The URL can be used to link to this page

Browse Search

Home My WebLink About952644.tiffAs manager of the nearby Hudson Pullet Farm (a part of the Moark Operation), our company has always been concerned with cleanliness and sanitation. These things are important to a healthy environment for our chickens and therefore happier, more productive hens. This is also important to the relationship that we have with the community. Realizing that the agricultural community will have to live in close proximity to more people moving out to the country for what they call the rural life, and realizing that our rural ways may not be all that they expected, we are committed to a neighbor friendly program. ISSIIes: Odor. The gases that cause odor in animal waste are not harmful to humans, but can be a problem if not kept under control. Odor occurs when manure is not dry. There is even more odor if the manure stays wet and turns anaerobic. Anaerobic bacteria are what we call "stink bugs" because they are what cause the stink in wet manure. Flies. Flies are drawn and will breed in raw, wet manure bothering both humans and animals. Nitrogen Leaching. Carcass Disposal. S5et44 SOLUTIONS 1. Odor: Keep the manure dry from the start. New belt system in the layer houses starts drying the manure as soon as it is deposited. This dry manure then comes off the belts into a holding shed where it is either spread on the fields, outdoor composted or sent to a building for further processing. Our farm and others in Colorado have recently put in this type of building, all having good results. From this holding shed we have several choices. A. We can take the manure straight to the fields to be spread, for crop production purposes, when the farmers are in the field and the manure can be worked into the ground. B. Outdoor Composting We can add a carbon source such as recycled paper or cardboard products, sawdust, straw, and wood chips. These materials would start the compost process which use "odor eaters". These odor eaters are aerobic bacteria which takes our manure and added carbon source to make organic compost. C. We can move the manure into a processing building, where we can continue drying by turning the manure several times. Making pellets out of either the dry manure or the compost also helps decrease odor and makes distribution and application easier. 2. Flies: When the Odor eater bacteria start working in compost they heat the compost up from 110 to 160 degrees. This heat makes it inhospitable to flies. Flies will also not breed in manure that is dry. 3. Nitrogen Leaching: Nitrogen is what crops need to grow. Chemical nitrogen is added many times to help the growing process. There are guidelines that are used in chemical application. These same guidelines should be used when using natural nitrogen from manure. Manure or compost also have the added benefit of an abundance of organic matter which helps build soil. This organic matter also helps keep the nitrogen from leaching out before the plant is ready to use it. 4. Carcass Disposal: The same odor eater bacteria that makes compost also will compost carcasses. This makes a good carbon source for compost. Summary: We pledge to work very closely with the various county agencies and county staffs in all areas of our operation. _Aotanctke Wow Chant Beat System Egg Room porinfty Betio iJ!g5 �i` compost Raw /Wang a Shed tocessing �7 a&rat Baited -ling 000000 3 1. yieed sp&eading o& outdoor compost. 2. gndoor d≥ying. 3. Organic eawn bettieizet potting mix V egetabee bettieizet e.0 0 0 00 i iii0 11 �3 w o °a Windmill 64747 Well 4762 0 1 1 4754 0 4764 ell 476 4770 x4766 23 23 4160 0 4775n 0 • i f 3 N"47 1 2 N ", 7 N 115/ 24 n /7fb v 4'4O O //n ©V 699 Roggen 18 19 0 p 0 0O wndn • n 474 MA SI F HS SIA LION T F M PENGAG-Bayonne, N.J. EXHIBIT 1 T / A/ 31 xs V • C N OCT-10-45 THU 10:31 85D79M3 60#6.t 67/.44 1;atzaiii 3033'.09242 P.02 GEORGE M, UNDERWOOD Consulting Engineer 2620 64th Avenue Greeley, Colorado 89634 October 17, 1995 Mr. Donald McClary 317 Ensign Fort Morgan, CO 80701 Dear Don: In accordance with instructions from the Morgan County Quality Water District Board of Directors I have made a cursory review of the Weld County Planning Commission Resolution of Recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners concerning Case Number VSR-1092, Moark Hatcheries, LLC. It is my opinion that the proposed installation does pose a future threat to the Morgan County Quality Water District wells located in Sections 5 & 8, T3N, R61W, Weld County Colorado. At first glance it appears that the proposed Moark facility would not pose a problem to the District because the District wells draw from the play Gulch aquifer and the Moark facility is located in the Lost Creek Groundwater Basin. The District wells, however, are located at the extreme northern end of the Hay Gulch Basin at which point water from the Hay Gulch and Lost Creek Basins intermingle. The intermingling of the two waters is documented in "Ground Water Resources of the Lost Creek Drainage Basin" which was prepared for the Colorado Ground Water Commission by Nelson, Haley, Patterson & Quirk in 1967. The report shows that the water table was approximately level in an east west direction at the existing District wells in 1967. The District has further documentation that the water table at the existing wells has declined 10 feet since they began pumping in 1978 and that a decline of a further 10' is expected: that would mean there is at present a flow from Lost Creek into Hay Gulch and that said flow will increase as the water table continues to decline. In an attempt to identify the extent of waste that will be generated from the proposed Moark facility I reviewed a publication titled "Wastes Front The Poultry Processing Industry" prepared by the Robert A. Taft Sanitary Engineeting Center for the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service in 1962. The report established the waste generated from storage of chickens to be 35 to -t0 pounds of D. per luu0 chickens per day ��enaea solids and :? to :r, pounds; off R.t?.I_ OCT-18-95 THU 10:31 86➢79M3 3033309249 P.03 _ The proposed Moark facility will house approximately 1,800,000 chickens. Based on the number and the aforementioned waste loads it may he estimated that the total daily waste load twill be 67,500 pounds of suspended solids and 61,200 pounds of B.Q.D. To give you some yard stick for comparison, human waste is generally about 0.2# of B.U.D. and suspended solids daily. The waste from the chicken facility would be, therefore, equivalent to that generated by approximately 320,000 persons. The Public Health service Bulletin also stated that 5 pounds of B.O.D and 6 pounds of suspended solids would remain after dry cleaning; that would be equivalent to 16% of the total waste or a population equivalent of 51,200 persons per day which could be discharged to the holding pond during runoff. I am unable to comprehend what the comprehensive manure runoff and process waste water handling plan required by Weld County in item 7 of the resolution might provide. I assume that the runoff would flow to a detention pond where it would be disposed of by evaporation and seepage. If that is the case, I consider the I/4" daily seepage allowance to be quite excessive. Evaporation would account for an average of 0.13" per day and seepage 0.25"; that would mean 213 of the contents would be disposed of to the ground water. It is my opinion that, because of the magnitude of the waste involved, that the County requirements will not result in adequate protection of the Morgan County Quality Water District water supply. It is further my opinion that the facility should not be located over the Lost Creek Basin, the Hay Gulch Basin or the San Arroyo Basin, all of which are used as District supplies. There is ample land available where ground water contamination would not be a critical consideration. Very Truly Yours, i seorge 1C4. tJnder*ood cc: Tom Norton Enc. Excerpt from Wastes from Poultry & Processing Industry. Partial copy Lost Creek Water Table & Saturated thickness map. GMU/ju OCT-18-95 THU 10:32 C6079t93 3033309249 p.04 77 M 771' ,et raw' BAS/N BOUNDARY ram No RNYC RECOMMENDED en/N BOU RY OCT-18-95 THU 10:33 86DY9M3 3033309249 P.05 WASTES FROM THE POULTRY PROCESSING INDUSTRY r The Robert A. Tett San Lary Enginewing Center TECHNICAL REPORT W62.3 U. S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE Public Health Service 0CT-18-95 THU 10:33 86D79M3 3033309249 P.06 I I1 POULTRY PROCESSING INDUSTRY 17 A report1 onwastesfrom the storage of chickens shows that _ . .. .... . . -. . the 5 -dater SDL':_was -32 pounds and suspended, s.olidsa='' 35 pounds per 1, 000 chickens stored each day. Another study of battery room operatic indicates that the wastes contained 36 .pounds 5 -day 13OD and 40 ,pounds suspended solids per 1. 000 chickens in stor- age each day. These two studies are in close agreement. Dry cleaning of battery wastes reduces the amount of material. --_.he ounds SODlalnd 6 pounds_suspen- reaehing the sewer to about 5 p Most poultry plants ded solacig pet). 000 rJhfeken, stored.daily. fortunately remove the manureandfeathers deposited in and a - round the receiving area by dry cleaning. This waste material is sev- erally disposed of by dumping as refuse or is loaded onto the ren- dering truck receiving feathers, offal, and blood from the poultry establishment. Small quantities of water are used for hosing down the receiving area after dry cleaning, to remove residual material. Killing Generally blood is the waste of greatest pollutional strength in poultry processing. Feathers, dirt, and some manure are in- termixed with the blood from the killing station. Most poultry es- tablishments attempt to recover the greatest part of the free -drain- ing blood. Efficiency of blood recovery at the killing station depends upon the length of time devoted to draining and the method of collecting the blood. One to two minutes usually are allowed for drainage from the time the birds leave the killing station until they reach the scald tank. The shorter time is somewhat unsatisfactory in that blood is carried over to the scald tank; however, some plant operators state that feather