CONTINENTAL — A 2,250-cow dairy farm in Putnam County is seeking to renew its permits with the Ohio Department of Agriculture, and part of that process includes notifying the public and seeking comments.
Van Ham Dairy, located at 7089 Road 22 near Continental, is located within the Auglaize River watershed. The farm is not seeking any changes to its current Permit to Operate, which would be good for five years should the ODA approve the renewal.
The dairy operation has run into issues in the past, with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency fining the farm $5,000 in 2004 for allowing discharges of manure and wastewater into a Blanchard River tributary the year before. Additionally, Van Ham Dairy Leasing LLC, the company that owned the farm’s real estate, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2010 at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Toledo.
Despite these hurdles, the farm was able to remain in operation, even filing for a new manure pond in 2012.
Copies of the draft Permit to Operate are available for review and copy at the Division of Livestock Environmental Planning Office, A.B. Graham Building, 8995 E. Main St., Reynoldsburg, OH 43068. The office can be reached at 614-387-0470. Anyone is permitted to submit writeen comments to the DLEP Office or request a public meeting. The written comments must include the nature of the issues to be raised at the meeting.
All comments must be received by the DLEP Office by Sept. 2.
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