<b>By MEGGIE I. FOSTER<br>
Assistant Editor</b> </p><p>

WINCHESTER, Ind. — Randolph County is at the heart of Hoosier agriculture, as one of the leading counties in the growth of livestock operations, but not without a bit of controversy. </p><p>Particularly, as the county commissioners recently passed a strict moratorium, ceasing the growth of agricultural districts in the area.
“There are several things that are very alarming about this decision,” said Drew Clevelend, farmer from Randolph County and district field representative for Indiana Farm Bureau. “First of all you have to consider the very real people this affects. The opponents to livestock farming in the county always mention the term CAFO, (Confined Animal Feeding Operation) but they never use real people’s names. By passing this moratorium the two commissioners who voted for it have reached into the pockets of real-life farmers.”</p><p>
According to Cleveland, Commissioners Kathy Beumer and David Lenkensdofer voted against an ordinance that recommended the county’s zoning law should include information for agricultural districts. Ron Chalfant, a farmer and commissioner objected to the rewritten ordinance that proposed the setback between farms and homes should increase from 750 feet to 1,320 feet. Chalfant voted against the moratorium.</p><p>
“We went to the (Jan. 7) meeting to protest this ordinance, we didn’t know they were going to even bring up a moratorium idea,” Cleveland said, worried about the future of agriculture in his home county.</p><p>
Beumer and Lenkensdofer did not vote for the ordinance because they believed it did not include enough provisions for the farms’ effect on air and water, said Cleveland. The ordinance will now return to the county’s planning commission, who originally introduced the revised setback guidelines for ag districts in the county.</p><p>
“Once they rejected the proposal to increase the setback, they really caught us all by surprise when they passed the moratorium, because we didn’t know they were going to do this,” said Cleveland, who, beside a few local farmers, was present at the Jan. 7 meeting.</p><p>
Beumer told reporters that she was not comfortable with the issues left unaddressed in the ordinance such as odor, water quality and manure management. All questions she hopes to have answered through further research. Lenkensdofer could not be reached for comments. </p><p>
“One of the questions I asked was ‘Will this study be done in the county or are they going to use outside research,’” Cleveland said, adding that Beumer was unable to answer many of his questions. “She also could not tell us when the research will be complete and when the moratorium will be lifted, which is odd.