It’s becoming a familiar theme across the Prairies. Announce the construction of a hog barn and let the controversy begin.
About 100 people came to a hastily called meeting April 19 to plan their opposition to two hog projects proposed for the Ryley and Holden areas, east of Edmonton.
“There wasn’t anybody there supporting the hog operation,” said Ron Yarham, president of the newly formed Beaver County Protection Association. “We just wanted to get people out of the dark and tell them what’s going on.”
Robert Dueck of Ryley wants to build barns at two sites in the area.
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He has proposed a 1,600-sow farrow-to-wean barn southwest of Ryley and a 12,000-head feeder barn complex southwest of Holden.
“I have nothing but good things to say about these hog operations,” said Robert Dueck Jr., 26, who operates a 3,000 acre grain farm with his father, Robert Sr.
Robert Jr. estimates they will need the grain from 10,000 to 13,000 acres of nearby crop land to feed the pigs and they will never have to buy commercial fertilizer again.
“The pigs will produce all the fertilizer we could use. That’s the idea behind it — we get free fertilizer and diversification,” said Dueck Jr.
But not all of his neighbors feel hogs are the best diversification project for the farming community.
“Some of the people had nothing but good things to say. Lots are riding the fence, they don’t want to say either way, and then there are those who are dead against it.”
Yarham, a sheep producer is worried about water. He gets his water downstream from the proposed feeder barn. He doesn’t think there’s enough water in the nearby Waskwei Creek for the hog barn and everyone downstream.
“My biggest thing is how it will affect my livelihood by leaving me short of water,” said Yarham.
He said he is also worried the manure from the lagoon will contaminate his water supply.
“I live right next door.”
Directly to appeal
Margaret Jones, County of Beaver development officer, said the barn proposals were automatically directed to an appeal board because she didn’t give the Duecks an answer 40 days after they submitted the proposals.
When Jones received the proposals, she sent them to Alberta Agriculture for review. They received Alberta Agriculture’s report for the sow barn, but not the feeder barn within the 40-day deadline.
Jones said she and the municipal planning commission didn’t make a decision on the sow barn because it had concerns about its size and location close to a campground.
In the end no decision was made on either proposal.
On April 24-25, a five-member development appeal board hearing will listen to arguments for and against before making a decision.
“We said, ‘let’s fill that hall. The more we can stuff in there, the more they’ll listen,’ ” said Yarham.
Dueck Jr. said: “We’re hoping for a positive decision. There will be spin-off for jobs with this coming into the area. In Holden, I don’t think there’s a whole lot of anything for industry.”
