LIMA — Opponents of a proposed poultry facility near Harrod made their voices heard Wednesday night during a public meeting at the Allen County Fairgrounds.
Around 50 people showed up for the meeting, which was meant to discuss the Happy Yolks poultry farm. The facility would be located at 3631 Lawrence Road in Harrod. It would be owned by Ruth Farms LLC, operated by Happy Yolks LLC and situated in the Auglaize Watershed.
At the meeting, local residents were invited to make oral and written comments on a draft Permit to Operate and draft Permit to Install for Happy Yolks.
The draft PTI proposes to construct two new layer barns, each capable of housing 200,000 layers. Each barn would have belts under the cages that would transport solid manure to a separate manure storage barn on a daily basis, according to a press release from the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
Each year, approximately 4,166 tons of poultry manure would be generated by the facility. About 1,735 tons of the solid manure would be applied to 1,782 acres that Happy Yolks owns or has control over. The remaining 2,431 tons would be distributed off the farm to manure brokers and crop producers that will use the manure as a replacement for commercial fertilizers.
The draft PTO includes plans to manage manure nutrients, prevent and control insect and rodent problems, handle emergency situations and properly dispose of mortality losses, the press release stated.
Auglaize Township Trustee Mike Stout said during the meeting that the trustees are requesting the permits be denied.
“While we understand our township is largely agriculturally zoned, as trustees we will only support businesses that benefit our community,” Stout said.
Stout’s concerns were based around the health and safety of township residents, the financial impact of the facility and the quality of life for homeowners who live near the proposed poultry farm.
Stout said he is concerned about water contamination, as the proposed facility would be located near the Auglaize River. He also said the road it would be located on is not constructed to handle the traffic generated by an operation of this size.
He added that the Allen County engineer has estimated the cost to fix the roads would be around $4 million, which is money Stout said the township simply does not have.
“In the last two years our township has attempted to pass an operating expense levy, which has failed all three times,” he said. “There is no extra money available for these road improvements.”
Stout finished by saying the homes owned by residents who reside near the proposed facility would have a “greatly diminished value.”
“Not to mention the fact they will now constantly experience obnoxious odors, and increased insects and rodents,” he said. “This is in addition to the environmental issues.”
Carl Lawrence, who lives on Lawrence Road, said he has no problem with a chicken farm, but he does take issue with the location Happy Yolks is proposing. He suggests moving the facility to a state route instead of a township road.
“We’ve got to put it where it’s most efficient, and it’s sure not Lawrence Road,” Lawrence said.
Harrod resident Whitley Howard, who lives a mile down the road from the proposed facility, was concerned about the potential health issues the poultry farm could cause.
“The health concerns for people in my family that have some breathing problems — the odor and insects and flies or whatever that this will create — will create a health hazard for my family,” Howard said.
Kevin Elder, chief of the ODA’s Division of Livestock Environmental Permitting, said the organization will review the comments and direct them to the owners of Happy Yolks. Wednesday’s meeting was the last public forum that will be held on the proposed facility, barring an unforeseen development.
If the permits are approved, Stout said it is his understanding that construction on the poultry facility would begin this winter.
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