Jefferson County Friends and Neighbors (JFAN) is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit educational foundation dedicated to protecting the quality of life in Jefferson County residents. Composed of rural and town residents and traditional family farmers, JFAN members have a common goal to stop the growth of infringing factory farms in Jefferson County.
Five Reasons to Support JFAN
- Jefferson County has 1/15th the number of hogs compared to surrounding counties. This is in large part due to JFAN’s 15-year community education program. An educated community is an empowered community: it knows a threat when it sees one and it knows how to respond. This is the heart of JFAN’s work. As a result, we have a community of individuals with a lot of smarts
- It allows JFAN to monitor for new CAFO development twice a week. Most people in Iowa are surprised when a CAFO is built. Not in Jefferson County. We send out a strong notification packet complete with maps and booklets so neighbors know right away when a CAFO is proposed. This allows communities to get a jump-start on organizing should they wish to oppose a confinement.
- We provide informational guidance and support to threatened communities upon request. It’s very frightening and stressful for neighbors when a CAFO is looming. JFAN provides a wide range of technical and knowledgeable support that helps bolster a community’s ability to respond.
- We are instrumental and influential on the state level as well. That’s where needed change must ultimately originate. As a member of the Iowa Alliance for Responsible Agriculture, we support the statewide coalition of more than 30 organizations’ call for a factory farm moratorium and work hard for you to make that happen within the limits of our 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.
- We strive to tighten factory farm regulations because even when we achieve a moratorium, current CAFOs will still operate. Our work with state legislators to help get better laws enacted and with the DNR to help get better administrative rules is crucial for a neighborhood’s quality of life.
We are two-thirds of the way to our $25,000 match for JFAN’s Annual Fundraising Drive. Many thanks to all who have generously donated so far. But we still have a ways to go to meet our match. Your support is as important as ever in helping JFAN keep the number of CAFOs low in Jefferson County. We must reach $25,000 by October 25!
We have 18 more days to reach our $25,000 match. Please help us achieve that goal with a tax-deductible donation today. You can donate online here or by sending a check payable to JFAN to PO Box 811, Fairfield, IA 52556.
This graphic shows how effective JFAN has been in keeping CAFOs out of Jefferson County.
Your support helps JFAN work to help keep CAFOs out of Jefferson County. JFAN is grassroots funded, and it depends on the generosity of people like you to keep us vital and strong.
Diane Rosenberg is President and Executive Director of JFAN.