A person concerned about conserving water might turn off the water while brushing his or her teeth or shaving. They might even install a low-flow showerhead. Over half of U.S. farm fields are devoted to raising feed grains for animals, and some of these fields are irrigated. That's a lot more water than the average person will save with their environmentally-friendly showerhead. Animal agriculture is a primary source of water pollution as well.
Factory farms spring up in rural areas, offering jobs and a boost to the local economy.
Livestock farms now generate an estimated 5 tons of animal manure for every person in the United States every year. Manure management is becoming a big problem. In 1995, for example, holding lagoons spilled more than 40 million gallons of hog manure into North Carolina waterways, about double the amount of oil lost by the Exxon Valdez. Other materials used on factory farms find their way into the water supply. Finally, our oceans also carry the burden of our food choices.