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Ohio has exceptional livestock regulations, but the industry still faces many challenges, including increasing complaints from urban neighbors, negative media reports and infrastructure concerns, according to a group of experts who spoke about the industry during OFBF’s annual meeting.

While livestock and poultry production contribute almost $8 billion to Ohio’s economy and employ almost 40,000 people, the industry faces "significant challenges," said Roger Geiger, president of the Ohio Rural Development Partnership, who moderated the discussion.

"I think livestock gets a terrible rap in Ohio," said Jack Irvine, an aide to Sen. Larry Mumper, R-Marion.

Leisa Boley Hellwarth, a dairy farmer and attorney, said the biggest issue facing dairy farmers is complaints about manure.

"I can’t plant enough flowers or throw a big enough party to make all the neighbors love the fact that I have livestock. We are dealing with a very sophisticated issue," said Boley Hellwarth, who practices law from her farm near Celina. "The issue is all about control and power in the community. Lots of homes you would normally see on golf courses – out in the middle of rural America – and that’s where the conflict comes in."

Boley Hellwarth scoffed at people who claim the smell of manure makes them physically ill. She said there is no scientific evidence to back those claims.

"If manure causes physical illness, I would not be here today," she said. "I find it odd that we are so concerned about the health effects of manure when we inject botox in our skin, we lay in tanning beds, we get acrylic nails."

She also attacked another common complaint: that living near a livestock operation can drop the value of houses.

People who complain about livestock operations "want to live out in the country, they want cheap food, but they want us to produce as if we are Amish," she said. "But it’s not going to happen. Farmers have to have the opportunity to advance just like any other industry, and we need to be there to support them."

Mark Stockman, engineer for Paulding County, talked about the role that infrastructure plays in the vitality of agriculture production. His county did a detailed study of what was happening to the roads after large Dutch farms started setting up operations. He found that for a livestock operation of 650 cows, there were about 4,000 truckloads on the roads – the equivalent of a factory. He said the cost of strengthening the roads used by the county’s five large dairy farms was $350,000 to $600,000 during a 20-year time frame.

County engineers have to be aware that larger livestock facilities are going to have a "major impact" on the roads, Stockman said.

"You can’t just hide your head in the sand and pretend it’s not going to happen," he said.

Kevin Elder, executive director of Ohio’s Livestock Environmental Permitting Program, said there are more than 140 livestock facilities in Ohio large enough to need construction and/or operating permits, and they are inspected at least twice a year.

Elder detailed how livestock numbers in Ohio have dropped dramatically since the 1800s, but noted that livestock production remains a "very critical part of agriculture in Ohio."

Questions from the audience ranged from manure application in the winter to the willingness of farmers to help with roads to whether livestock rules go far enough.

"We have had a lot of cooperation from the agricultural producers, and I think things are going fairly well," Elder said of livestock rules and regulations.

Caption: Leisa Boley Hellwarth shared her perspective on livestock production. She is both a farmer and an attorney. She joined panelists, l to r, Jack Irvine from Sen. Larry Mumper’s office, Kevin Elder, Roger Geiger and Mark Stockman.