Feed Lots...Yuck!

I'd like to start by saying I'm not a vegetarian. I don't have a problem with raising cows to eat them, I'm just not a huge fan of feed lots. I understand that feed lots are embedded in the economy of Nebraska. In fact, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture's web page states that "Nebraska's standard of living is more dependent on the cattle feeding industry [than Texas' and Iowa' standards of living]." The same web page also points out that Nebraska has more than 1000 feed lots. I happen to live in a town surrounded by feed lots and it is not a pleasant experience.
First of all, feed lots smell. Sometimes, the smell takes over the whole town, but it's always stronger as you get closer to the feed lot. Secondly, I find it disturbing to hear screaming cows when I walk to class. I keep wondering when someone in this town is going to write a script called Silence of the Cows. Thirdly, I know that feed lots have certain standards to meet when it comes to waste disposal and runoff, but most students at the University of Nebraska at Kearney as well as several UNK teachers will tell you that you don't drink unfiltered tap water in Kearney. Even if every single standard has been met, the water tastes awful. This may reflect a need for a re-evaluation of state standards, or it may branch into Nebraska's irrigation and corn-growing practices.
In regard to the first two issues I have mentioned, cattle farmers with grazing lands do not typically bring towns the same smell and sound pollution as feed lots because they are typically further from town. In terms of waste disposal, the grazing lands that I've seen are usually covered with cow pies, but grazing cattle have a much larger area in which to relieve themselves than feed lot cattle do. With the cow pies spread out, they can break down naturally rather than contributing to a giant cesspool. Overall, I think the grazing method causes fewer problems for people who live in towns in Nebraska. Even though feed lots are not likely to disappear from Nebraska, I would rather see more farmers with grazing cattle and fewer feed lots.