Another Barry County CAFO (Missouri)

The Joplin Globe reports Neighbors voicing opposition to proximity of planned 30,000-chicken house (Friday, October 31, 2008) on a new environmental "battlefield' in Wheaton (Barry Co., MO) regarding a 30,000 broiler chicken CAFO, being built by Wesley & Cheri Church. At issue, is the proximity of the proposed chicken CAFO to their neighbors. The newspaper article identified the affected neighbors as Lowell & Twyla McInturff, Charles & Shirley Tichenor, Doug & Deanna Hughes, and Joseph & Tempest Cooper.

Here is a Google Earth image of the area immediately north of Wheaton, MO. [click on image to get close-up view] Obviously there are other poultry houses in the area. What is at issue, is best described in this excerpt from the article, the Church's "poultry house will be 191 yards north of the Tichenor house, 162 yards from a house on the west side, 254 yards south of the McInturff house and 296 yards southwest of the Cooper house".

Once again, it is the owner's attitude that characterizes the situation,'They (Wesley & Cheri Church) noted they purchased their property without restrictions in an area that is agricultural.' It is like they are saying that it is my land and I'll do with it what I want. This is the reoccurring theme in every environmental battleground. I don't think that this attitude falls under the "good neighbor" model for sustainable agriculture.

Of interest in this article is the reference to First Financial Bank, Fayetteville, AR. as being the lender for the project. What does this say about their adherence to "good neighbor" lending practices for sustainable agriculture? The article also reports that Cheri & Wesley Church have signed on to become Simmons contract growers. Simmons agreed to the project, though the company’s Web site says it will not construct a chicken house within 1,200 feet of an existing chicken house. An exception apparently was made for the Churches: the Tichenor chicken houses are approximately 960 feet east of the location of the new chicken house. Kimmy Provost, spokeswoman for Simmons, said, “The 1,200 feet is a recommendation. It is up to the individual contract grower to abide by the laws of the state they are operating in." The article states that 'in Missouri, a poultry house cannot be constructed within 100 feet of a home or a private well, according to state regulations'.