removal is made more difficult if drainage times are too long. "BUD, or biochemical oxygen demand, is the quantity oidissolved oxygen. generally expressedinmiligrams per liter, required for stabilitatio,-, of decomposable organic matter byaerobic biochem- ical action. This test is generally carried out for 5 days at :0" !8 Suspended solids are those solids in a liquid removed by nitra- tionthrougr. an asbestos mat of 3 mm thickness in a Gooch cruc- ible. The teats for suspended solids and SOD are performed ac- cording to "Standard Methods. i OCT-24-95 TUE 17:25 SENATOR TOM NORTON FAX NO. 303 866 5319 P 0 -S THOMAS E. NORTON, P.E. CONSULTING ENGINEER 1204 50th Avenue Greeley, Colorado 80634 Mr. Don McClary MORGAN COUNTY QUALITY WATER DISTRICT 317 Ensign Fort Morgan, Colorado 80701 Dear Mr. McClary: I have reviewed the Weld County Planning Commission documents with regard to Moark Hatcheries, L.L.C. This information indicates that there is considerable work to be done to determine the exact effects of the proposed project on the long term water quality degradation of the ground water aquifer which is the source water for Morgan County Quality Water District. More specifically, I believe that the district should investigate the following concerns: 1. The Lost Creek Basin (a designated basin) underlies the proposed project. This is an overlie district which was not considered at the planning commission review. 2. The waste disposal system is not described in sufficient detail to determine the long term effect of the disposal of the waste materials, either liquid or solid waste from the operation. 3. Without determination of the long term effect, a precious quality water resource could be destroyed. 4. The one quarter inch per day seepage rate appears to be excessive from storage facilities of the liquid waste from the operation. It is my recommendation that you request denial of the sought after permit, or at a minimum, a delay until more specific design standards can be negotiated with the proposing company. Sincerely, Thomas E. Morton. P.F. p Weld residents should oppose chicken farm On Oct. 3, the Weld County Planning Commission unanimously approved a proposal for an egg produc- tion factory of more than 1.4 million hens despite the opposition of a number of Weld County residents. The owner of the proposed factory is the brother of the current manager of Boulder Valley Poultry Farms. BVPF is the No.1 complaint of area residents due to the owner's and manager's disregard for public health and animal welfare issues. Piles of decaying bodies and ma- nure have been insulting the farm's neighbors for years with offensive smells and unsanitary conditions. Footage shot undercover at the poultry farm has been broadcast around the country, showing incredible filth and horrific conditions for the birds, including some who were abandoned to die slowly in closed wings of the factory. Intensive poultry and egg production fouls the envi- ronment. According to an article in Poultry Digest. a 1 million hen complex produces 125 tons of wet manure a day. The staggering amounts of waste contain large quantities of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium which contaminate ground and surface waters and spawn ex- cess algae that consumes aquatic nutrients and suffo- cates fish. High levels of nitrates in groundwater have been linked to methaemoglobinaemia, a blood disorder, in infants. Factory poultry manure also contains added chemicals fed to the hens and deadly heavy metals in- cluding arsenic, a known carcinogen. Poultry workers are exposed to ammonia vapors, salmonella, psittacosis and a variety of respiratory toxins. Poultry carcasses and manure expose wildlife in the area to diseases for which they have no immunity. BVPF's owners and managers have demonstrated their indifference to the suffering of the animals they use as well as to the farm's neighbors. If Weld County approves this facility, its residents will long regret that decision. Contact Rocky Mountain Animal Defense at (303) 543-0755 for further documentation of these con- cerns. TONY JACOBS Boulder 10/23/95 To: The County Commissioners; Now as I stand before you on the 25th day of October, 1995 and have mulled over alot of things since standing before the Planning Commission on the 3rd of October, 1995, I would like to approach you again. I would like to ask you point blank, have you, any of you, ever been to the Roggen area? Some see our little town as just a place to pick up our mail -go to the Roggen Co -Op Elevator to take care of needed business -or go to Stuckeys-or the cafe -get gas at our service station -perhaps call on Les Bartlett for help with a car or harvester. Of coarse we always go to the telephone office (another Co -Op I might add) to pay our bill or have something copied or faxed. But you know what? When you enter this little town, not a beautiful little town jt just feels good And that is how we want it to stay. Stop by the Lions Club Park -or drive to my house across from the Post Office. Come in and enjoy the Memorial Garden that is a symbol of what my dear husband, Don