Southern York County Podcast

Hello, and welcome to Southern York County Podcast – your podcast – being recorded from the Mason Dixon library in Stewartstown, PA This month we will be talking about CAFOs and what they could possibly mean for York County and the state of Pennsylvania.We’ll be speaking with Dr. Jay Graham – Independent Research Consultant with Johns Hopkins University Center for a Livable Future. Dr. Graham has received his Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from the University of Arkansas; an MBA from the University of Texas, and a Masters in Public Health from The University of Texas School of Public Health, and earned his Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health - Department of Environmental Health Sciences.Also joining us today is Dr. Ken Kephart - Professor of Animal Sciences, Pennsylvania State University. One of the courses Dr. Kephart teaches is Swine Production and Management. Dr. Kephart has a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Industries, a Master’s Degree in Animal Industries/Reproductive Physiology and earned his Ph.D. in Animal Industries/Animal Nutrition all from Pennsylvania State University.Last but not least is Laura Yanney, representing the citizen’s group ‘Peach Bottom Concerned Citizens’. Laura will discuss the concerns her group has regarding a proposed CAFO in southern York County, where things stand in the current zoning and legal process, and her journey through that legal process so far.

Before we begin, a representative from the Pennsylvania State Department of Agriculture declined my invitation to be on this show. I also invited quite a few local guests on this show including the obvious local farmers. Since these folks are neither public officials nor do their salaries depend directly on taxpayer funds, I’ll respect their privacy by allowing them to remain nameless. I understand this topic is quite controversial. I want to make this show about information and education on the topic of CAFOs as a whole and not necessarily about any particular CAFO. I would, however, like to rephrase and drive home the point I was trying to make in the introduction episode. This is not a crossfire type of program. We do not try to roast guests here. My reason for doing this podcast is to try to strengthen our local democracy from the grass roots level through reasonable, intellectual, and hopefully entertaining discussions. Other than the fact that we record out of the Mason Dixon Library, and I volunteer for some PTO and coaching activities for my children, I am not nor is this podcast affiliated with any type of citizens group, political or otherwise.

Moreover, if you are at our web site viewing future show topics and you see an issue in which you are interested and believe you can contribute and want to be a guest, email me and let me know. You can also email me if you don’t want to be a guest but are interested in asking questions of the guests we have scheduled. The date, time, and location of the episode’s recording is posted on that episode’s blog. If you don’t want to show up during the podcast to ask questions of our guests in person, enter the question as a comment on that show’s blog and if it’s appropriate I’ll pose your question to any of the guests you indicate. Finally, you can always email me to suggest topics for future episodes. The website is southernyorkpodcast.podbean.com. The email address, from which there is a link on the site, is southernyorkpodcast@verizon.net.

Now, with that bit of housekeeping is taken care of, Lara, Dr. Graham, Dr. Kephart; thank you all for joining me on the show.

[Ken]

I. Background on CAFOs and a discussion of issues surrounding them

[Lara]

II. Background on The ‘Peach Bottom Concerned Citizens’ and Lara’s concerns over the proposed CAFO

[Jay]

III. Environmental issues surrounding CAFOs

[Lara, Ken, Jay]

IV. Discussions surrounding enforcement of regulations and the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay

[Lara] V. CAFOs locally