A second look at large livestock farmsPublished on 06/12/2006
by Seth Teter It's often said that Ohio has one of the strongest permitting programs for large livestock farms in the nation. But as more large farms expand or are built in Ohio, concerns about the environment, land values and rural infrastructure will likely persist. Much of the resistance to large farms comes from areas with few existing livestock operations, said Kevin Elder, executive director of Ohio's Livestock Environmental Permitting Program. "A lot of the calls we get are concerns about odor, fear of the unknown, fear that they're not going to be able to sell their house," he said. So what does a permit cover, how is it enforced and is there room for improvement? Permits for Ohio's large livestock farms are generally 250 pages consisting of an installation permit and operational permit, Elder said. The installation permit is filed before the construction of a new farm or expansion of an existing facility. It details the facility's design including the water supply, the location of nearby wells and subsurface drains and the production and storage of manure. It also includes background information on the farm's operator. The operational permit includes detailed plans for manure management, insect and rodent control, mortality management and emergency response. "Ohio's permitting program requirements are stronger than the federal minimums in the areas of siting criteria, construction design standards, on-farm inspections, ground water testing and insect and rodent control," said David White, executive director of the Ohio Livestock Coalition, to which the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF) belongs. In Ohio, permitted farms are inspected at least twice a year, which Elder said is more than any other state of which he is aware. White said before the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) took over the permitting program, some large farms went years without inspections. ODA has performed 881 inspections on permitted facilities. Since 2004, the department has issued 54 warning letters and 63 notices of deficiency, although 40 percent of those violations can be attributed to one egg company. Elder said his department attempts to investigate every complaint and educates residents when their concerns are not valid. For example, he said there were complaints about odors at a new facility before it housed any animals. "We offer to take the people over and show them, because they don't believe you," he said. White said rules for regulating livestock farms are rooted in science and give farmers and their neighbors clear, concise guidance. "The rules are also based upon nationally recognized standards for best management practices, such as Natural Resource Conservation Service technical practice standards," he said. Asked if the program could be improved, Elder defended Ohio's laws for large livestock farms. "There are probably areas that could be strengthened but they need strengthened not for our program, but for the entire agricultural community," he said, citing damage to rural roads as an example. Rocky Black, OFBF director of legislative affairs, said programs to fund road maintenance such as diverting tax dollars from a farm for infrastructure improvements should be examined. Improving the notification process may also help ease tensions, he said. Legislation introduced by Rep. John Schlichter, R-Greenfield, and Sen. John Carey, R-Welston, would require all permitted livestock farms to notify county commissioners, township trustees and the county engineer before building or expanding by more than 10 percent. The farm would then be required to work with local officials to address concerns about local infrastructure. "We have to be realistic and recognize that there are some parts of the state where large livestock facilities have caused some serious concerns," Black said. Caption: Kevin Elder looks over a permit for an 1,800-cow dairy. The approximately 250-page, 3-inch thick document is accompanied by eight engineering maps. Photo by Seth Teter Large livestock farm statistics
Source: Ohio Department of Agriculture | |