I stayed with a family of oyster farmers yesterday on the Chesapeake Bay shore of Virginia. They cultivate about nine-million oysters a year, starting from seed, growing in containers until the oyster is matured. Typically the off-bottom sea floor farming method prevents oysters from dying as easily, however, these farmers are facing problems with local agriculture that is impacting the water-life.
Big chicken farms in Virginia and Maryland have recently changed from open air farm houses to enclosed farm houses, holding up to 40,000 chickens in a 36,000 square foot space. The farms are popping up everywhere, and pretty much every local I’ve run into is complaining about the air quality. The feces and dead chickens not only create a stench, but the phosphorus and nitrogen from this waste runs off into the waterways, polluting drinking water and animal life. Oyster farmers have been battling algae blooms caused by this waste. It blocks sunlight and suffocates oxygen supply. Even filtering creatures like oysters can’t manage. There are about three major chicken farming companies in this region. I’ve already thrown one under the bus in a previous post. Their goal is faster production at the highest quantity of chickens produced. Typically, they come to your grocery store at a cheap and irresistible price. But there is a hidden price- The water quality, the sea life, the air quality, the local farmers, the local residents, the physical world we all share. Not to mention, this is one of the poorest regions of U.S and a predominately black population, two already marginalized societies faced with poor air and water. Cheaper is not always better, especially when it means others paying the price for us.
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AuthorKatie Elizabeth: Writer, Wonderer, Wanderer. Archives
April 2022
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