CAFO
abbreviation or noun
CA·FO
ˈkā-(ˌ)fō 
plural CAFOs
: a concentrated animal feeding operation
CAFOs are agricultural facilities that house and feed a large number of animals in a confined area for 45 days or more during any 12-month period.—
Cynthia Sewell
Cynthia SewellExamples of CAFO in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bailey and other Nelsonville residents were profiled in a Wausau Daily Herald story in 2020 about their fears that manure from a CAFO about a mile from the small Portage County community was leaching nitrogen into their groundwater.
—Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
At the facility—a concentrated animal-feeding operation, or CAFO—pregnant pigs were confined to gestation crates, metal enclosures so small that the sows could barely lie down.
—Elizabeth Barber, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2023
As the meat industry industrialized, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) became a large concern because of how animals were mistreated.
—Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 6 Sep. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
At the facility—a concentrated animal-feeding operation, or CAFO—pregnant pigs were confined to gestation crates, metal enclosures so small that the sows could barely lie down.
—Elizabeth Barber, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2023
As the meat industry industrialized, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) became a large concern because of how animals were mistreated.
—Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 6 Sep. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near CAFO
Cite this Entry
“CAFO.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/CAFO. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share