**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THIS PROJECT AIMS TO INVESTIGATE THE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY OF INDUSTRIAL ANIMAL FARMING PRACTICES BY QUANTIFYING THE EXTERNALITIES THEY GENERATE THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL PATHWAYS, AND THE RESULTING HARM TO RURAL COMMUNITIES AND THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH. OUR EMPIRICAL STRATEGY CAPTURES THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHANNELS OF EXPOSURE TO CONTAMINANTS FROM ANIMAL FARMING OPERATIONS USING FINE-RESOLUTION DATA WITH A LARGE SPATIOTEMPORAL COVERAGE TO ESTIMATE THEIR CAUSAL IMPACT ON: THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT; THE HEALTH, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND VALUE OF ASSETS OF SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES; AND ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE.OVER THE LAST CENTURY, U.S. LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION HAS UNDERGONE A STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION TOWARDS INCREASINGLY LARGE AND INTENSIVE CONFINED OPERATIONS, CALLED ANIMAL FEEDING OPERATIONS (AFOS). THE HIGH ANIMAL DENSITIES CONCENTRATED INSIDE THESE FARMS HAVE TWO IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS: (1) THEY GENERATE, AT AN INDUSTRIAL SCALE, DUST AND ANIMAL WASTE THAT CONTAIN VARIOUS POLLUTANTS KNOWN TO BE DETRIMENTAL TO HUMAN HEALTH AND WELL-BEING; AND (2) THEY ARE SUSTAINED BY THE ROUTINE APPLICATION OF LARGE VOLUMES OF LOW-DOSE ANTIBIOTICS, FOSTERING THE SELECTION OF ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE GENES IN THE LOCAL PATHOGEN POOL. THE POLLUTANTS GENERATED IN THE HIGH-DENSITY ENVIRONMENT (INCLUDING PARTICULATE MATTER, PATHOGENS AND MALODOR) AND THE BIOCHEMICAL PRODUCTS OF ANTIBIOTIC USE (ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE GENES AND DRUG RESIDUES) ARE THEN TRANSPORTED BY AIR AND WATER TO SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES.