Controversial chicken farm gets permit

EAGLE ROCK, Mo. -- The state has issued a permit for the first large-scale chicken farm in the Roaring River watershed, but opponents vow to appeal the decision.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources on Friday approved the permit for a 65,000-chicken farm planned by Michelle and Rodney Ozbun a half-mile from the Roaring River in southwest Missouri.

The proposal had prompted opponents to form Friends of Roaring River, which is pushing a health ordinance in Barry County that would give county officials more control over where such large confinement operations could be located.

Mark Stephenson, of Joplin, a member of the group and the owner of a 360-acre farm near where the Ozbuns' farm would be built, said Friday he planned to appeal the permit decision, and to continue efforts to get a county health ordinance.

"Less than one mile uphill from Roaring River is no place for a [large chicken farm] with over 65,000 chickens," Stephenson said. "We will appeal this permit to the Missouri Clean Water Commission."

However, Renee Bungart, spokeswoman for the DNR's water-protection program, said the only issues that the group could raise on appeal are water quality concerns.

The permit issued Friday allows for construction of four 500-foot-long barns with a total capacity of 65,600 pullets, or laying hens.

In a statement released Friday, the DNR said the farm would have a waste-management system that would not contain and store the chicken waste on site until it can be properly applied to the land.

The DNR said most of the waste will be shipped off-site and applied to other land because of the lack of adequate land available at the farm site.

The Ozbuns' farm will be operated under contract with the George's Farms Inc., which operates a poultry processing plant north of Cassville.

The Ozbuns have said that raising hens to lay eggs, rather than to be slaughtered for food, creates much less waste. They say they plan to follow all regulations closely because they are trying to make enough money to stay on their land.

Stephenson contended that the state Legislature has given the DNR little authority to regulate large animal operations.

"Our state legislators have sold us out to big agribusiness and the Missouri Farm Bureau's lobbying dollars," he said.

"In theory, they could put chicken houses all along the banks of Roaring River or any other creek, stream or lake, or for that matter, surrounding any municipality where there is no county health regulations in place."

Bungart said the DNR determined the permit application met all legal and regulatory requirements and that the operation will protect the state's waters. Given that determination, the department is required to issue the permit.

She said the permit is only for construction. Once the farm is built, Ozbun Farms must file an application for an operating permit to make sure the farm has been built according to permit specifications.