IDEM officials hear dairy debate
By BILL RICHMOND
City editor
Supporters and opponents of a proposed 1,650-cow dairy farm squared off Wednesday evening at a public hearing for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). The hearing is part of the IDEM permitting process required before the Tony Goltstein/UnionGo Dairy farm can be established locally.
The hearing was preceded by an informational meeting conducted by consultants Brian Daggy and Dave Gerdeman.
Goltstein opened the meeting, introducing himself and addressing the near capacity crowd at the 4-H Fairgrounds Husted Hall.
"My real name is Toine (pronounced Twon)," Goltstein said. "It's one of those little things I do to please you guys.
"People ask me why I came here. The answer is easy. 'A future.' That's what we didn't have in Germany. I could make a real good living, there- but I wanted to have a future for my children. My parents did the same for me, my brother and my sister. I want to do the same for my children.
"We like to live in Randolph County. I'm not a guy who takes the easy way. I've been at this almost a year- I'm not a guy who walks away from problems. I live here and we've made friends here. There are people who don't like me or don't like the dairy, at least that's what they tell me, but I hope we can live together. "
Daggy said the dairy farm will be built in two phases- the first with 1,000 cows with the eventual creation of a second freestall barn, increasing the herd to 1,650. Daggy said the manure lagoon will store more than double the IDEM requirement of 180 days capacity. He said no discharge of manure is allowed under IDEM requirements and the manure can only be applied to fields at rates dictated by the permit requirements.
"Extensive work has gone into this project," Daggy said. "To make sure it meets or exceeds standards and is built to be as safe as possible.
"The assumption by opponents is that something goes wrong. Thousands of similar operations work successfully without any problems or violations."
Several public comments and questions regarded the emergency spill response plan.
Keith Kranz said seepage of 1/16 of an inch per day from the manure lagoon is considered acceptable for a standard unlined pond.
"We're not designing this pond to leak," Daggy said. Our goal is to provide as much containment and protection for the environment as possible."
Daggy suggested neighbors take their complaints concerning odor and nuisances to Goltstein and his wife Yvonne.
"I believe they will be more than willing to help address them," Daggy said. "I believe they want to work with their neighbors."
Daggy said complaints about the facility are mostly based on fears and mistaken assumptions. He said the chance of a manure runoff situation should be as low as it could possibly be made.
Public comments expressed by area residents for the IDEM public record included:
Judy Saunders said she has nothing against Goltstein and his wife, but believes the dairy operation will jeopardize the health and welfare of area children.
Dr. William Beuchat expressed his concern for the health and welfare of the people in the county, including his family.
"I am concerned that manure storage facilities as the one planned for the UnionGo Dairy are allowed to leak to even a slight degree," Dr. Beuchat said.
State Representative Ron Liggett said there are many positive and negative aspects of such large scale farms. He suggested a precautionary moratorium on further construction be issued until the related health aspects could be studied more closely.
Robbie Davis said his greatest concern is the Vreba-Hoff track record.
"As far as I'm concerned, Vreba-Hoff has thumbed their nose at IDEM, piling up violation after violation," Davis said.
Vreba-Hoff Dairy Development is a Michigan-based group that helps Dutch and other European dairy producers relocate to Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. Four Vreba-Hoff affiliated dairies- DeGroot, Walnut Grove, Milco and Rooyakkers- were cited by IDEM over the past three years for environmental violations. The violations included construction that did not meet state requirements and multiple manure spills that reached Indiana waters.
Bud Strum also expressed concern about past Vreba-Hoff violations.
"Why give a permit to this company, given its past violations," Sturm asked.
Dr. Alison Syme said such operations could create health problems in the local population.
"Emerging evidence indicates that antibiotics given to animal are transmitted to humans through the water supply," Dr. Syme said. "Many of these antibiotics are identical or similar to antibiotics used to treat humans. It's a crisis."
Drew Cleveland said Goltstein will be a good steward of the land, a good citizen and a good neighbor.
Ed Thornburg said the plan for the UnionGo farm is exceptional and manure management problems shouldn't be an issue given the amount of planning that has already gone into the operation.
"They have spent a lot of money and time to help alleviate the concerns of the public," Thornburg said.
John Zakelj said because of the nature of the sandy soils in the area a synthetic or plastic liner should be used in addition to the manure lagoon's mandated clay lining. He also recommended a monitoring system to measure the rate of seepage.
Duane Pflasterer said the land where Goltstein seeks to establish the dairy is a sensitive area with a high water table and many shallow wells. He said the area floods easily.
After the conclusion of the hearing Jerome Rud, chief of the IDEM Solid Waste Permit Section said he could not say how long it will take to reach a decision on whether the application is approved or denied. He said the Goltstein/UnionGo application is already well into its 90-day review period, although it is not uncommon to request an extension if additional time is needed to make sure all conditions are met.
"It's our intention to meet all IDEM's concerns and issues," Daggy said. "We will receive a permit at some point."