Long-time Valley residents are sometimes inclined to dismiss concerns raised by neighbors who object to the environmental impact of large farms. Conventional wisdom has long been: The farms were here first. Learn to live with it, or stay in the city.
Sometimes, though, concerns are being voiced by people who have called the country home for decades.
Such is the case of William and Barbara Remaley, of rural Middleburg. The Snyder County couple have reportedly lived in the same home for 30 years with little objection about the practices of neighboring farmers. That changed in May 2007 when a family -- the Zooks -- put up a chicken house, that's longer than a football field, about 500 feet from their home.
The Remaley family has asked a judge to intervene. The judge has yet to rule, but testimony during the trial illustrates the conflicting perspectives on the issue.
A Penn State professor who helped author new odor management regulations said he did not think the Zooks' chicken barn would annoy neighbors. A local Realtor testified that he believes the livestock facility decreases the $338,700 value of the Remaley property by about 25 percent.
Snyder County is the second-largest producer of chickens in Pennsylvania. And out of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, Snyder ranks seventh in turkey production and eighth in hog production.
It may be a testament to the tendency of local farmers to develop good relations with neighbors that these sort of disputes do not arise more often. Farmers recognize that irking neighbors may be a good way of attracting unwanted attention that leads to the type of regulation that could make it difficult to remain competitive in national and global markets.
Farmers need to be provided an opportunity to survive, not only for the benefit of those who directly rely on agriculture for their livelihood, but for the economic vitality of the entire region. Snyder County farmers produced more than $100 million in livestock and crops in 2007, out of about $336 million in production from farms across the Central Susquehanna Valley.
Cases like the dispute in Snyder County illustrate how difficult it is to balance the need to raise livestock efficiently to produce inexpensive food, without fouling the rural landscape.
The drive for greater profits need not completely eclipse the need to preserve a worthwhile quality of life for all Valley residents.
Opinion
Balance needs of farmers and neighbors
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