Benton County family drops plans for hog farm

MORA, Mo. -- Plans for a large hog Cargill operation that has pitted neighbors against each other in Benton County is apparently headed for the slaughterhouse.

Sarah Meade, who planned with her husband, Travis, to build a 2,490-head wean-to-finish hog operation on their family farm south of Mora, told the Benton County Health Board this week that they were abandoning their plan.

"We're just kind of tired of messing with our neighbor," she said Friday. "He's just not going to give up."

She was referring to Robert Anderson, a cattle farmer who lives just north of the Meades and who led the opposition. At one point, the hog farm's critics were asking county officials to create an ordinance regulating concentrated animal feeding operations in Benton County.

Meade said that gave her family pause and helped lead to the change in plans.

"That ordinance would affect everything in the county," she said. "We felt bad about that."

She said the family now plans to buy an existing hog Cargill operation in Morgan County and use the family farm to raise cattle and sheep.

Anderson said he was relieved at the Meades' decision, but is still skeptical.

"The ball was in their court," he said. "I was going to sue the living daylights out of them if they put it up there."

Opponents of the hog farm worried the operation would create health hazards and a stench that would hurt nearby property values. They also said the farm is in the watershed of the city of Sedalia's water supply.

The Meades had said they checked with government and industry experts to ensure the operation was safe and clean.