New evidence shows that hog farm wastewater lagoons are leaking.
But environmental regulators don't have the information or the authority they need to protect drinking water. Corporate farming has taken over the swine industry the way chain stores took over retailing, and contract farms are the new franchises. North Carolina farmers are borrowing heavily to raise pigs for corporations. During his 10 years as a state legislator, Wendell Holmes Murphy became the nation's biggest hog producer. And he helped pass laws worth millions of dollars to his company and his industry.