AUBURN — Cardinal Dairies LLC has prepared a development plan for a 5,000-cow dairy operation northwest of Butler.
The DeKalb County Plan Commission will review the plan and approve or disapprove it at its regular meeting Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. in the Commissioners Court at the Courthouse in downtown Auburn.
The site at 6395 C.R. 20 is about two miles north of Butler. In December, the DeKalb County Commissioners voted to approve rezoning the 160-acre site from conservation agricultural to high-intensity agricultural zoning.
The Plan Commission still needs to approve the development plan in order for the dairy to go forward. Plan Commission Zoning Administrator Clint Knauer said a decision would not necessarily come at the Feb. 18 meeting; it could be tabled for a later meeting.
Though Paddy Dunne, an affiliate of Cardinal Dairy, personally visited neighbors near the site, many neighbors still remain skeptical of the operation. They say they remain concerned about manure odor and water contamination the dairy operation might bring to the area.
Steve and Liz Ward, who live next to the site, said wildlife on their property would be driven away from the area because of the smell. Bob Harrold, another neighbor of the site, said there are too many “ifs” with Dunne’s plan. Butler City Planner Steve Bingham has spoken against the proposed operation on behalf of Butler.
Others, however, have spoken in favor of the project. Daniel Fry of Fry Farm said Dunne went “above and beyond” in planning the project and it would be good for the area. Rory Walker of R&D Farms was in favor of it, saying the area needs to be more pro-agriculture.
Dunne, a native of Ireland, formerly was manager of Irish Acres Dairy, according to residents who have spoken with Dunne. Irish Acres is a 1,000-cow dairy operation on C.R. 59 west of the proposed Cardinal Dairy site.
Knauer said the Plan Commission still is waiting on the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to release its report on the dairy project. He said the Plan Commission usually waits for a report from IDEM before making a final decision. Cardinal Dairy applied for a confined feeding operation permit with IDEM on Dec. 9, and IDEM has 90 days to consider it.
An informational meeting on confined feeding operations will take place Feb. 5 at 10 a.m. at the County Office Building in Auburn. Livestock Indiana Soybean Alliance Director Andy Tauer will give a short presentation and field questions. Though the meeting is open to the public,
Knauer said it would be strictly informational and would not be a public hearing regarding Cardinal Dairy.