'Twas the night before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas                                                    

and all through the land

corporate farming was here.

It was grand! It was grand!

Hogs were raised.

Waste was spread.

The future looked bright.

The salvation of farming

now seemed in sight.

More factories were built.

The money rolled in.

If you were an investor

you wore a big grin.

But clouds started gathering

on this happy scene.

Neighbors were calling

the big barns - obscene!

The air in the country 

which had been so pure,

was now permeated

with the stench of manure.

The rivers and streams

that had been pristine

were now choked with algae

just like a latrine.

But the good folk of the country 

fought back.

Instead of retreating

they launched an attack.

"Bigger is not better"

they cried!

And together they worked 

to turn back the tide.

So into the future

when Christmas rolls 'round,

will the powers that be

move to limit the harm?

Or will they stand idly by

and not give a darn

as the lifeblood is drained from 

the family farm?

Larry Powell - 

SHOAL LK MB

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