CAFO Watch
Wabash County residents are hot about hogs. At least that’s what the county commissioners heard:
Melissa Middleton spoke first on the Contained Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) set to be built south of town near Dora Road.
“I’ve got nothing against farming or hog farmers,” Middleton began, “But this is not a hog farm, it’s a hog factory.”
The operation, according to Middleton, is being initiated by Mike Schuler, who owns the acres in question.
Middleton said she was concerned for a number of reasons. In addition to the alleged threat of “lower property values, offensive odor, runoff, pollution and road damage,” she also said there has been illness associated with the “nearly 15 semi-truck-fulls of chicken manure” that were spread on neighboring fields.
She said her daughter was sick from the exposure and that her family couldn’t go outside or open a window because of the smell.
Other residents were likewise upset by the proposed operation. Link
In Grant County, a Confined Animal Feeding Operations informational meetings, 6, 7 and 8 p.m. today and Thursday, Van Buren Town Hall, 201 N. First St. A 24-minute informational DVD will be shown. Link
June 6th, 2006 21:15
The following is a Letter to the Editor that I sent to the Chronicle-Tribune on May 28, 2006, that was printed in June 3rd edition but not in it’s entirety. You may print this on your website if you like.
WAKE UP GRANT COUNTY
Residents of Grant County should pay close attention to the proposed dairy. Don’t think
this dairy won’t impact you, if you don’t live near Van Buren. You are wrong! This is a
concentrated animal feeding operation that will start with 2200 cows and will likely
expand to double that. There are many reasons to be concerned. Who will pay for road
damage and maintenance, environmental damage and loss of quality of life? Who will
make up for loss of property taxes when nearby residents’ property lose value? Grant
County residents will!
Residents in other parts of the county will be impacted. When the first CAFO locates in
Grant County, more will follow. Just check what is happening in Randolph County with
hog operations. See what has happened in states like Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina,
Iowa and others. Some websites to check - http://www.kemplog.com - http://www.nocafos.org -
http://www.topix.net and type CAFO for search. Manure from this dairy will be transported to
other parts of the county and spread on fields. Locations listed in the IDEM application for Grant County
are: Corner of 300N and 800E. 400N and 900E. 450N and 800E. 200N and 900E.
100S and 600W. N00S and 900W. 500N and E00W. Between 600N and 700N on
250W. Highway 22 between 500W and 600W. Between 125S and 200S on 500W. On
N00S between 325W and 400W. In Wabash, Highway 13 between 850S and 950S.
Most of these locations have open ditches and creeks flowing through them. Often, when
manure is applied to the fields, if not done properly or during periods of too much rain,
manure will run off into waterways that empty into larger creeks and rivers, eventually
into the reservoirs. If you live near these fields, you will have to help IDEM monitor
these spills because they don’t have enough employees to do the job. If we don’t stop the
first CAFO, you may have one locate next to your home that you have invested time and
money in improvements, only to lose your investment because of your new neighbor.
There are too many negatives, not enough positives with this type of industrial farm.
Sometimes our health, quality of life and environment are more valuable than the few
jobs this type of business will create. Please let your commissioners and town council
members know how you feel. Wake up Grant County and help us stop this CAFO before
it’s too late.
Kim Marshall
Marion, IN 46952
June 9th, 2006 17:36
[...] Just a quick note for those of you up in Grant County. The meeting of the area plan commission has been rescheduled for June 13, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. at the Grant County Council Chambers. The commission will hear public comment on the changes in county policy with regard to CAFO’s. While talking about Grant County, I want to take time to highlight Marion resident Kim Marshall’s comment to an earlier post about Grant County’s face off with a proposed dairy CAFO. Her comment is a reprint of a letter to the editor she sent in to the Chronicle-Tribune: Residents of Grant County should pay close attention to the proposed dairy. Don’t think this dairy won’t impact you, if you don’t live near Van Buren. You are wrong! This is a concentrated animal feeding operation that will start with 2200 cows and will likely expand to double that. There are many reasons to be concerned. Who will pay for road damage and maintenance, environmental damage and loss of quality of life? Who will make up for loss of property taxes when nearby residents’ property lose value? Grant County residents will!Link. In the same issue, resident Cathy Thurman has a letter opposing the dairy as well. [...]