Rural growth
7
(Continued from Page 1)
public oftentimes doesn’t
know that. Instead, they
think of the poultry industry
and other farming en
terprises in terms of 10,20 or
even 30 years ago.
"Irwin is a member of the
Cooperative Extension staff
of Pennsylvania State
University, specializing in
poultry.
- The JVfontgomery County
farmer who faces opposition
to his expansion plans is
William H. Gerhart, an
outspoken 57-year old dairy
'and poultryman who has
lived on his farm' for 35
years. The area is zoned R 25
- agriculture residential. The
Lancaster Countian with
similar problems is Robert
S. Weaver, owner of a 23
acre farm which adjoins a
residential area.
) Both Gerhart and Weaver
began grading land earlier
this year in order put up
modem poultry facilities.
Gerhart wants to construct a
house for 45,000 laying hens,
while Weaver has 50,000
broilers in mind.
As of Friday morning,
Gerhart had his 36 by 448 foot
house just about under roof
despite objections from
some of his neighbors.
Weaver, on the other hand, is
still waiting for permission
from the Lancaster County
Court.
According to Weaver, “If
they stop me, they can stop
any farmer in the county.”
The case could set a state
precedent. In the final
analysis, it could affect all
types of animal agriculture.
Irwin, who has a vast
background in agriculture,
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especially the poultry
business, boils the problem
down to one thing:
education. He is convinced
that people still think of
poultry houses in terms of 20
years ago.
“There are really very few
problems with today’s
systems. It’s a whole new
faiallgame today. Producers
can’t afford to neglect odors
and so forth because
production would drop.”
Consequently, buildings are
engineered and managed in
such a way so as to reduce
odor and manure handling
problems to a bare
minimum. He suggests that
anyone skeptical of the
poultry industry’s ability to
work favorably with the
environment should visit a
modem poultry house and
see for himself what con
ditions are like. “Education
beforehand is the key,” he
noted. I
Numerous. other
specialists at Penn State
University agree, as do
veteran poultrymen like
Glepn Herr, general
manager of Pennfield
Farms, Inc., Ephrata. He
pointed out during a sym
posium a few years ago that
the the agricultural products
consumer must be educated
to either accept the realities
of food production or
“recognize, accept and
absorb the cost of waste
disposal, as a cost of
production that will inflate
the cost of eggs, meat and
milk.”
Nonetheless, agricultural
ists - whether at universities
or farms - don’t deny that
fanners must do their part if
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they expect to be able to live
and work near residential
areas. The problems are
being recognized, explored,
and gradually solved.
Speaking at the In
ternational Poultry In
dustries Exposition in Oc
tober of 1970, Penn State’s
Dr. Glenn 0. Bressler
stated;
“Farm odors resulting
from manure handling are
causing serious problems for
poultrymen who find
themselves surrounded by
creeping urbanization.
Offensive odors resulting
from literally mountains of
livestock wastes are
becoming a nuisance factor.
Both large and small
producers are vulnerable to
complaints by neighbors
about odors emulating from
farming operations. A single
complaint may be sufficient
to close down a farming
operation. Legal authorities
are clamping down on
operations where odor
complaints have been made
and where no corrective
measures are being adopted.
The day when the farmer
can say ‘I was here first’ is
gone. Today it is up to the
farmer (poultrym'an) to
decide how he can live
amicably with his neigh
bors.”
Bressler, a professor in the
Department of Poultry
Science, made that comment
nearly eight years ago. Since
then, more technological
advances have been made
and environmental con
siderations are greater than
ever.
But the pressures from the
non-farming public haven’t
been eliminated and it is no
longer entirely true that the
“farmer decides how he can
live amicably with his
neighbors.” In the case of
William Gerhart, a Montgomery County dairy and poultry farmer has had to
contend with more than $5OO additional costs for securing building permits due
to public opposition to his intention of building a layer house for 45,000
chickens.