Doman, the Philosopher, had added to this little town. He relished living here among friendly neighbors from far and wide. The vegetable garden and strawberry beds he had nurtured and shared with everyone who came to the Whistlestop Restaurant operated by our son Rod, was to become a Memorial Garden for him and still be shared by the community. It is well landscaped and lovely. There have been wedding anniversaries held there, sharing happiness with all who came -a memorial service for Jimmy Jakel who had made such a valiant fight against cancer -concerts in the garden performed by the young people in the area -sound equipment brought in and installed in the gazebo by Don Vogel -travelers coming in off of 1-76 to picnic in the gazebo and enjoy the flowers and just rest. That is the essence of Roggen-our little community church doing its part to enrich lives -the Catholic Church in southeast Roggen doing its many community things- the Lion's Club putting on benefits for any who are hurting and in need. Because we care for one another we are united in our effort to keep healthy and happy - enjoying what God has allowed us to have. And then ---something crept in on us that we didn't even know was in the offing. How many people in Roggen subscribe to the Windsor paper'? 1 don't think you could find one. Oh, we know that Windsor has the contract this year for publishing legal notices, but we do have our New News in Keenesburg-we do subscribe to the Page #2 Greeley Tribune. Wouldn't these have been the neighborly thing to have been used? Oh, yes what happened to the notice published on Rd. 73 to alert us? A little strange wouldn't you say. I happen to be a new corner -I have only lived here 18 years and in this country that isn't that long, but I belong!! Many here have four living generations. Roggen is over 100 years old. People have struggled here through the dust bowl days and the depression years, but they have been happy, raised good kids, taught those kids the good rules of a productive and clean life. We want to keep these things here. There are miles, literally miles, of land that could support an egg factory but Roggen is preferred by Moark. Do you know why? Our water!!! Someone else will address this fact. It seems Moark doesn't really care if our water is contaminated or our air polluted, that old and young alike be treated to the stench of chicken manure, dead chickens, feathers and other debri, laid ever so carefully in long and wide "windrows" rounded on top for some unknown reason. Another questions for the Commissioners, have any of you been in Roggen town on a hot summer day with a hard wind blowing from the south -or on a cold winter day when we sit under an inversion sometimes for several days. The Greeley Tribune coined a phrase when a article appeared saying that we Roggenites "had our feathers ruffled." Do we ever!! Once again to the Commissioners. Do you have a record of any studies that have been done that would be proof positive that our water, air and health would not be affected. Can you nrove you have researched and dug out all the information to protect us, your own? Can you give an honest answer that you can live with about that? There was a young man who had spoken before the Planning Commission , no one knew who he was supporting. As he was making his way out after the hearing was adjourned ,he said as he was passing, that we were a bunch of nimbies. I don't think so. Do you? Thankyou, Elfie Dornan 10/23/95 I am Elfie Dornan, lived in Roggen town for 18 years. My late husband, Don, was plant engineer for Ralston Purina for 39 years. This gave this city raised and born woman a deep knowledge of what agriculture is all about. I have a healthy admiration for our farmers. I also was a motivational researcher and have done studies for Ford Foundation, Columbia University among other /including the Surgeon General of the United States for whom I did a three state study. It is with this background that I approach the situation facing us in Roggen- not just the town, but the whole area with a mail route of 65 miles. With Mr. Osborn having stated the final number of 1,440,000 laying hens , plus 440,000 growing pullets-- that is nearly 2,000,000 chickens - more than the population of metro Denver. I refer you to Mr. Osbom's own letter of August 24th , 1995. "Dear Shani, this letter is intended to supply the additional information you requested regarding the referenced application." "First, you wanted more information regarding pellets. Please be advised that it will be a long time before the applicant has sufficient waste material to justify pelletizing. The plan at the present , besides spreading on fields, is to simply sun dry and /or compost the chicken manure. The compost manure would be in triangle shaped windrows, three to four feet high and rounded at the top. Each windrow would be a maximum of 150-180 feet long. The temperature of the windrow would be monitored and carbon base would be added to aid in decomposition. There would be approximately 6-10 windrows each in a different week of decomposition. The sun drying would be in