The Knox County Commission on Monday hosted a public hearing on the county health ordinance regulating concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), massive animal barns — in this case, typically thousands-strong hog barns — that many county residents have said create a nuisance and pose a public health threat. Many farmers have defended CAFOs, many of which are affiliated with large farming corporations like Cargill and Smithfield, as ways to make an honest living in one of the least populous counties in Missouri.

Below is a video outlining a couple of the arguments for and against CAFOs, as well as one point of urgency underlying Monday’s meeting.

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