×

New hog farm proposed for Blair County

WILLIAMSBURG — A second Blair County hog farm may soon be under construction.

Hemlock Lane Farm LP — located on Hemlock Lane just off Route 22, about 4 miles north of Williamsburg — has applied for joint financing from Farm Service Agency and AgChoice Farm Credit to fund the construction of a hog finishing barn with a capacity of 4,800 hogs.

Hemlock Lane Farm LP,  owned by Robert, Darren and Randy Brubaker, plans to construct a 40,581-square-foot facility to handle 4,800 feeder pigs, which will be finished as market hogs in just under 19 weeks.

This facility, when in operation, will be a link in the production cycle of a large integrator, Country View Farms, according to Farm Service Agency’s review of the environmental assessment of the project.

Robert Brubaker did not return calls seeking comment for this story.

Hemlock Lane has been gathering the necessary approvals for the project but still needs to obtain a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation permit from the state Department of Environmental Protection.

“It has been submitted and is under review,” said Donna Fisher, Blair County Conservation District director.

Hemlock Lane Farm LP has an approved nutrient management plan approved Aug. 15 by the Blair County Conservation District, an odor management plan approved on June 13 by the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission, a wetland delineation approved on May 20, a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission approval letter dated

Dec. 22, 2015, and a project environmental review approval done on Oct. 25, 2015. A stormwater permit was approved Sept. 7 by the Blair County Conservation District.

Despite opposition, I. Harold Martin, a Mennonite farmer, started Blair County’s first hog farm in 2008 on his property off Route 866 in North Woodbury Township near the Altoona-Blair County Airport.

“We have not had a single complaint since it was built,” said Rich Huether, agricultural conservation specialist for the Blair County Conservation District.

As long as Hemlock Farm receives all of the necessary approvals, the project is likely to move forward.

“I am not aware of anything in Catharine Township that would prohibit this type of operation. If there was zoning, it could be an issue,” Fisher said. “If all of the approvals are met, it doesn’t appear it could be stopped legally. If there is significant opposition, the landowner could change his mind, but as far as regulatory approvals, it would not be able to be stopped.”

Catharine Township Supervisor Ralph Rispoli said some residents are opposed to the project.

“We are not zoned; there is nothing we have to do. We did have some people upset about it. We had about 15 residents at one of our meetings,” Rispoli said. “As a supervisor, you have to look at everyone’s position. You need to have a heart for them when they ask for help, but you can’t do anything.”

The biggest concern appears to be the odor.

The new building is designed with slatted concrete floors that allow the waste to be collected in concrete manure storage vaults located beneath the livestock. The manure storage vaults are designed in accordance with the Pennsylvania Technical Guide.

Manure will be spread on nearly 300 acres of cropland using a liquid manure spreader, and the application will be managed to minimize the effect of odor for air quality and the effects of nitrates to protect the groundwater, according to the environmental assessment.

Residents remain concerned about the odor.

“The people who live within close range, you could see the fear in their eyes of how they would live with the smell. This is like factory farming, not your typical dairy farming,” Rispoli said.

“The odor from pig manure is notoriously worse than from the cows, and the proposed facility will generate 1.4 million gallons annually to be stored onsite and spread twice a year on 300 acres. The odor from a CAFO for 4,800 pigs will be nothing like we could imagine from normal farming practices,” wrote resident Robert B. Rodgers in a letter to the Mirror.

Barry Aungst, who lives about a mile east of the proposed hog farm, is concerned about more than just the odor.

“When I look online, there are so many sites showing ill effects and problems with CAFOs. There is so much negative impact that comes from this type of operation. If I have to smell hog s— … two days a year that is OK, but I can’t live with my well being contaminated, the problems with air quality and the increase of problematic insects is unbelievable,” Aungst said.

Fisher said it is not unusual for people to be concerned about such a project.

“Often times, people are opposed to integrated ag such as poultry or hog operations. We are used to dairy in this area, but this is not as familiar; the unfamiliarity spawns fears, concerns or anxiousness. The ag community certainly supports ag operations whether dairy cattle, chickens or pigs,” Fisher said.

Fisher believes the project should be safe and good for the agricultural community.

“All projects, if they are planned and implemented according to approved plans, they should be safe for the environment. I think it is an opportunity for a different ag operation. Dairy farmers have been hit with a roller coaster of milk prices. It is an alternative to dairy. These folks are local, not an absentee landowner. They have lived here and will continue to live here. It is not a typical family farm but a family that has been farming here for a number of years,” Fisher said.

“They are a family farm looking to diversify with animals. The manure is all-natural fertilizer to be used on crops. Agriculture is changing and diversifying and farmers need to diversify in order to maintain their farms,” Huether said.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.39/week.

Subscribe Today