ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Animal feeding operation

An animal feeding operation, or AFO, is like a big cafeteria for animals! Farmers bring lots of animals, like cows, pigs, and chickens, all together into one place to eat and live. The animals eat food that the farmer or other people give them, usually made out of grains like corn, soybeans, or wheat. These big cafeterias have lots of food and water for the animals, and the floors are usually made of concrete to keep everything clean.

But because there are so many animals in one place, there are some problems that can happen. For example, when lots of animals live in one place, they create lots of poop and pee! Sometimes, the farmers can't clean it all up fast enough. This can make the air smell bad, and the poop and pee can get into the water around the farm, which isn't good for other animals and plants that live in the water.

Another problem is that sometimes, the animals can get sick from living so close together. When lots of animals live close together, it's easier for diseases to spread! The farmers work really hard to keep the animals healthy by giving them medicine and making sure their living area is clean.

Overall, animal feeding operations are important because they help give us the meat, milk, and eggs that we eat. But, we also need to make sure that the animals are healthy and that the environment around the farm stays healthy too!