Farmers come out in force (3/18/05)

Given a chance to comment on proposed changes in the way Jay County regulates livestock farms and related operations, area livestock operators and farmers showed up in force.

A standing room only crowd — the huge majority involved in some aspect of farming — packed the auditorium at the Jay County Courthouse to voice and hear opinions about the changes recommended by a committee formed by the county health department and planning commission.

Although there was a decidedly pro-farm presence, those in favor of the proposed changes — and perhaps even more stringent rules — had their say, as well.

A total of 16 people came a microphone at the front of the auditorium to speak.

Eight of those speakers were involved in some aspect of livestock or crop farming, with most urging that no additional burdens be placed on livestock operators. Two others from state agencies urged the county to hold off on making changes until the Mitch Daniels administration completes a revamping of state rules.

Five of the speakers had negative comments about confined feeding operations and their impact — including several who complained that medical problems had been caused or aggravated by the operations themselves or the spreading of manure.

In a clearly divided room that saw very few tread common ground, Dan Orr, a teacher and farmer, perhaps expressed the needs of both sides most eloquently.

“What I sense happening ... is we’ve begun to build walls. This whole thing is about everybody having a good quality of life. I don’t want us ... to alienate our friends and neighbors,” said Orr, who told the audience of approximately 200 that he had sent in an application for an expansion of his operation earlier Thursday.

“It boils down to what we do produces odor. ... I don’t have the answer. If we could control those odors, there wouldn’t be anybody in this auditorium tonight.”

The committee’s recommendations, which include adoption of a manure management/control ordinance and expanding the application and approval process, will be sent to Jay County Commissioners.

The portions of the recommendations pertaining to zoning will be referred to the planning commission, while the commissioners would consider ordinances that are not related to zoning.

Some of the proposed changes would affect several levels of livestock farming, including small, medium (confined feeding operation) and large (concentrated animal feeding operation).

Dr. Steve Myron, who is the Jay County health officer, and Jim Zimmerman, a member of the Jay County Council and chairman of the planning commission, served as co-chairs for the committee.

Other committee members include Madison farmer and Jay County Commissioner Gary Theurer; Dwane Ford, an Indiana Conservation Officer; Dave Houck, environmentalist/administrator for the county health department; John Knipp, an educator with the Jay County office of the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service; Sharen Michael, a rural Bryant resident/farm; Bill Milligan, director of Jay/Portland Building and Planning; and Steve Howell, a rural Portland resident.

All but Howell were in attendance at Thursday’s meeting.

Gordon Kesler, a long-time Knox Township Trustee and long-time farmer, was the first to the microphone Thursday, reading a prepared statement to the committee critical of the impact that a hog barn a half-mile from his home has had on his family’s way of life.

Kesler said that his wife, a non-smoker, has experienced severe breathing problems since the confined feeding operation was constructed about four years ago. He also said that a pond and picnic area at his home are virtually unusable because of heavy odors.

“Our way of life has taken a dramatic turn ... I believe your freedom stops where mine starts,” Kesler said.

Kesler also asked why a township trustee was not named to the committee.

Dave Lowe, a Knox Township farmer who raises hogs and is president of Jay County Farm Bureau, said that realizes the need to control odors and be good neighbors.

“But Jay County is an agricultural county ... Farming is like a disease. It’s in your blood, you know what I mean?” Lowe asked as many in the room smiled and nodded. “We try to do the best we can. Can we help (reduce) odor? Yeah, we can. But we are in a zoned agricultural county. I think Jay County is amiss if we allow ourselves to be totally restrictive when it comes to animal agriculture.”

In one of the most interesting exchanges of the evening, two Richland Township neighbors — a former state representative and the operator of a hog farm — each spoke.

Ron Liggett, a contractor and former state representative and confined feeding operator Eric Pursifull, were each respectful but pointed and forceful in expressing their opinions.

Both live south of Redkey.

“All that needs to be done is enforce the rules we have now,” said Pursifull, who is a member of the county planning commission. “Believe me, (Indiana Department of Environmental Management) has enough of them.”

Pursifull said he would like to be able to expand his operation eventually to allow his son to become his partner. He also cautioned that he felt the proposed changes were creating friction.

“We need to try to get people together, not build a wall,” he said.

Liggett, who told the audience he had done extensive research into confined feeding operations during his time in the legislature, said that while he considered Pursifull a neighbor and friend, the impact of the hog operation has affected both the value of his property and his wife Fran’s health.

“You can have all the setback requirements you want, and unless you control the odor, you’re not taking care of the problem,” Liggett said. “Since Eric’s put in his operation (the value of his home and property) has dropped $50,000 to $100,000 ... I wouldn’t care if it was 250 feet from my home, as long as he controls the odor.”

Liggett urged the committee and county officials to check with officials from Purdue University regarding new odor control technology.

Several speakers were critical of the way the committee was structured.

Vicky Lochtefeld, the wife of a Madison Township confined feeding operator who lives about a half-mile from Theurer, said that because Theurer will rule on the issues as a commissioner, he should not have been a member of the committee.

She also said the county is responsible for one of the largest recent environmental incidents.

She referred to an August 2004 notification to the county by IDEM of high levels of E. coli bacteria in the Salamonie River west of the Portland. Although the county was cited, the source of the contamination is aging/failing septic systems at homes in Foxfire Addition on county road 125 South, west of Ind. 67.

Tammy Lawson, director of regulatory affairs for the newly-created Indiana Department of Agriculture, read a letter from Indiana Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman stressing the importance of agriculture.

The letter said that Skillman and Gov. Mitch Daniels will be working to expand livestock operations in Indiana.

“We need to embrace that growth, as we would any other economic development opportunities,” Lawson read from Skillman’s letter.

Dave Russell, agricultural liaison for IDEM, took issue with several findings in the committee’s recommendations as they related to what IDEM does and does not do.

Several also speaking Thursday night are residents of Mercer County. One of the concerns expressed by committee members was the practice of confined feeding operators from Ohio buying or leasing land in Indiana to spread manure and how to communicate the county’s laws and regulations to those farmers.

The committee’s recommendations include additional setbacks from homes when spreading manure, and keeping an inventory of where manure is spread.

“We can’t live with them kind of (setback) terms ... because it eliminates where we can (spread) this,” said Mercer County farmer Tom Boeckman, who farms extensively in Jay County. “It’s time to stop waging a war against our neighboring state.”

“This isn’t ... an easy subject. We have a CAFO permit, so some would say I’m biased. As far as the committee goes, we thank all of you for coming tonight, and we thank you for your comments,” Zimmerman said in wrapping up the meeting.[[In-content Ad]]