An exposé on the public health impact of factory farming across the United States, told through the eyes of residents in five rural communities. Filmmakers Matt Wechsler and Annie Speicher skillfully weave together stories of farmers, mothers, scientists and politicians from the American Southwest to the Eastern Shore, each sharing how their lives were forever changed by factory farming. Known formally as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations – or CAFOs – these facilities produce millions of gallons of untreated waste that destroys the quality of life for nearby neighbors.

The film features agricultural economist John Ikerd, who abandoned industry beliefs after a 14-year career as a livestock marketing specialist. After the farm crisis of the 1980s he realized, “The farmers who were in the biggest trouble, were the ones doing the things we so-called experts were telling them to do.”