Jay County is expected to become the home of another four million chickens as a result of new confined feeding operations initiated since Jan. 1.
The latest project is a plan by Green Valley Ranch LLC to build five chicken layer barns, an egg-processing building and an open egg wash lagoon at a site just outside Portland’s 2-mile zoning buffer, just east of 2104 E. 300 South.
The barns will house 2.69 million birds.
That project is similar in scope to an egg operation under construction by J-Star Farms at 8128 E. Indiana 26, which will house 2.7 million hens when completed.
Hoosier Pride Farms LLC has a 2.01 million layer operation at Indiana 67 and county road 850 East.
While a permit application has been filed with the Jay-Portland Building and Planning office by Green Valley Ranch LLC, no permit has yet been issued.
The Green Valley Ranch project is in addition to a 1.28 million pullet operation at county roads 700 East and 100 North planned by Steve Schwieterman and Arrowhead Poultry Farms. That project, which is seeking three-year tax abatement approval, involves four barns.
When completed, the two projects would bring the county’s chicken population to more than 13 million birds.
The building and planning office has also received a permit application from Bob and Carol Dirksen to build four turkey barns at 5849 N. Liberty Road to house 24,000 birds. In addition, Jim Schoenlein has filed a permit application to build barns housing more than 200 steers at 1626 N. 300 West.
A permit has already been issued to Albert S. Schrock to build a barn just south of 5330 N. 550 West to house 20,000 free range chickens.
Of the new operations, only the Green Valley Ranch and Arrowhead Poultry projects will require approval by Indiana Department of Environmental Management. The others fall below IDEM’s threshold.
The county is now home to more than 50 confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and more than 40 confined feeding operations (CFOs) that fall under IDEM’s control.
The difference between the two is a matter of size, with CAFOs being larger.
To be classified by IDEM a CAFO, an operation must involve 700 mature dairy cows; 2,500 swine above 55 pounds; 10,000 swine less than 55 pounds; 55,000 turkeys; 33,000 laying hens or broilers with a liquid manure handling system; or 82,000 laying hens with a solid manure handling system.