I haven’t slept the best lately. It happens to me whenever something weighs heavily on my mind. Ever since I read the article of how the pollution lawsuit has stressed the Hudson family of Maryland a couple days ago and knowing the verdict could come soon, the case has been on my mind. I can’t imagine living a paranoid life and I certainly can’t imagine how I would even begin to protect my kids from the negative impact this lawsuit brought their family. As soon as their kids were mentioned, my heart ached for them. This could be my sister’s family, my cousin or uncle’s family, or any of our neighbor’s who are poultry growers facing this lawsuit. Yesterday I was on standby, checking social media sites for updates, waiting to hear if a verdict had been made. This was the last post made by the MD Farm Bureau on Facebook:

Today’s update from the Hudson Case:
 The defense will finish their case this afternoon. The Waterkeepers get to call any rebuttal witnesses in the morning and the case will end. Apparently there will not be closing arguments now. They will be scheduled in several weeks after post-trial summaries are submitted by each side. It may take months for Judge Nickerson to reach a decision in the case. But based on the testimony of all the witnesses, including the defense expert, Dr. Charles Hagedorn from Virginia Tech, it doesn’t appear that the Waterkeepers have proven their case. The Hudsons, Perdue and their attorneys put up a very good defense. We will keep you updated.

And this was the lastest reporting from WBOC:     Hudson Farm Trial Update

In case you don’t have knowledge or background here, “this could be a landmark case which could change common, accepted farming practices” as Bill Satterfield, Director of the Delmarva Poultry Industry, made clear when the trial began on October 9. I’m guessing environmentalists, poultry industry experts, farmers, and elected officials are watching the case closely. I’ve even seen a recent campaign ad to re-elect Andy Harris, a MD Republican Senator running for U.S. Congress, which depicts the negative impact of groups like the EPA on small businesses and farmers.

Just think about the potential impact here. There are over 1,600 farmers growing for 5 poultry companies in the Mid-Atlantic. Can you imagine the impact on our state economy? I wonder if our leaders have thought through a “Plan B”. I try not to worry about it. Instead, I’ll do my best to focus on the positive and thank God for the tremendous support from groups such as DPI and Save Farm Families, who have stood behind the Hudson Family tremendously since the onslaught of the lawsuit. It’s been drug out over 3 years. It’s time to let this farm family and their kids move on.