Vote NO on Increased Stench

There’s nothing like a summer BBQ on a hot July night; the time spent with your family and friends, playing catch in the backyard, the horrendous smell of hog waste.  Sound fun?  We don’t think so, and neither do 75 Mendon, Illinois area residents who requested the hearing. The Adam’s County Board voted 14-3 yesterday to approve a request to build a new hog operation near Mendon, Illinois.

At a public hearing held on June 26, the County Board met to discuss a proposed hog confinement.  The confinement would be located on a 155-acre tract of land owned by Ryan Rabe who already runs a smaller hog operation on his property.  Rabe said the new operation would have special precautions to minimize odor and contain waste.  When it comes to pigs though, some people would rather not take a chance. Monica Maynard, a local resident, said, “Our concern is our health.” 

Several university studies back her up in their findings that living close to a hog confinement can lead to respiratory illnesses and other health problems.  And of course there’s the smell. John Heidbreder of the County Board said, "I can't, in good conscience, vote for an increased smell for the neighbors. I've got to vote no."  Unfortunately, 14 other board members disagreed.  The next vote for or against “increased smell” is now in the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s nostrils…er, hands.