Debate over proposed hog confinement

3 months, 2 weeks ago by Rajah Maples, KHQA News

The proposed confinement would go up about two miles southwest of Lima

Some area residents say a plan to build a large-scale hog confinement near Lima "stinks."

The Adams County Board meeting room turned out to be standing room only tonight.

Dozens of people packed the room to hear more about a proposed hog confinement that could go up almost 2 miles southwest of Lima.

But not everyone is happy about that proposal.

"When I was searching for a home site, I would never have decided to live there had I known there would be a hog farm. I can't think of anyone in their right mind who wants to live that close to 5,000 hogs."

Thomas Kevin Tushaus says he used his life savings to build a new log home about 2300 feet away from the proposed hog confinement site about 3 1/2 years ago

"I don't want to live next to a hog confinement mainly because of the loss of property values but also because of odor, air pollution, noise, traffic issues and desecration of Native American Indian sites."

The Illinois Department of Agriculture is considering a request by Adams County farmer Daron Duke and his partner to build a facility that would house about 4900 hogs. They told this standing room only crowd Monday night that waste from the hog confinement would be stored underneath the building and then injected into nearby soil to help fertilize future crops.

"Change is always scary. This industry, sometimes people are concerned with it, but through the research we've done, we feel this is a good fit for us and the community. Through new technologies and science that's out there, livestock production has changed dramatically in the last 20 years, and it's much more environmentally friendly than what it has been in the past."

If the state grants the farmers a permit, Duke says he hopes to move forward with construction as soon as possible.

A group called Adams County Families Against Rural Messages held a press conference prior to tonight's public hearing to voice their opposition to the project.