Residents raise stink over hog farm
By SHEILA RHOADES
Wednesday, May 31, 2006 12:09 AM EDT
Wabash County Commissioners received an earful from county residents angry about a confined hog facility being built in their backyard.
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.
“I was a prisoner in my own home for a week,” she said. “This manure was broadcast in 25- to 30-mile-an-hour winds. He sprayed it on my home and my neighbors' homes. I was sick, too.”
A major complaint is that they feel Schuler is going to build the confinement houses then sell the property to an out-of-state company who will then “ruin our water table, foul our air, devalue our properties then move on.”
Commissioner Lester Templin said although he empathizes, the county's hands are tied.
“We as commissioners don't have that authority to shut the operation down,” he said. “The state maintains that authority and as long as (the farming operation) meets state guidelines, there's little
we can do. Approval comes from the state level and we don't have that power.”
But Pastor Bill Cook, of Dora Christian Church, said the county better act before he has to close his church.
“Some of my congregation told me they wouldn't come back if (the situation) wasn't fixed,” Cook said. “Schuler came to our homes and told us there would be about 3,000 hogs, but he was force to reveal the truth and we found out it's 8,000 hogs. He doesn't tell the truth, so how can we trust him?”
He continued, “If you allow this to go in - a half million dollar campus (church and its property) will be shut down. I will not be able to operate a church. Who's going to pay us to relocate? I want to know. This is going to put us out of business, so who's going to cover for that?”
Cook then promised legal action, saying, “I don't make threats. This is a promise.”
Another community supporter identified herself as a nurse and said in other areas people have “suffered financial problems, illness” and insisted “it is your local zoning and local officials that are to decide this.”
She added that, historically, when operations such as the CAFO in Wabash County are ready to close, “who do you think will be responsible for the cleanup?”
Bonnie Hahn said she has lived through the same circumstances with a dairy CAFO in Huntington County, only 1 1/2 miles from her home.
“It has caused the devaluation of properties,” she insisted. “My mother's property - 203 acres - took a $106,600 loss after she passed away. And two other homes in the area took losses.”
Hahn also said she and other neighbors within a five-mile radius had suffered bouts of vertigo they believed were caused by the farm, although cause of the illness cannot be substantiated.
County Attorney Tom Mattern told her that the county “must operate under ordinances and statutes and can't go outside our jurisdiction.”
But explanations weren't satisfying the group.
Virginia Daihl Coplea said the Schulers brought the manure in from “a big slab by Roann” and “dumped (it) on us across the fence from where I live.”
She said she has spent $650 to date getting her water tested and land appraised in order “to protect ourselves.”
She also expressed some concern over the commissioners' inability or refusal to act.
“I've resigned myself to the fact that the plan commission and commissioners are all paid, elected officials and you are not going to help me,” she said. “I'm just a peon.”
Templin responded: “I would dearly love the power to do what you think I can do, but I don't have that authority.”
Coplea repeated herself, stood, and walked out of the meeting as Mattern tried to explain.
One of the petitioners from Huntington County said they are going to demand that their property taxes be lowered according to law because their land values have lowered since the dairy operation moved in.
Another said that no good would come of the CAFO.
“There will be no jobs created, no extra taxable revenue. Illegal aliens will be hired and the workers will go on welfare and food stamps. And we will be the ones paying for it.” She added that the money made by the owners would not be spent in the county, but likely taken out of state.
The commissioners said they would look into the ordinances that protect the county's citizens, but reminded them this isn't the first time a situation like this has occurred in Wabash County.
“You guys are concerned because this is in your backyard, but this is nothing new,” Templin said. “We have dealt with this for (many) years. But we are going to try to do what's best for everyone in the county.”
Commissioners will review the situation with the plan commission.
Attempts by the Wabash Plain Dealer to contact Schuler were unsuccessful.
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