CAFO panel begins setback compromise process

By BILL RICHMOND

City editor

The Randolph County Commissioners CAFO (Confined Animal Feeding Operation) Panel Tuesday began the difficult process of creating a compromise setback regulation for large-scale livestock farms.

The panel was appointed by the commissioners to create a plan to be considered for adoption as a county ordinance offering local control that is not overly restrictive. The committee has met twice monthly since June 2. Committee members include county commissioners Kathy Beumer, Ron Chalfant and David Lenkensdofer; County Farm Bureau representatives Tom Chalfant, Jerry Warren and Gary Foulke; and Environmentally Concerned Citizens of Randolph County (ECCRC) representatives Ralph Dalzell, Rachel Carpenter and Curtis Ramer. The meetings are facilitated by Indiana Environmental Institute director and Indiana Earth Day chairman Bill Beranek.

Beranek said setback regulations seem to be the main topic of contention in most CAFO discussions.

Ramer handed out copies of a chart based on information from Al Heber's website listing setback recommendations based on wind direction, the number and type of hogs and whether odor reduction practices are used. The listed setbacks vary from 641 feet for 19,200 nursery pigs in an operation with a tree line and 50 percent odor reduction (- not saying how this will be achieved) to 2,619 feet for 430 nursery pigs, 1,470 finishers and 5,842 sows on flat land with no odor reduction.

"Heber created a mathematical formula based on various factors to give a rough understanding of what might work for odor reduction," Beranek said. "We need to take into consideration that odor is subjective in the first place. It's a place to start. It's a tool."

Several members of the group said a 1,000 foot setback for hog operations would be acceptable. Ramer said he feels there should be different setbacks for various sized operations.

"We have almost 50 CAFOs in Randolph County," Beumer said. "To most of us, CAFOs don't smell like money - they just smell like manure. Most of us just want our own non-smelly land around us. With reasonable setbacks we can all live together. How do we learn to live together?

Tom Chalfant said a 1,000 foot setback would be appropriate for a 4,000 head hog operation, but if that operation expands it would perhaps be difficult to expand the setbacks.

Foulke said whatever setbacks are required, there will be people who drive by, get a whiff of the manure and are displeased by it.

"That's what we're up against," he said.

Lenkensdofer said best odor management practices should be written into any proposed ordinance although such practices will likely change over time as the science develops. He said the standards can be changed with time to keep up with the science.

Beumer said if a 1,000 foot setback is required for 4,000 hogs and odor management practices find a workable solution, the setbacks could possibly be reduced.

Carpenter said the standards should be straightforward and not dependent upon best practices, as some people won't do them and others will start a particular process and not continue.

Beranek said a best practices requirement would mean having someone to enforce the standards on behalf of the county.

"You could set up a group of people to monitor it on a hall monitor concept," he said. "It just needs to be the eyes of people you trust."

Beranek asked Ramer to create a variation of Heber's chart based on a standard of animal units (rather than specifying, for example - a sow or a finisher). He said there are several definitions of what an animal unit may be - they should just pick one and create a table of equivalent setbacks.

"It sounds like we're going with a setback requirement - we'll try to collapse it into a simple number," Beranek said. "With possible accomodations for later odor control measures, allowing for changes in setback and an an allowance for the landower to get a waiver from a particular property owner if he so wishes. The waiver would stay with the deed."

Ron Chalfant said they need to be sure and not lose site of how much land setbacks will take out of use for additional livestock operations in the area.

"As a county, we should be enabling our farmers," Ron Chalfant said. "We don't do that by taking property out of livestock production. I don't think that's a wise thing to do."

The CAFO panel will continue its setback discussion at the group's next meeting, Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the County Economic Development Office conference room, downtown Winchester.