently traveled to Nebraska to investigate the largest cattle CAFO in the country, which will house as many as 200,000 livestock once completed. He also speaks to North Carolina reporter Lisa Sorg about hog CAFOs and the legal effort some have brought against the industry in that state.
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