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Questions about Ohio's large livestock industry can be addressed during an upcoming meeting of the Concentrated Animal Feeding Facility (CAFF) Advisory Committee.

The group was created to advise the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) on its administration of the Livestock Environmental Permitting Program, which regulates the state's large-scale livestock, dairy and poultry farms. Members of the advisory committee include livestock representatives, environmental groups and public officials. The committee is open to taking questions from the public about large livestock operations during its March 30 meeting.

Ohio has a very strong livestock permitting program and is a model for the rest of the nation, said Rocky Black, OFBF's director of legislative affairs. But large animal operations have been in the news a lot lately, prompting one lawmaker to introduce a bill that proposes making changes to Ohio's livestock permitting process.

In January, Sen. Tom Roberts, D-Dayton, introduced Senate Bill 230, which seeks a moratorium on new large livestock operations until ODA revises existing rules. The bill also calls for ODA to monitor groundwater at manure storage and treatment structures and that structures used for storing or treating manure have a permanent cover if they are located within one mile of a residence.

Several senators, including Sens. Larry Mumper, Joy Padgett and Tim Grendell, said they had concerns about Senate Bill 230. They asked Roberts questions about his bill during a Senate Agriculture Committee meeting recently, highlighting the strengths of the existing program.

During the meeting, Mumper, chair of the ag committee, pointed out that Ohio already has a strong livestock permitting program. He said there will be no more hearings in the near future on the issue, saying concerns needed to be addressed first to ODA.

"Senate Bill 230 is an effort to address a crisis that doesn't exist with large livestock facilities," Black said. "What is needed is more rational dialogue and discussion with experts who know what they're dealing with."

He said the livestock industry needs to continue to educate legislators and the general public about how large livestock operations work. That includes bringing people to the farms so they can see the operations firsthand and conducting an extensive public relations campaign such as the one launched in January by the Ohio Livestock Coalition (see story on page 8).