CFO, CAFO rules changes weighed (06/23/06)

The increased construction of confined feeding operations (CFO) and confined animal feeding operations (CAFO) have rural Jay County residents concerned, but changes to proposed county regulations governing those operations also have the farmers concerned.

More than 80 residents, mostly CFO and CAFO farmers, showed up for a meeting of the Jay County Planning Commission Thursday night at the courthouse as part of an ongoing discussion of county regulations.

The planning commission continued a meeting that began on June 8, and after nearly two hours of discussion Thursday night, came up with some changes to a comprehensive study completed in 2005.

“Mainly what we’re talking about are setbacks and notification in the startup process,” commission president Jim Zimmerman told the crowd.

Zimmerman reminded those in attendance that the meeting was not a public hearing and comments would only be heard at the end of the meeting if time permitted. “A public hearing will be held later, and you will have a chance to speak then,” he explained.

Following much discussion by the nine-member board, which includes four CFO farmers, it was agreed to change setback distances by adding 250-feet to all areas of the proposed requirements, and having any landowner in a half-mile radius of a proposed operation be notified of pending construction.

The regulations proposed in a comprehensive study completed in 2005 called for construction to be 500 feet from any residence not owned by the CFO operator, 1,000 feet from any church, business, school, or commercial recreational area, 1,300 feet from any area zoned residential, 100 feet from any road or highway right-of-way, and 100 feet from any property line.

Concerning the notification process, previously only adjacent landowners were to be notified of pending construction.

A committee of local residents spent months researching and working on the 12 proposed recommendations in 2005. Those were presented to commissioners for their approval, but county officials never acted on those recommendations.

But concerned about the recent increase in the number of animal construction projects in the county, a group of Noble Township residents recently took those matters to the commissioners who agreed to have the planning commission study them again and make a recommendation.

“In the next 10 years there’s going to be so much technology to deal with manure, that the issues we’re dealing with won’t be issues,” Zimmerman said of current concerns.

At the end of the meeting Vicky Lochtefeld, a CFO co-owner who has been outspoken about farmers’ rights, asked the commission to be able to speak.

“I’m disappointed. If you remember, 200 farmers showed up for the meeting in 2005 and asked you to review our rebuttal,” she said about the proposed regulations. “In Jay County we need to find a common ground and we are concerned about the right of the farmer. I really hope you will embrace the Right to Farm Law.”

Her comments brought a round of applause from the crowd.

Zimmerman said Jay/Portland Building administrator, Bill Milligan, will compile the recommendations with the changes and a public hearing was set for Thursday, July 13. If the commission adopts the recommendations, the paperwork will be presented to commissioners for action.[[In-content Ad]]