New research from national advocacy group Food & Water Watch tracks the emissions of Iowa’s factory farming industry, and reveals their profound impact on climate change. According to Food & Water Watch’s findings, the yearly emissions of Iowa’s hog and cattle factory farms produce the equivalent methane emissions of 4.4 million gas-powered passenger cars — almost twice the number of passenger vehicles registered in Iowa.

Factory farms are high emitters by design, concentrating and storing manure in massive quantities often in liquid form in tanks, pits or lagoons, and relying on emissions-intensive corn and soy for feed. With more factory farms than any other state, Iowa’s agricultural climate footprint is enormous. Key findings include:

• Factory farms drive Iowa’s climate pollution: Agriculture contributes a whopping 38 percent of Iowa’s overall greenhouse gas emissions, including emissions from both factory farms and corn/soy production, much of which feeds the factory farm system. Agriculture is the highest emitter for highly potent greenhouse gasses methane and nitrous oxide, contributing 78 and 94 percent of statewide emissions, respectively.
• Factory farm emissions are on the rise: Iowa’s total agricultural emissions increased by 20 percent from 2000 to 2020. From 1990 to 2019, emissions from manure management increased by 53 percent.

While factory farming-driven climate change threatens the state’s long term agricultural viability, industry schemes like factory farm gas and carbon pipelines pose immediate risks. From dangerous ammonia and water pollution to a prolonged reliance on polluting fossil fuels, factory farm gas is no solution to Iowa’s climate-warming factory farming industry. Similarly, carbon capture and its almost 2,000 miles of accompanying hazardous pipelines proposed for Iowa threaten public safety, endanger crop yield and farmland viability, and have no proven effect on reducing climate emissions. Both industry scams carry a significant cost burden for taxpayers.

Food & Water Watch Senior Iowa Organizer John Aspray issued the following statement:

“From derechos to drought, the climate crisis is here to stay in Iowa. The unchecked expansion of factory farms statewide is a chief driver of the chaos. Combatting the climate crisis means stopping the permitting of new and expanding factory farms here in Iowa, and keeping industry scams like factory farm gas and carbon pipelines out of our state. As we move ever closer to a climate tipping point, it is imperative that we pass a factory farm moratorium in Iowa.”

Contact: Phoebe Galt, [email protected]