Pig farm causes upset in tourism-dependent Arrow Rock

ARROW ROCK, Mo. -- Residents of Arrow Rock are concerned that a proposed hog farm will drive away the tourists the town depends on for its survival.

Dennis and Chrissy Gessling want to expand a current hog operation five miles from town to include two new buildings that would each house 2,400 hogs for a wean-to-finish operation. The Gesslings already raise 3,800 young female pigs on the 110-acre farm.

About 50 Arrow Rock residents -- more than half the town's population -- met Saturday to discuss their concerns about the proposed operation. Those concerns included property devaluation, rotting pig carcasses, lack of protection for the historic area and the stability of waste pits to be used at the farm.

"The concern is the odor and the water table," resident Shirley Gregory said. "We are totally dependent on tourism."

The Gesslings' current pig operation is one of three existing concentrated animal feeding operations -- or CAFOs -- within about six miles of Arrow Rock. The state says each of the operations has fewer than 3,000 animals on site.

"We are not a factory; we are a family," Dennis Gessling said Saturday at his home. "We're doing this to help the family out and to keep the family farming.

"I understand the problems with the smell," he said. "But I do not appreciate being put in the same basket with all other hog farmers."

At the meeting, Whitney Kerr, whose land abuts the land where the Gesslings plan to expand, said Arrow Rock residents were not opposed to the pork industry but want the farms in "appropriate places."

"Respect for what Arrow Rock stands for is the underlying issue," said David Finke, a Columbia resident with family ties to Arrow Rock. "The concern is for farming that does not hurt other families."

Don Huff of Arrow Rock told the crowd that Saline County does not have a planning and zoning ordinance, which means the state Department of Natural Resources is the only regulatory body that could help.

Arrow Rock residents discussed hiring independent engineers to evaluate traffic, water and the Gesslings' engineering reports. They also plan to contact state and federal lawmakers and to meet with members of the Saline County Commission Wednesday.

Dennis Gessling said steel-reinforced concrete lining manure pits at his farm would be about 8 inches thick and sealed with a foam-and-rubber compound. Twice a year, he said, the waste would be vacuumed from the pits and injected into soil on his fields.

His barns would feature computerized ventilation systems and be surrounded by evergreens to help manage odors.

Gessling currently is awaiting DNR approval of a water-quality permit for his new facility.

Darrick Steen, agriculture unit chief for the state agency, said Friday he had not yet seen the Gesslings' permit application. But he said the agency would review any letter of concern about the proposal.

"Ultimately, if the facility meets state requirements, the department is obligated to issue the permit," Steen said. "What we issue is a permit that protects water quality."