drying beds 60 feet by 200 feet in size with thin layers added for drying. The bed would be stirred occasionally to facilitate total drying. ( we all know the more we stir the more it stinks.) The composted and sun dried material will be sold as organic soil builder. When it is justified by sufficient waste material and economics a gas dryer will be added and the chicken manure will be processed into pellets for plant food. Second, you wanted to know what the applicant will do with any deceased birds. Any deceased birds will be added to the compost process. It is my understanding that this is the generally accepted method of disposing of deceased birds." Having built a frame work to my approach to the problem I am just paving the way for others to follow. My own approach is to air quality. I wonder if any of the planners and County Commissioners really know how Roggen is situated? The whole Roggen and Prospect Valley lies in a downward slope from the Wiggins hill area to the east -a rise to the south and north where the sandhills makes themselves known. Roggen town is at the lowest point in the down -flowing land. We are actually in a little bowl. I might state at this point that to those passing by Roggen it might appear to be a pimple in the landscape. It none the less has a small but healthy population ---a church, a landmark prarie church by the way, in the early days supported by the Painter family, who's daughter, Kathleen Painter Littler, was greatly influential in the building of Centennial Village in Greeley. We have a Stuckey's , a cafe, two motels, a postoffice, Roggen Telephone Co -Op, and a thriving Co - Op Grain Elevator with a highly respected manager, Terry Seelhoff. There will be many others speaking so I want to address the thing of most importance to me, the environment. Does this planning commission and the County Commissioners know the flow of land and the position Roggen town is placed in ? We fit in a low bowl. In the winter when the inversion of air sits over us like a lid we can be under that lid for days. How will all the stench, particles, etc. etc. of an egg "factory" be dispersed away from us? Especially during the stirring days. How does the future prospect of a drying plant affect this condition. A drying plant sounds quite innocuous -"a cooker' would be a more accurate terminology. At 83 I am the second oldest person in our little town. There is still some wisdom left in this old head. Has a topographical study ever been done of this low lying area? I would ask the Commissioners to think about that. In closing do you know what I smell? I smell the stench of a dying community and the stench of a rotting hand clutching money. Elfie Dornan 10/23/95 To: The County Commissioners; I had been asked to read again what I had presented to the Planning Commission. Rather than do that I will enclose it in the packet I have prepared for each of you. There are however some questions I want to raise at this time before I present anything more. 1. In a letter addressed to the Planning Services from attorneys Doyle, Otis, Frey & Hellerich on August 17,1995 the last paragraph on page one reads as follows: "The 227 acre Use By Special Review area will be surrounded on three sides by property that will be owned by applicant and a sister entity. The surrounding acreage (2413 acres) will not be included in The Use By Special Review, but should provide an adequate buffer for the facility. The total property being sold by Jimmy and Iris Groves is 2460 acres. The 227 acres in Section 13 will compose the Use By Special Review area, while the remaining acreage in Section 13 will be owned by Moark." I would like "sister entity" to be identified. Also, are there any limits to what use the other 2413 acres in the purchase could be used for. 2. On the second page of this letter there is a statement to the Weld County Comprehension Plan as follows; "Agricultural zone districts shall be established and maintained to protect and promote the Counties agricultural industry. The agricultural zone district is intended to preserve prime agricultural land and to provide areas for agricultural activities and uses dependent upon agriculture without the interference of incompatible residential, commercial, and industrial land uses." We know it certainly is not compatible for the needs of our residential area. In this same letter on page 3, question 5, IS THIS PROPERTY LOCATED WITHIN A FLOOD HAZARD ZONE, GEOLOGIC HAZARD ZONE, DR AIRPORT OVERLAY ZONE AND DOES IT MEET THESE SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS aaS ate answer is no. That answer is ambiguous, does it mean no in regard to the flood hazard zone or no to the question "does it meet these special requirements." Moark may answer this question after considering it. EXHIBIT • Intensive Fauitry Production; Fouling The Environment The poultry industry is a major cause of environmental e gradation in the United State;, It kills fish and other ldli£e and it makes people sii.k, In nature chickens and turkisys range in small flocks over wide areas contributing to the health and beauty of the