Another meeting in Adair County tonight on a proposed hog confinement facility will feature a guest speaker, a scientist from the national Swine research Center in Ames. Residents are objecting to plans for the facility. Dr. Jim Zahn says no studies link measurable pollutants from feedlots to the suffering of neighbors. But he says there are some federal rules that do limit things like ammonia and hydrogen sulfide emissions by animal operations. Zahn says farming’s changed a lot in the past 20 years.The sites to be discussed tonight are commercial farms, and he’s seen data on environmental and health issues related to them. Zahn’s specialty is the pig digestive system, and he says big feedlots and animal waste don’t have to pose an unmanageable threat to the quality of life.He says there’s a link between fewer complaints and better management practices and emission-reducing technology. Zahn will speak at tonight’s meeting in Greenfield and Adair County Health Board speakers will also address the crowd concerned about plans for a 55-hundred-pig operation in the region.
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