A large Confined Animal Feeding Operation proposed in rural Madison County just south of the Carroll County line near Dry Fork Creek has raised concerns with residents, particularly with organic farmers, including one who was active in opposing the hog CAFO near the Buffalo National River. That CAFO was recently purchased by the State of Arkansas for closure over concerns that pollution from the operation was damaging water quality, aquatic resources and tourism.
Dane Schumacher, an organic grower and environmental activist who worked for years pursuing legal strategies to close the hog CAFO, is alarmed at the potential impact to the pristine watershed from the proposed Davidson Turkeys CAFO. He has concerns that the large amount of waste generated by the facility would create problems similar to those seen with the hog CAFO in the Buffalo River watershed. The operation would be located only 1.62 miles from the Kings River, designated as an Extraordinary Water Resource by the state.
“My diverse community has lived and farmed in the Dry Fork Creek watershed for more than forty years,” Schumacher, who owns Wildfire Farms, said. “We settled in this sparsely populated and remote area to be near clean water, Dry Fork Creek, where we could farm sustainably and create a community aligned with our core values and belief in land stewardship. We all live downstream.”
The CAFO is being proposed by Davidson Turkeys of Huntsville. Jason Davidson, who has an existing turkey CAFO near Marble, said he plans to be environmentally responsible. He said turkeys produce far less waste than hogs.
“A turkey CAFO is a lot different than a hog CAFO,” Davidson said. “We’ll sell the litter off of this place and it will go to other farmers. That is the biggest thing. I can spread some on my land. I will use what I can, but I won’t be able to use half of it.”
Davidson said he is not yet certain how many turkeys will be raised, or how many employees might be needed. He and his wife plan to do most of the work. Davidson said he is proposing the new turkey CAFO in order to upgrade and be more efficient, providing animal protein at an affordable cost.
Davidson said he understands concerns of landowners and hopes to meet with them soon.
According to documents filed with the Farm Services Agency, the project would consist of four 66 x 700 ft. turkey houses, a compost stacking shed, a shop building, access road, load out pad, a generator shed, and related infrastructure. Facilities would be capable of growing 63,100 turkeys per flock at maximum capacity with about 3.5 flocks annually. This proposed facility would meet FSA’s definition of a large CAFO.
Schumacher is disturbed by the FSA’s inclusion of the “Right to Farm” law in its Draft Environmental Assessment (EA), as well as the mention that a new pipeline of facilities is needed.
“The corporate model has not been in use in our immediate watershed – that FSA would use ‘family farm’ or the ‘Right to Farm’ jargon as a means to further the corporate extractive model is an affront to me, my community and the natural beauty that lies at the heart of our reason for settling here,” Schumacher said.
The FSA would provide government loan funds for the operation proposed on land not yet owned by the applicant. Although the applicant is still in negotiations to purchase 409 acres, the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has already issued a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater permit for construction activity.
Schumacher said the Draft EA appears to be nothing less than a rubber stamp for an area that has never had a CAFO operation, only small sustainable agriculture operations. Schumacher said the EA touts the need for the CAFO-type of farming model as an economic opportunity to help rural America thrive, one that better nourishes Americans and helps feed others throughout the world.
“Particularly striking, and alarming, to me is the following statement, especially since, to my knowledge, the applicant’s existing turkey houses are in Marble, not the Dry Fork Creek area,” he said. “FSA Farm Loan Program Assistance is not available for commercial operations or facilities that are not family farms, or to those having the ability to qualify for commercial credit without the benefit of FSA assistance.”
The applicants have been determined to be a family farm as defined by 7 CFR 761.2: “The proposed action would allow them to establish their family farming operation and provide the economic stability to meet the needs of the family. In addition, poultry integrators have a demand for new facilities such as these to provide an adequate supply for processing plants and keep them operating at an economically feasible capacity. Specialized livestock facilities such as those proposed, have a limited useful life as they become functionally obsolete as technology advances. Accordingly, a pipeline of new facilities is necessary to insure an adequate and economical supply of low-cost protein food for the nation.”
The Right to Farm law for Arkansas (Ark. Code Ann. § 24101) protects farming operations from nuisance claims when farms were established prior to the use of the area surrounding the agricultural operation for nonagricultural activities, and those farms employ methods or practices commonly or reasonably associated with agricultural production. But Schumacher said it would be a misuse of the law to go into an already-established family farm community and put in an industrial animal production operation that could threaten air quality, water resources and the tourism economy.
Concerns include the following:
- This area is known for its karst features where dissolving of bedrock has created sinkholes, sinking streams, caves, springs, and other characteristic features. Surface to groundwater flow is rapid and diffuse. Many depend on springs for their drinking water.
- Land application of poultry litter in a designated nutrient surplus zone and in karst is a grave concern because of the manure nutrient run-off, i.e., phosphorus, and/or pathogens contained in the manure such as E. coli, growth hormones, antibiotics, chemicals used as additives to the manure or to clean equipment. Contaminated groundwater can move laterally and eventually enter surface water.
- People fish, canoe, kayak and hike just a short distance of the proposed site.
- CAFOs emit odors including ammonia, as well as particulate dust matter and suspended dust, which is linked to asthma and bronchitis.
Christopher Fischer, who lives near the Kings River, said there is concern not just about downstream impacts to the Kings River, but about setting a precedent.
“There are likely several similar parcels of land in rural Carroll County that could use similar approaches to apply for loans to create a series of CAFOs, given that Tyson in Green Forest is expanding their processing facilities,” Fischer said. “That Carroll County has no zoning code or a public process to review these agricultural proposals would suggest that rural communities in the area are vulnerable to these ‘Family Farming’ operations.”
Fischer said the proposed installation of a 40,000 cubic foot sediment basin in the ravine to capture storm water runoff from the disturbance of the soils during the construction of the growing houses is questionable.
“How was the site’s soil assessed for drainage capacity and how will the ten-acre site capture all its storm water into this basin, and how will the litter storage be managed to keep it out of the runoff pattern?” he asked. “What impact will this have upon on the hydrology of the upper aquifer and how will this farm’s materials affect the nutrient overloaded soils already present in the watershed?”
Fischer also questions how the FSA, ADEQ and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have determined that no water will be discharged from this site into the waters of the state, given that the project will be placed into a karst terrain draining into Dry Fork Creek and the Kings River.
Written comments on the project must be mailed before Dec. 23. Fischer questioned why public comments are not being collected via email.
To comment on the Draft EA, mail written comments to: Adam Kaufman, USDA, Farm Service Agency, Farm Loan Specialist, State Environmental Coordinator, 419 West Gaines Suite 2, Monticello, AR 71655
FSA will be accepting written comments only.
The Draft EA is available online at fsa.usda.gov/state-offices/Arkansas/index. Appendices are not available online.
The draft EA and the appendices are available at the following USDA service centers: USDA, Farm Service Agency, 909A Freeman Switch Road, Berryville, AR 72616-4608 and 479 North Parrot Drive, Room 2, Huntsville, AR 72740-9530.
Thinking of moving to the area, if this happens I wont.