Egg farmers, like all of animal agriculture, understand the importance of being good environmental neighbors and protecting the environment. Good stewardship of the land and all environmental resources is and has always been extremely important to farmers because of the renewable rewards.
 
 For many years, manure from animals was the only source of fertilizer for grain crops, pasture and gardens. To some extent, farmers kept animals in part because of the need for this fertilizer to increase the yields of their crops.
 
 In more recent years the urban population moved farther and farther from the cities and acquired farm land for the development of sub-divisions, shopping malls, office buildings, etc., Not only did this reduce the available acres for farming but also created what some people now viewed as an uncomfortable environment. The new neighbors to the farm were far more concerned with farm odors and less understanding than farm neighbors. To many, this was their first experience with the smells of animal farming.
 
 Today, the environments inside modern laying-hen houses are meticulously controlled to ensure or maximize bird comfort and worker’s health. The environmental control and thus bird comfort are achieved by (a) providing ample amount and uniform distribution of fresh air through properly engineered ventilation systems, (b) cooling of incoming air during warm weather, (c) automatic adjustment of ventilation rates to attain the desired indoor air temperature and humidity during cold weather.