Purdue University has developed and launched a new Web site featuring scientific information about concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to help answer questions about CAFOs.

“We wanted to develop a source of information that is based on science, not sentiment,” reports Alan Grant, head of the Department of Animal Sciences. “We are excited because this Web site brings information from multiple disciplines together and is easy for people to access.”

The information is written for zoning boards, agricultural Extension educators, as well as citizens and farmers, and covers issues related to the environment, public health, social/economics and general information.

For instance, the information on the site can help a zoning board decide, based on facts and not emotion, whether to allow a CAFO to build within 5 miles of an elementary school, says Paul Ebner, Purdue Extension expert in animal science and Web site operator.

The site can be accessed at: http://www.ansc.purdue.edu/CAFO. For more information on the Purdue CAFO Web site, contact Ebner at (765) 494-4820 or pebner@purdue.edu.