Opponents of a chicken plant in Barry County will make a last ditch effort to try to stop it from operating at a hearing in Jefferson City Wednesday.Watch my KY3 News @ 10 report HERE.
A hearing in Jefferson City will pit a 100-year farm family against residents concerned about the environment. The Ozbun family had their operating permit from the Department of Natural Resources for about a week in August when opponents appealed it to the state's Administrative Hearing Commission. But the more the opposition grows to their farm, the more determined the Ozbuns are to keep it.
This entire debate centers around the regulation of CAFOs (Controlled Animal Feeding Operations.) Last March, Sen. Jack Goodman told me that the regulation of these types of farms would probably be best handled by the county. He also said state legislation preventing these types of farms near certain areas (like state parks) would be difficult to pass.
But in this case, the Ozbuns seem to have done everything by the book. So the question becomes: Missouri's economy is partly fueled by this type of agricultural farming, so how do you regulate them without infringing on a farmer's right to grow and survive?
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