Jackson County BZA votes 4-0 following hours of testimony for 4,000-head hog operation

After six hours of comments from more than 100 people, the Jackson County Board of Zoning Appeals voted to grant a special exception for Kyle and Leah Broshears, allowing the family to pursue state approval for the 4,000-head feeder-to-finish hog operation.

“We are relieved to be finished with the process at the county level,” Kyle Broshears said. “We are so thankful for the board’s time and their commitment to Jackson County.”

The Seymour couple’s proposed CAFO, if eventually approved by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, will be set on 10 acres northwest of county roads 1050E and 200S between Dudleytown and Uniontown.

By a vote of 4-0, with one absence, the board decided the couple’s proposed operation meets current requirements — setbacks of 300 feet and at least three acres — and is in an area zoned for agricultural use.

Board member Sherry Bridges said she has spent time in a CAFO and found them to be “not that bad.”

The meeting was conducted upstairs at the Jackson County Courthouse in Brownstown, with the crowd filling every seat, a corner of the room and spilling out into the hallway.

Those in favor of approval pinned ribbons with farm animals on their shirts.

Those against the proposal wore bright orange T-shirts bearing the word “HUBERT,” which stands for Help Us Build Ethical Rural Trust, an homage to Hubert Brumett, a neighbor in his 90s with respiratory problems who lives near the proposed hog farm.

A few people stormed out after the decision was read, and a couple yelled in disagreement.

“Shame on you,” one woman yelled after Bridges spoke.

Operation explained

Each person in attendance who wanted to speak in favor or against the proposal was given three minutes.

The applicants, who grew up in farm families and have two children, first outlined their operation and answered questions asked by the board.

They, along with their agricultural consultant, said the approximately $900,000 operation would be built on property owned by Leah Broshears’ parents, Max and Brenda Klosterman. A purchase agreement is in the works, she said.

The family, which will have a contract with Jackson Jennings Co-op, will construct an 81-by-417-foot building to house the feeder-to-finish hog operation. Manure will be stored in a concrete pit that holds about 1 million gallons. That manure will be injected into fields owned by the couple and their extended families.

The couple said the entrance to the proposed operation along County Road 1050E will see an average of three to four trucks per week.

In addition, they said the feed for the swine will contain an odor-reducing additive, and the building will be located at the farthest point possible to maximize setback distances from the closest residence.

The property on two sides of the building is enrolled in a government-protected woodlands program and can never be developed for residential use, and the property is surrounded by deciduous and evergreen trees, the Broshearses said.

The family told the board they will not live on the grounds and will stay in Seymour. They said they will not be using biofilters.

Bridges asked about the biofilters because she said they would be a plus for those living around them.

“I think it’s just being a good neighbor,” she said.

Opponents voice concerns

Many came forward and spoke on the behalf of the couple, complimenting the family on their hard work and commitment to farming and other endeavors in their lives, including Kyle Broshears’ trucking company and Leah Broshears’ work as a nurse.

Others said they didn’t see any health concerns or downfalls to the production, don’t believe a CAFO will decrease property value for surrounding residents and hope to see pork production and farming increase and compete.

Opponents, however, disagreed with some of those statements.

Trina McLain, who opened up the discussion in opposition, lives a quarter-mile from the proposed site. She cited health concerns, material harm and impact on quality of life for about 485 homes in that area.

“This is a very populated area, and most of these homes will be downwind from this site,” she said.

Opponents took the podium and spoke for hours, referring to other factors, such as odors, truck traffic and water contamination to wells and the nearby Muscatatuck River from stored manure.

Some teared up, speaking of current health problems and the impact of the CAFO and worries for their children or family members and how it could affect them.

Many spoke in concern of how the CAFO will decrease their property value if built within the vicinity.

Eric Hilton, who plans to build a mile away from the CAFO, said the operation will greatly affect the amount of loans his family could receive from the bank.

The Broshearses were given a rebuttal period, during which they further stated their reasoning for the operation.

State agency OK needed

In the end, Bridges said the opponents should have had someone come forward who has firsthand experienced how a large livestock operation affected their property value.

“If these confined feeding operations decrease your property (value), where are the people in Jackson County who live by these who have had their property decreased?” she asked the audience.

“If I lived by a CAFO and I lost $20,000 on my home, I would be in here jumping up and down on the table. I want to see (those) people, so I can make a good judgment call.”

The next step for the Broshearses will be to survey and deed off the appropriate parcel. Then they will make their application with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

“This is a lengthy process that usually takes several months,” Kyle Broshears said. “Once IDEM approval is in place, we would hope to begin construction next spring or summer.”