SPENCERVILLE — Opponents of a proposed farm for 2.2 million chickens who had hoped to get Spencerville officials on their side were met with a lukewarm response by Spencerville Mayor John P. Johnson.
“I understand all the residents who live in that direction, no one would want this in their backyard,” he said, addressing about 30 residents who had come to Spencerville’s regular Village Council meeting Monday night to outline their concerns. “However, us being the officials for the village, we first have to look for the protection of the village.”
At issue is Pine Valley Ranch LLC’s application with the Ohio Department of Agriculture to build six poultry barns with manure sheds, an egg washing facility, and a lagoon to hold the egg wash water at 21639 state Route 116 near Monticello. The proposed site is in Van Wert County, about eight miles southwest of downtown Spencerville.
“I don’t know why we’re talking about something that’s eight miles away and not even in the village,” Spencerville resident Brandon Youngpeter said.
His remark drew immediate retorts from about three others in attendance, and Johnson rapped his gavel to silence the cross-talk.
Youngpeter, a hog, cattle and grain farmer, was the only person to express support for the farm.
Brett Rider, speaking for Spencerville Citizens Against Factory Farms, told Johnson and Councilmen John Medaugh and John Miller that the group was worried about the effect of the farm on the safety and availability of the village’s drinking water supply, which is solely derived from a sprawling aquifer that spans five counties. He said Pine Valley Ranch’s figures for its water usage and manure output were low compared to similar estimates for a farm that size by agriculture officials at The Ohio State University. And he suggested Pine Valley Ranch’s plans to run 120 trucks along state Routes 117, 66 and 116 could create traffic and road repair headaches.
“Before the meeting, I heard we were against agriculture,” he said. “That’s so far from the truth. I personally don’t think this is agriculture. This is a factory. This is big business right here. And Spencerville doesn’t need it.”
Johnson, in response, said there were many big farms that were drawing water from the aquifer within a 10-mile radius of the village’s wells.
“I would just be cautious on necessarily going after one,” he said.
He also said human waste collected at the village’s wastewater treatment plant also goes into a lagoon, “just the way many farming operations do,” and is also spread on fields.
The mayor said it would be up to the council to take any action, and that would be at a later date. The council did not have enough members in attendance at Monday’s meeting to take any binding action.
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