Coalition to End Factory Farming

The CAFOs In Sonoma County

Sonoma County is well-known for its hundreds of small farms. But throughout the county, there are approximately two dozen “Large Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations,” as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which confine a total of nearly 3 million animals.

This includes factory egg farms, like a Sunrise facility in Petaluma that confines around half a million chickens in massive industrial sheds. It also includes chicken farms that supply to Perdue, one of the largest meat producers in the country, and a handful of large dairy farms with an average of over 1,000 cows.

These factory farms hide behind Sonoma County’s reputation for small-scale and sustainable agriculture, but they are poisoning the environment, hoarding the limited water supply, spreading disease, and confining animals in deplorable conditions.

CAFO Map

Through extensive research, the Coalition to End Factory Farming has identified 21 large CAFOs in Sonoma County, shown in the interactive map below. All data is a best estimate based on available information. See methodology here.

Note: Satellite imagery is available in the map above at higher zoom levels.

Table listing the 21 CAFOs identified in Sonoma County, with facility name, estimated number of animals, city, type of facility, and notes

NOTE: All research is based on best available data and could change if updated data is made available. Please contact info@endfactoryfarming.vote if you have any information to share.

Eggs

Sonoma County’s egg industry is dominated by two large producers, Sunrise Farms and Petaluma Egg Farm. Of the 12+ facilities affiliated with these companies, many are CAFOs, with one Sunrise location confining over 500,000 hens at a time.

Petaluma Egg Farm CAFO, Petaluma
Petaluma Egg Farm CAFO, Petaluma
Crowding at a Petaluma Egg Farm CAFO
Crowding at a Petaluma Egg Farm CAFO
Sunrise Farms CAFO, Todd Rd, Santa Rosa
Sunrise Farms CAFO, Todd Rd, Santa Rosa
A hen covered in feces at a Sunrise Farms CAFO in Petaluma
A hen covered in feces at a Sunrise Farms CAFO in Petaluma
Crowding at a Sunrise Farms CAFO in Santa Rosa
Crowding at a Sunrise Farms CAFO in Santa Rosa
Trash cans full of dead hens at Sunrise Farms CAFO
Trash cans full of dead hens at Sunrise Farms CAFO

Dairy

Dairy CAFOs in Sonoma County are massive water users and they pollute groundwater and surface water with untreated animal waste. A single dairy CAFO of 700 cows produces more waste in a year than the entire human population of Petaluma (60,000 people).

Mertens Dairy CAFO where 900 cows live on dirt and feces
Mertens Dairy CAFO where 900 cows live on dirt and feces
Baby cows confined in hutches at Mertens Dairy in Sonoma
Baby cows confined in hutches at Mertens Dairy in Sonoma
Dozens of calves confined in hutches at McClelland’s Dairy CAFO
Dozens of calves confined in hutches at McClelland’s Dairy CAFO
Dead cow and calf left by the trash at Mulas Dairy CAFO
Dead cow and calf left by the trash at Mulas Dairy CAFO
Manure lagoon the size of two football fields at Mertens Dairy in Sonoma
Manure lagoon the size of two football fields at Mertens Dairy in Sonoma
Manure lagoons at Deer Valley Dairy CAFO in Petaluma
Manure lagoons at Deer Valley Dairy CAFO in Petaluma

Poultry

Chicken and duck CAFOs in Sonoma County confine hundreds of thousands of animals and produce massive amounts of waste. Reichardt Duck Farm, for example, produces 200,000 gallons of manure in a single day.

Reichardt Duck CAFO, Petaluma
Reichardt Duck CAFO, Petaluma
Ducks stuck on their backs, unable to stand up at Reichardt CAFO
Ducks stuck on their backs, unable to stand up at Reichardt CAFO
A chicken collapsed on their back at a Petaluma Poultry CAFO
A chicken collapsed on their back at a Petaluma Poultry CAFO
Petaluma Poultry CAFO, Llano Rd, Santa Rosa
Petaluma Poultry CAFO, Llano Rd, Santa Rosa

Learn more about how facilities are classified as CAFOs:

What are CAFOs?

See more details about factory farms in Sonoma County at sonomacountyfactoryfarms.com.