First Posted: 2/11/2015
CLOVERDALE — Spitnale Pig farm in Putnam County is seeking approval to double its size.
The farm, owned by Brad, Casey and Becky Spitnale, submitted draft permits to install and one to operate to the Livestock Environmental Permitting Program of the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
Now, the department is seeking public comment on the farm’s requests.
The facility, called Spitnale Pigs Ltd., is located at 21764 Road I-17 in Cloverdale and its owners are proposing adding 2,400 more pigs to the swine finishing facility’s existing 2,400, according to a public notice from the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
The farm has one swine barn, which has a capacity of 2,400 pigs, weighing more than 55 pounds, and the owners are proposing installing a new barn to house the new pigs.
They also filed for a permit to operate, which, if approved would be in effect for five years. The farm filed to become a business in Ohio in July 2013, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office.
With more animals comes concerns about manure management. Spitnale would locate a concrete pit under the barn’s floor, which could store up to 1.07 million gallons of liquid manure, the equivalent of 666 days of storage, according to the permit to install.
The existing barn on the farm has the same amount of storage beneath it, as well as a concrete structure beside it, which provides 7,089 cubic feet of storage for composting mortality losses, according to the department’s announcement.
If the construction of a new barn is approved, the facility would create about 1.18 million gallons of liquid swine manure and 14.5 tons of solid mortality compost material annually.
The owners plan to land-apply half of each on 300 acres of crop land and distribute the rest to be used by other farmers on 358 additional acres of nearby crop land, according to the permit to operate.
The crop land will include corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa.
The farm also provided an insect and rodent control plan, mortality management plan, emergency response plan and operating record.
Those interested in commenting on the farm’s submitted draft permits may review it at the Division of Livestock Environmental Permitting office in Reynoldsburg. The office will also accept written comments and requests for public meetings. All comments and requests must be made by 5 p.m. March 13.
