Chicken farm plans rankle Benton neighbors

Some Benton County residents are upset about the possibility they may soon be living next door to chicken barns.

“The neighbors and I are all a little concerned with this,” said resident Lynita Essley. “For most of us, our pieces of property are all we have. We’ve worked really, really hard to get

them, and would hate to see the value go down any.”

Essley, who lives on state Route W about two miles south of Missouri 52, said she noticed the space for the barns being marked out last week on a neighbor’s property about a half mile north of her home.

She said she spoke with the property’s owner Wednesday. The owner said no contracts had been signed, but acknowledged he was considering installing chickens barns, Essley said.

Essley described the owner as a “really nice gentleman,” but added “we still have our concerns.”

She said she thinks having poultry barns in the area would affect values, and she is concerned about odors, increased noise and truck traffic.

Flossie McCollom, who lives about one-tenth of a mile from the possible location, said it’s a health issue for her.

“I won’t be able to breathe,” she said. McCollom said she had two lobes in the right lung removed due to histoplasmosis, a fungus-born disease that, according to health officials, can be spread by chickens.

McCollom’s grandson, who was born with pulmonary hypertension and often spends weekends at his grandparents, would also be affected. “He wouldn’t be able to go outside,” she said.

There’s just not enough space for the barns, McCollom said. “It’s too densely populated out here for chicken barns to be right there.”

County Commissioner Walter Schumacher Jr. said he’d heard nothing about the possibility of chicken barns, and said his county has no permitting requirements for such operations.

Presiding Commissioner Mark Breshears said the commission is looking into an ordinance similar to Pettis County’s concentrated animal feeding operation ordinance.

Neighbors will be getting together this weekend to talk about the potential barns.

Essley said she started collecting neighborhood signatures for a petition, but has instead decided to call a town hall-style meeting at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Cole Camp Lions Club to discuss the issue. She invited the property’s owner, she said.

“I hate to hamper anybody’s way of life, but this is kind of a family-oriented little neighborhood,” she said.