Zoning Issue for 4,800 hog farm (Barton County)

The Joplin Globe, Saturday, March 30, 2007, reported that the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) received an application from Francis Forst, Kenoma LLC, for a 4,800 hog farm on 11 acres in Richland Township, Barton County, MO. Initially the application was for 4,800, but after Darrick Steen, Agriculture Chief for MDNR's water protection program, explained that the proposed number of animals would subject the operation to strict regulatory oversight, the application was amended to 2,400 sows.

The concern of neighbors is the combination of the proposed operation -and- the existing 4,500 head cattle operation of Kevin van der Poel, Focal Dairy, in Richland Township and Vernon County. The operations would be in close proximity to Pettis Creek, a tributary of the North Fork of the Spring River.

John Stocksdale, Doylesport Township, Barton County, passed zoning and planning eight years ago. He suppported the proposition because citizens were concerned about the impact of concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, on land and property values. He said there hasn’t been any controversy with the proposition since it passed and the board just makes sure everyone in the township understands the rules. The result, Stockdale said, is safety for everyone in the township. “Instead of taking away people’s rights, it protects them,” Stockdale said.

Election Results:
Richland Township Zoning
Yes . . 167. . . . . . . .
No . . . 39. . . . . . . .
The Lamar Democrat, Wednesday, April 4, 2007