News

Livestock restriction ordinance to be voted on in Howard County, Missouri

Voters in Howard County, Missouri decide Tuesday whether to retain a health ordinance putting animal head count and manure handling restrictions on concentrated animal feeding operations in the county.   Presiding Commissioner Sam Stroupe tells Brownfield the ordinance on the ballot imposes restrictions beyond those from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

“That would perhaps dissuade some very large hog operations from coming into the county,” Stroupe told Brownfield Ag News Monday.

If passed, the ordinance would prevent families from expanding livestock operations to support succeeding generations, according to Steve Diehls, a cattle producer in Howard County.

“There are several around now that would like to expand, to bring in more family members,” Diehls told Brownfield Monday.  “If this goes into effect, it won’t be financial feasible for them to do it.”

That concern is echoed by Ashley McCarty, executive director of Missouri Farmers Care, which administers the Missouri Agri-Ready County program.

“There may be entrepreneurs at home and farm families wishing to expand that simply have those options taken off the table because of this restrictive regulation,” McCarty told Brownfield.  Counties designated Agri-Ready have no ordinances exceeding regulations from state agencies.

Commissioner Stroupe says the Howard County ordinance additionally stipulates the application of manure to farmland.

“Our ordinance has some guidance as to how that manure needs to be applied,” said Stroupe, “what the set-back is from residences, from sinkholes, from wells, from creeks.”

Diehls says agriculture is the number one resource in his county and he’d like to have it designated as friendly to farm business.

“I would hope that this thing gets voted down and we can become an Agri-Ready county and promote agriculture in this county,” said Diehls.

The county election concerning the ordinance is Tuesday.

AUDIO: Sam Stroupe (6 min. MP3)

AUDIO: Steve Diehls (9 min. MP3)

AUDIO: Ashley McCarty (7 min. MP3)