Editor, Times-Union: I have raised livestock for over 30 years. I presently own three large animal confinement farms in Wabash and Huntington County. My son owns a custom manure disposal business of which I’m involved with and I can clearly state that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management has a very detailed program to assist and monitor farmers who have animal confinement farms. There is no reason for the county to put in place another layer of rules for farmers.
In the past when I have sought approval for a CAFO I have went through the lengthy and expensive approval process with IDEM and then I furnished the given county proof of that approval then the county approved also. Why would you want to duplicate what IDEM has focused on and improved on for years? The approval process and monitoring process is so involved and detailed that I could not explain it in this editorial. The rules include soil testing and extensive bookkeeping, which is checked one time per year by an inspector from IDEM. These are the facts but, maybe some people don’t want to be confused by the facts. Emotional appeals seem to get more attention than the truth.
Trust me, the county should focus on other issues and leave this issue to the experts, the farmers and IDEM.
