VAN WERT, Ohio — Many people know the importance of hog farming; problem is, not many people want to live next to a hog farm.

Such is the case in Van Wert County in west-central Ohio, where more than 200 concerned citizens, church members and residents attended a public hearing with representatives from Cooper Farms. The group has concerns about a planned 2,400-hog farm being built in Jackson Township.

The proposed site for the hog farm, which is a partnership between landowner Ernie Welch and Cooper Farms, puts the facility adjacent to many homes and a church. One spearheading the effort against the hog farm construction is Gerald Markley, one who calls himself a concerned citizen who is a member of Zion Christian Union Church.

The church is a quarter-mile from the proposed hog farm site and Markley is worried about the odor and quality of the water in the area. "It’s just going to ruin the community," he said. "Some neighbors have stayed neutral, but many have signed the petition against the hog farm."

Markley wasn’t alone, as several dozen protested the new hog facility and voiced their opinions.

Welch and several Cooper Farms representatives were at the meeting to provide information on the project, along with Jocelyn Henderson of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (DNR), who provided information on how manure and other operations of the farm are to be handled.

Henderson, who serves 20 counties in northwestern and west-central Ohio, gave those attending data on operations such as the one planned by Cooper Farms and Welch.

She noted because the hog population would be under the 2,500-animal threshold for a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO), state regulations would be less stringent than if the operation met CAFO requirements.

According to Henderson, there are still a number of requirements the farm must meet with respect to manure-handling and other environmental areas. Henderson also noted there can be criminal penalties for farms that don’t meet the requirements.

"We have some teeth," she said of DNR’s ability to prosecute offenders, although she said the Ohio Department of Agriculture has more and stricter penalties for violators. She also defended Cooper Farms, saying the company has "a good track record" when it comes to its management of its animal operations.

Many neighbors in the gathering voiced barbs toward Welch for planning such a project while giving neighbors little or no advance notice of the hog facility. Some felt the project is motivated by greed.

Welch and Cooper Farms representatives downplayed the effects of the farm, noting they will do everything they can to minimize negative consequences of it. "There is always a fear of the unknown," Welch told the crowd. "A lot of those fears can be alleviated. We are good stewards, we are good neighbors."

Cooper Farms representatives said the company, which provides the hogs under a contract with Welch, would make sure the landowner meets Cooper’s operational requirements.

It was apparent, though, that the two-hour meeting, while being a chance for neighbors to express their frustration and unhappiness over the project, didn’t accomplish their goal of stopping it. Plans are to begin construction this spring on the 80-by-200-foot barn where the hogs will be housed. Cooper Farms says the hog barn should be up and running by June.