One operation, which will hold 2,400 hogs, is going up half a mile from a rural school attended by 48 Amish children. Many residents have expressed fear about manure spills tainting the water supply or killing fish in the Little Wapsipinicon River. A dozen pork producers, including Clarence Gansemer, the Dubuque-area farmer who proposed the lots, spoke about precautions taken to prevent contamination and odor.

Construction is almost complete on a hog confinement operation located near an Amish school in Buchanan County, residents reported.

However, WB Farms, owned by Clarence Gansemer, a Dubuque-area farmer, his daughter, Linda Brandel, and his grandson may stop or postpone plans to build two other confinements in Buchanan County, Brandel said. "We are in the process of deciding now," she said.

WB Farms owners met in late April with some Buchanan County residents about their concerns, which include water contamination and odor, she said.

These meetings and other factors influenced the company's decision to reconsider plans for two operations, Brandel said.

Source: Des Moines Register