Catherine Swett
The residents of Arlington and Tonopah, Arizona have some very smelly neighbors—the millions of chickens at Hickman’s Egg Ranch (“Hickman’s”). But an unpleasant odor is just one of the many environmental issues created by the concentrated animal feeding operation (“CAFO”). These two small towns, located just west of Phoenix, also deal with excessive dust, flies, and hazardous chemical emissions. Some residents even complain of nausea and breathing difficulty due to the ammonia released from the decomposing manure in the chicken houses.