land. In poultry factory farming, thousands of birds are crammed unnaturally into extremely small areas, Filth, uoiiness and disease are the renult of this unwholesome and unnatural confinement of living creatures. We now kill more than 25 million birds every day --over 7,5 billion birds a year -in U.S. slaughterhouses (MASS). This carnage pollutes land, air, and water with diseased carcasses, feces, heavy metals, chemicals, bacteria, parasites, and viruses (Report 9). Poisoned wells have become [a major problem on the Delmarva Peninsula (the Eastern Shore of MD, Dg and VA), which slaughtered 548 million chickens in 1992; and in Arkansas, which Slaughtered 951.2 million broiler chickens, 22 million turkeys, and 18.2 million laying hens, breeding fowl, and small birds in 1990 (Clark; Holleman 25, 31). each year the U.S. breeds and kills more birds adding more filth. 4 Poultry Manure: The Staggering Pm;ount "Each day the Arkansas poultry industry "dumps 300 pounds of arsenic and urine/feces equal to the daily waste generated by a population of 8 million people- (Holleman 22). *In ;992, the Eastern Shore raised 548 million chickens, generating 658,000 tons of manure--"erough to la foot -high swath from Salisbury (MD) r r;; Salt Lake City" a yard -wide, (Clark) "In California, an egg factory with 837, g((nsrw produce 21,000 cubic --" caged hens will about 1,400 dump truck yards of manure per year --"the equivalent of t uck loads" (Girkx). *A poultry researcher states, "The amount of animal wastes produced in the U.S. is Staggering. In chickens, for example, the daily production of wastes is essentially equal to the amount of feed used. This means for eery truckload of feed that is brought onto the farm, a similar load of waste must be removed. A one million hen complex, for example. produces 125 tons of wet manure a day" (Bell 26). ilk. Factory Poultry Manure Harms Wildlife, Habitat, and Human Health Poultry manure contains large amounts of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Unlike the manure of small ranging flocks of chickens which, benefits the land, the unnaturally large quantities of manure with added chemicals produced by factory Oct 4 13:22 1994 standard input Page 2 farming harms it. Excess nitrogen converts to ammonia and nitrates, burning the fragile cells of land plants and toxifying ground and surface waters (Mason 122; Robbins 372-73). Concentrated poultry waste spawns excess algae that consume aquatic nutrients and block suni.ight needed by underwater grasses. In decay, the algae suffocate fish. High levels of nitrate in groundwater used as drinking water can cause methemoglobinemia, a blood disorder in infants, known also 43 "blue baby disease" (Holleman 2f; Report 9). Factory poultry manure contains deadly heavy metals. The 5100 tons of poultry manure produced daily in Arkansas dumps into the environment, earn day, 310C pounds of manganese, 3300 pounds of iron, 540 pounds cf copper, :.600 pounds of zinc, and 300 pound, of arsenic. Arsenic 15 "e. known carcinogenic agent that when inhaled can cause cancer in humans, particularly lung cancer" (Holleman 29-30)• Factory poultry manure exposes wildlife to diseases not normally found in the environment. For example, when earthworms feed on soil oontalning chicken droppings infected with the cecal worm larvae that carry blackheac( disease, wild turkeys, grouse, quail and other wild birds who e.at these worms get sick and die (Holleman 34-35). Poultry Houses: Paradise For Pathogens A 40 X 400 ft. broiler chicken house holds 20,000 birds. A 5 -lb bird gets only 0.8 sq. ft. of floor space (North c Bell 457- 5E). A 50 X 500 ft.. cage laying house holds 80,000-125,000 laying hens. Each 16 -inch -high cage holds 3-9 hens. Each hen has only 48-60 sq. inches of wire to live on (North S Bell 315-29). Typically, 3 houses sit side by side in the densely concentrated poultry -producing areas. "Airborne contaminants in poultry confinement units include the mixture of agent, nomprisinc organic poultry dust --skin debris, broken feather ba rbules, insect parts, aerosolized feed, and poultry excreta --and a >arietv of immunogenic agents, such as viable bacteria and Gram-negative bacterial endotoxins. Industrial hygiene surveys in the chicken processing industry have demonstrated that poultry confinement workers ace exposed to high concentraticns of such resriratory toxicants- (Morris 195-- 96). Excretory ammonia fumes from the nitrogen in decomposing droppings damages the systems cf both humans and birds (Morris; Carlile). -.t Mounds of Dead Birds Each year, millions of chickens, turkeys, and ducks die of heat suffocation, medication reactions, crowding, stress, and disease before going to slaughter. An operation with 100,000 4 -lb broiler chickens produces 1,000 lbs of dead birds --250 birds --a day (Report 1.S). Petween 28.5 and 47,5 million of the 951.2 million broiler chickens raised in Arkansas in 1990 died prematurely (Holleman 30), The bloated, decomposing bodies and skeletal remains cf these birds are trashed in cans around the poultry house. Eventually the carcasses are buried, burned, dropped