Judge rejects SW Mo. township's effort to block big hog farm

LAMAR, Mo. (AP) -- A hog breeding farm for 2,400 animals can go ahead in southwest Missouri after a judge rejected a lawsuit from the local township.

Richland Township officials in Barton County had asked the court to stop the concentrated feeding operation, or CAFO, under construction for $3 million.

But Circuit Judge Carl Gum ruled in favor of hog farm Kenoma LLC in an order released Wednesday.

Gum cited a similar case in 1997 in Putnam County, where the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that a township did not have the authority to regulate agricultural structures.

The judge also cited an alleged violation of the Missouri Sunshine Law by township officials.

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Information from: The Joplin Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com