REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Agriculture is accepting comments from the public on draft expansion and renewal operating permits for nine separate permitted facilities located in Licking County.
The facilities consist of four egg-laying sites, three pullet sites and two breeder sites with an office address of 10513 Croton Road, located in Croton, Ohio.
All of the facilities are located in the Licking River Watershed, except for Croton Layer 3, which is located in the Big Walnut Creek Watershed.
Comments will be accepted until 5 p.m. on March 23 and should be sent to the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Division of Livestock Environmental Permitting, 8995 E. Main St., Reynoldsburg, OH 43068.
Each facility is applying for a draft Permit to Operate, which is a renewal application for the previously issued Permit to Operate, which was valid for a period of five years. In addition, seven of the facilities are requesting a Permit to Install to increase their design capacity through renovation of the existing barns.
Operational permits regulate manure management, insect and rodent control, mortality management and emergency response. Operational permits are valid for a five-year period, at which time the owner is required to apply for renewal.
As a former farm bureau member, I would prefer to see our food raised by small and medium farms not in the fashion that Farm Bureau thinks is the way to go. It destroyed my life and home when the wetland 500 feet west of our home was filled in and 10 poultry buildings erected for the North Preston site of Park Farms which is now Case Farms. I have no problems with this as long as it does not deprive someone else of the peaceful enjoyment of their home. Farm Bureau/Nationwide has no conscience and I contend its power is not from farmers but rather from their insurance company.