GREENFIELD, Mo. -- Rumors are raising a real stink. Word of a hog producing company from North Carolina eyeing hundreds, maybe thousands, of acres north of Lockwood got around fast and the Dade County Commission took pre-emptive action this month. However, a new county regulation that might stymie the company also impacts other businesses in the county.
Brian Patton's 300-cow dairy farm is one of many cattle operations in Dade County. He worries that a new ordinance that county commissioners passed to try to keep out a large corporate hog farm could hurt people like him, too.
“They don't understand the sights, sounds, and smells of America making food,” said Patton, who called the ordinance "a knee-jerk reaction to something that might happen."
Patton has a waste management system in place, and his existing dairy does not come in conflict with the new ordinance but he worries, if his children would want to expand the operation, it could cause problems.
“I want to keep things viable for them in the future,” he said.
Rumors have been circulating the past couple months that Smithfield Farms of North Carolina is trying to acquire 10,000 to 20,000 acres of land north of Lockwood for a corporate hog farm. Many Dade County residents want to keep it out, so commissioners quickly passed an ordinance.
“It looked like we were trying to push something over on the rest of the county but that wasn't our intent,” said Presiding County Commissioner Carl Beerly.
The new county health ordinance puts limits on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) like Patton's farm. It requires strict handling of animal waste, and establishes setbacks of one-fourth mile to one mile for different sized operations from other CAFOs and from homes.
"I've never felt better about doing anything before in my whole life," said Beerly. "With these [CAFO] farms, everything leaves, nothing stays in the county. They have their own feed farms and all the property values go down for the surrounding houses."
Beerly said he hopes the ordinance discourages large animal farms from moving into the county. If they do come, he said, at least there will be regulations for them to follow.
One concern that Dade County residents have about a large hog operation coming to the area is how the animal waste would affect their water supply, including the water at Stockton Lake.
“We're worried about the water pollution and runoff, and the smell, naturally,” said Beerly.
Patton believes the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' regulations are strict enough to keep a healthy environment. He believes health ordinances should protect public health, not regulate farming.
“The word CAFO -- you might as well have said Satan just entered the county and bought property, because they don't really understand what's happening already, what's already in place,” said Patton, whose farm is a Class 4 CAFO.
Residents are also concerned about a drop in property value around such a large hog operation.
Because county commissioners wanted to move so quickly, they didn't have time to draft their own ordinance but adopted one already being used in Linn County, although Beerly says it can be amended. Beerly said Linn County’s model ordinance was chosen because it already withstood court challenges.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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I heard that the local news media showed sows wallowing in mud when they were airing news programs about this deal. Southwest Missouri lost a bunch of jobs and certainly some money spent back into the economy because of their decision. These rual areas gripe that the kids move off to get jobs , yet when given the choice of new industry, they block them. In the end, smithfield could move just over the line in Ks. and Aplus's kids will eventually have the jobs. I know of another little town in south missouri where they oppose a sonic because the coffee shop couldn't stand the pressure. :lol:
Brian Patton's 300-cow dairy farm is one of many cattle operations in Dade County. He worries that a new ordinance that county commissioners passed to try to keep out a large corporate hog farm could hurt people like him, too.
“They don't understand the sights, sounds, and smells of America making food,” said Patton, who called the ordinance "a knee-jerk reaction to something that might happen."
Patton has a waste management system in place, and his existing dairy does not come in conflict with the new ordinance but he worries, if his children would want to expand the operation, it could cause problems.
“I want to keep things viable for them in the future,” he said.
Rumors have been circulating the past couple months that Smithfield Farms of North Carolina is trying to acquire 10,000 to 20,000 acres of land north of Lockwood for a corporate hog farm. Many Dade County residents want to keep it out, so commissioners quickly passed an ordinance.
“It looked like we were trying to push something over on the rest of the county but that wasn't our intent,” said Presiding County Commissioner Carl Beerly.
The new county health ordinance puts limits on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) like Patton's farm. It requires strict handling of animal waste, and establishes setbacks of one-fourth mile to one mile for different sized operations from other CAFOs and from homes.
"I've never felt better about doing anything before in my whole life," said Beerly. "With these [CAFO] farms, everything leaves, nothing stays in the county. They have their own feed farms and all the property values go down for the surrounding houses."
Beerly said he hopes the ordinance discourages large animal farms from moving into the county. If they do come, he said, at least there will be regulations for them to follow.
One concern that Dade County residents have about a large hog operation coming to the area is how the animal waste would affect their water supply, including the water at Stockton Lake.
“We're worried about the water pollution and runoff, and the smell, naturally,” said Beerly.
Patton believes the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' regulations are strict enough to keep a healthy environment. He believes health ordinances should protect public health, not regulate farming.
“The word CAFO -- you might as well have said Satan just entered the county and bought property, because they don't really understand what's happening already, what's already in place,” said Patton, whose farm is a Class 4 CAFO.
Residents are also concerned about a drop in property value around such a large hog operation.
Because county commissioners wanted to move so quickly, they didn't have time to draft their own ordinance but adopted one already being used in Linn County, although Beerly says it can be amended. Beerly said Linn County’s model ordinance was chosen because it already withstood court challenges.
----
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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I heard that the local news media showed sows wallowing in mud when they were airing news programs about this deal. Southwest Missouri lost a bunch of jobs and certainly some money spent back into the economy because of their decision. These rual areas gripe that the kids move off to get jobs , yet when given the choice of new industry, they block them. In the end, smithfield could move just over the line in Ks. and Aplus's kids will eventually have the jobs. I know of another little town in south missouri where they oppose a sonic because the coffee shop couldn't stand the pressure. :lol: