“The smell of money”—that’s what Big Pork calls the stench of pig waste in the air in eastern North Carolina, where much of the world’s bacon and barbecue is made. But to Elsie Herring and others who live near the state’s giant pig factories, the revolting odor is a call to battle against generations of injustice.

When a corporate hog farm moves in––uninvited––on land her grandfather had purchased after claiming his freedom from slavery, Elsie Herring decides to fight back. But as her rural community becomes the epicenter of the pork industry’s explosion in America, Elsie’s struggle to save her family’s home and heritage turns into a battle against one of the world’s most powerful companies and its deadly pollution.

After decades of intimidation and defeat, Elsie and her community team up with a gutsy small- town lawyer to take the world’s largest pork company to court. An epic, nine-year legal battle ensues,  and the residents risk everything to reclaim their rights to clean air, pure water, and a life free from the stench of shit.

A story about the power of love for one’s family and community to triumph over even the largest forces of injustice, The Smell of Money calls upon viewers to see the people behind what's on our plates––and to join the fight for a better future for us all.

About Crate Free USA and FACT:

At Crate Free USA  we say no to factory farms. Every year in the U.S. almost 10 billion pigs, cows, chickens, and turkeys are slaughtered for food, and the vast majority have miserable lives in factory farms, confined in stark, industrial settings. Not only do these “farms” perpetuate inhumane animal welfare practices, they are also environmentally unsafe and harmful to public health. For the past eight years we have advocated to end the cruelest factory farming practices, and for transparency on the part of producers and retailers. Learn more about our work here.  Join us in our work to protect billions of farmed animals. 

At FACT, we believe that all food-producing animals should be raised in a humane and healthy manner and that everyone should have access to safe and humanely produced food. Since 1982, FACT has been leading the charge to make that vision a reality. We work with a national network of nearly 12,000 farmers, providing education, mentorship, and direct funding to independent farmers to encourage the use of humane farming practices. We advocate for strong corporate and government policies such as ending the overuse of antibiotics on farms and banning dangerous veterinary drugs. We also guide consumers on making healthy food choices through resources including food labels, farmers’ markets, and a national directory of local food vendors. Read more about our work here.