Robert Weaver it will be the
court that decides. The case
was tried before Judge D.
Richard Eckman on June 20
and a decision from him is
pending. If he delivers a
negative verdict, then “it
could wreck havoc” on
Lanbcaster County poultry
operations, says John Pyfer,
Jr., attorney for Weaver.
“We have taken this case
very, very seriously,” he
said. There are about 100
broiler houses in Lancaster
County and the entire
poultry business in the
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, inly 8,1978
Garden Spot is valued at
more than $BO million an
nually.
Gerhart, who expects to
have his new layer facility
completed in September and
will hold an open house for
the general public at that
time, had to absorb costs
amounting to more than $5OO
due to unexpected hearings
and lawyer fees resulting
from public opposition to his
building plans. These extra
expenses were incurred
despite the fact that he was
well within his rights to want
to build a chicken house.
Weaver, too, is
acknowledged to be within
legal bounds with his plans.
His land is zoned
agricultural. But because of
protesting neighbors, his
construction and expansion
plans have been topped.
Meanwhile, costs are
escalating and income is
being sacrificed.
Weaver’s opposition
maintains that raising
broilers isn’t farming. They
claim it’s industrial or
commercial, and as such,
the new building should be
disallowed on agricultural
land. A Lancaster
newspaper reporter quotes
- Ronald J. Lack, one of seven
plaintiffs in the suit against
Weaver as saying: “I bought
this land as agricultrure, but
not knowing that chicken
houses fall under
agricultural.” Lack owns a
5-acre lot adjacent to
Weaver’s farm.
Both Weaver and Gerhart
included elaborate manure
handling systems in their
plans. In Gerhart’s bam,
manure from the 45,000
layers will drop to a lower
level where it will be air
dried by fans. According to
Penn State researchers, it’s
an essential part of keeping
odors down and making
handling easier. It’s also
vital if production is to be at
optimum levels. Odors,
according to university
research, don’t just bother
neighbors, they bother the
farmer and his animals as
well. It behooves the farmer
.to do all he can to keep his
environment odor-free, the
scientists emphasize.
Dr. Bressler, writing m
theAgway Cooperator,an
agricultural magazine
published by Agway, Inc.,
said the following about
drying poultry manure:
A ?<*• >.<,
/ y/*; 7
/'* ,
“Manure is dried from 75 to
80 per cent moisture to about
30 per cent before it ever
leaves the house, which
reduces the manure weight
to less than one third the
original amount produced.
Offensive odors and flies are
eliminated.”
Scientists and fanners
have and still are going to
great lengths to piake
manure handling as easy
and pleasant as possible. For
example, feeds are being
formulated which make for
more efficient production
and produce more edible
food while producing less
manure. Water consumption
is being managed and in
some cases even restricted.
Less water in the diet means
less water in the manure.
According to scientists, it’s
the water in poultry manure
which causes the odor and
handling problems.
Herbert Jordan, another
Penn State poultry
specialist, emphasizes the
importance of keeping all
unnecessary water out of the
manure collection area. He
strongly recommends that
farmers watch their water
supply systems closely and
take care of any needed
repairs immediately. If
that’s done, then odors are
practically eliminated, he
says.
Ventilation, water
proofing, and insulation are
all essential aspects of
proper chicken house
management, manure
handling, and odor control.
Modem poultry houses take
all these factors into con
sideration, and more, such
as the feed formulas men
tioned earlier.
Gerhart’s chickens will be
housed in a so-called high
rise poultry house equipped
with triple deck cages. He
first considerd building it
last September and became
serious about it at the
beginning of this year. Going
through the proper channels
for building permits, he first
made his applications m
February. Permission was
denied. A hearing followed
on April 14 in the Municipal
Building of New Hanover
Township for which an
estimated 50 people showed
up. According to Gerhart,
his proposal “received a lot
of static from about a half
dozen or so people.” After
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