Woodlawn Resident Opposes Poultry Farm

RISON - A proposal to build six poultry houses near the Woodlawn community has motivated at least one resident of the area to ask his neighbors to oppose it.Steve Orr, whose residence is near the proposed site for the new poultry farm, said his primary concerns are the stench and environmental impact it could have on Woodlawn School and the surrounding area as well as how it will impact property values in the area. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) ran a public notice in the Herald earlier this month notifying residents of a “draft environmental assessment” for the construction of what was described as a “large CAFO” (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) with the primary objective of building six broiler houses.”The notice states that the FSA is accepting written comments on the “potential effects of the proposed project on protected resources and the human environment.” Comments will be accepted through Dec. 26 and can be submitted in writing to Adam Kaufman at Farm Service Agency, 419 West Gaines Street, Monticello, AR 71655.In addition, the notice also stated that information regarding the project can be reviewed in person at the USDA Service Office located a 303 North Lincoln Ave., Suite B, in Star City.All written comments, according to the notice, will be “carefully considered, and no action concerning the project will be taken until the agency has completed an environmental review and issued a final decision.”While the public notice gave a general plat location of where the proposed project would be located, Orr said he visited the USDA Service Office in Star City to review the project information and discovered it would be built basically east of where Ryburn Road intersects Hwy. 63 south of Woodlawn School. Orr said the proposed location is about 1.2 road miles from the Woodlawn School campus but is actually only about three-quarters of a mile fr...