down feed shoots, and occasionally composted. They are Oct 4 13;22 1994 standard input Page 3 dumped in open pits and on National Forest. land (Holleman 34). Poultry carcasses spread diseases to wildlife. When dumper. o❑ open land, dead chickens are eaten by coyotes or other predators who spread the bodies around exposing other wildlife to diseases from tc they have no immunity (Holleman, pp. 34-37)• Desecrating the Environment Areas of great natural beauty such as Arkansas and the southeastern United States are being turned into smelly, fly - infested, dreary places by the poultry industry. Wildlife habitat is constantly being destroyed to erect ugly new poultry houses, In Accomac, Virginia, a Perdue slaughterhouse dumped chicken grease, bacteria, and ammonia into nearby Parker Creek, turning this once clean, thriving and beautiful creek into a gray, slimy, stinking mess (Report 37-38). With dwindling land to absorb the increasing volume of poultry -house litter (a noxious mess of built-up excretions, feathers, wood shavings, chemicals, and decomposing carcasses), bird mortality and other refuse, the industry is touting composting and other countertechnologies as partial solutions. These technologies will be costly, tedious, and time-consuming, and they will not touch the root of the problem, including the huge consumption of fossil fuels and the intense cruelty (Robbins 48-72; 374-76; Masan). Works Cited 1. Sell, D: "An egg industry perspective." Poultry Digest, Jar.. 1990. 2. Brooks, T, "Del. chicken industry continues to soar," The News Journal (Wilmington, DE), 1-8-94, El. 3. Carlile, F.S. "Ammonia in Poultry Souses," World's Poultry Science J. 40:99-.13, :984. Oct 4 13:22 1994 standard input Page 4 4. Clark, K. "Chicken manure fouls the bay." The Sun, 3-21-93, 58. 5. Dirkx, P. "Egg farm hinges on manure pile," Telegram -Tribune, San Luis Obispo, CA, 9-21-92, A-1). 6. Holleman, J.T. "In Arkansas Which Comes First, The Chicken Or The Environment?" Tulane Environmental Law J. 6.1, 1992. 7. Mason J. & P. Singer. Animal Factories, NY: Harmony, 1990. 8. Morris, P. et al. "Respiratory Symptoms & Pulmonary Function in Chicken Catchers in Poultry Confinement Units, Am. J. of Industrial Medicine 19:195-204, 1991. 9. National Agricultural Statistics Service -USDA. Poultry Slaughter, Feb. 3, 1994. 10. North, M. & Bell, D. Commercial Chicken Production Manual, NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1990. 11. Report. "The Poultry Industry & Water Pollution in the South." Institute for Southern Studies (Durham, NC), Dec. 1990. 12. Robbins, J. Diet For A New America, NH: Stillpoint, 1987. Mrs. Ronald D. Fischer. Sr. 1984 K Road Fruita, -CG 815'21 952-9082 -- Home December 13, 1993 Mesa County Health Department P. p. Bo:: 000n-507 Grand Junction, Co. 91502--03.7 Attention: Michael D. Auddell, Di,-ectr r Dear `"r %dc.ticidel 1, : We have been told that Grand Mesa Eggs throw out the dead chickens With the manure and they pile all of this in a corner about a quarter of a mile from K Road, ::~bout 1:2 mile from 20 Road. The smell from this is bad en.ouch in the winter but in the summer- it is so bad that a person, has a hard time breathing without almost gagging. It also has to be health hamar d. The flies that this generates has to be unhealthy. The problem with thc flies causes everyone around the area to have spray and this can't be good environmentally. It is really too bad that Grand mesa Eggs isn't required to all of their manure out and damp it in the desert somewhere. They sell it to the farmers but th,a cost is way to thigh so they can't sell _a l i of it. We �... r.:... «. =f" .'.;.d" ...Y.:.:.. x l`=%t,_.G'r_!i.*dr't n y from tk' l�..m wrU. If anyone has ever smel ed something dead just mu.ltli_;, smell with the smell of chicken manure. It is unicr c$.r,able. This odor :has: been noticed as Far west as Holly Park, and as far east as 23 road when the wind is right. It also goes north and south quite a ways. Too bad something can't be done about this. Take a wiff next time you are in the vicinity between 20 and 21 Road on K road, around 5 and o P.M. you will see what I'm talking about especially in the summer time, ' Sincerely yours, _f 1;4%oy-2J .x•. S A . C ,ae...y,.) Mrs. Ronald D. Fischer, Sr SEP 18 '95 13:37 C /77 COMPLAINT STATUS REPORT Complaint Location: Grand Mesa Eggs, Inc. 1133 21 Road Grand Junction, CO Nature of Complaint: Odor and Flies Submitted By: Dana A. Black, Sanitarian 1 De Date: February 4, 1994 BACKGROUND: Grand Mesa Eggs, Inc., is owned in partnership by Olson Farms of Beverly Hills, California and Missouri -Ark Hatchery of Neosho, Missouri. The Grand Mesa Eggs complex is located at 1133 21 Road, Grand Junction, Colorado and is under the general management of Mr. Dan Hudgens. The prime enterprise of G.M.E., Inc. is the production of fresh whole eggs and distribution to local markets and western Colorado food wholesalers and retailers, ie. City Market and Sam's Club, etc. There are two secondary enterprises, marketing/disposal of poultry manure and cash crop farming, both of which are directly connected and inter -dependent to the production of eggs in the specialized, intensified management system employed by G.M.E., Inc. The corporation farms approximately 400 acres of irrigated crop land which is used indirectly to off -set feed cost of the layer operation. The acreage also serves as a disposal site for poultry manure which is applied in quantities to displace equivalent increment applications of commercial fertilizer for plant growth and optimizing crop yields. The poultry manure enterprise involves the marketing/disposal of waste to local area crop farms which include, small vegetable truck farms, orchards, animal forage farms and row crop farms. Construction of the complex was initiated in 1996 and completed in 1967. SEP 18 'SS 13:38 P.15 Grand ttea'a Eggs Complaint Status Report Nature of Complaints; Over the past several years, numerous complaints from residents in the surrounding area have been recorded by the Department. The complaints primarily concern mal- odor and increased fly populations. It is acknowledged here that the potential for odors and fly breeding media sources are inherent to the intensified management of any livestock specie. Furthermore, the concentration of 485,000 laying hens in 8 houses, combined with the accumulation of animal waste in the range of 300 to 350 tons per week and the associ_a_t.eddeath_ lows of approximately 300 hens per week, will naturally correlate with intensified emissions of mal-odors and the increased potential for fly breeding media sources. It is further acknowledged that agricultural uses in'the general area, will provide background sources for mal-odors and potential fly breeding, which are not directly related to the Grand Mesa Eggs complex. The land area immediately surrounding the facility, (1/2 mile radius), is open farm land with few dwellings, most which are homesteads tied to large tracts in the range of 40 acres or more. To the west and southwest and within a 1 mile radius -of the facility, the density of single family dwellings dramatically increases. Many of the residents are engaged in some form of livestock rearing, be it horses, sheep or cattle. A small cattle livestock feedlot with an estimated capacity of 150+ animals is located at the northeast corner of the intersection of 20 and K Roads. Complaints generated over the last seven years are primarily related to odor. During 1993, an increase in complaints concerning excessive and invasive fly populations precipitated further evaluation by this Department. No historic data exists concerning fly populations in this area and recent evidence is limited to residential complaints and personal experience of Department representatives. The origin of fly complaints is centered at the intersection. of 20 and K Roads with a 1/4 mile radius. In January of 1994, the Mesa County Health Department initiated a dialogue with Grand Mesa Eggs, Inc., specifically related to control of odor and fly breeding sources. Progress in this matter has been limited to assessing current management practices and options available within the industry. Weld residents should oppose chicken farm On Oct. 3, the Weld County Planning Commission unanimously approved a proposal for an egg produc- tion factory of more than 1.4 million hens despite the opposition of a number of Weld County residents. The owner of the proposed factory is the brother of the current manager of Boulder Valley Poultry Farms. BVPF is the No.1 complaint of area residents due to the owner's and manager's disregard for public health and animal welfare issues. Piles of decaying bodies and ma- nure have been insulting the farm's neighbors for years with offensive smells and unsanitary conditions. Footage shot undercover at the poultry farm has been broadcast around the country, showing incredible filth and horrific conditions for the birds, including some who were abandoned to die slowly in closed wings of the factory. Intensive poultry and egg production fouls the envi- ronment. According to an article in Poultry Digest, a 1 million hen complex produces 125 tons of wet manure a day. The staggering amounts of waste contain large quantities of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium which contaminate ground and surface waters and spawn ex- cess -algae that consumes aquatic nutrients and suffo- cates fish. High levels of nitrates in groundwater have been linked to methaemoglobinaemia, a blood disorder, in infants. Factory poultry manurealsocontains added chemicals fed to the hens and deadly heavy metals in- cluding arsenic, a known carcinogen. Poultry workers are exposed to ammonia vapors, salmonella, psittacosis and a variety of respiratory toxins. Poultry carcasses and manure expose wildlife in the area to diseases for which they have no immunity. BVPF's owners and managers have demonstrated their indifference to the suffering of the animals they use as well as to the farm's neighbors. If Weld County approves this facility, its residents will long regret that decision. Contact Rocky Mountain Animal Defense at (303) 543-0755 for further documentation of these con- cerns. TONY JACOBS Boulder I Hello