Factory-scale hog farms, where hundreds or even thousands of porkers produce piles and piles of manure, pollute water and air and are among the worst of neighbors, according to a land-use study by Penn State researchers.
The study, released yesterday as the third annual Sustainable Hog Farming Summit convened in Gettysburg, found that allowing a medium- or large-scale factory farm to set up shop near a residential area lowers nearby property values by more than $1,800. Using the same property for a traditional farm actually increases the value of nearby properties.
Only landfills have a worse effect on adjacent property values, according to the study of Berks County property values.
The study was conducted by Richard Ready and Charles Abdalla of Penn State's Agricultural and Environmental Economics Department and sponsored by Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future.
The study found that a sewage treatment plant has a less depressing effect on nearby housing prices than a factory farming operation.
"The Penn State study is more evidence that local communities and residents must be allowed to protect themselves from factory farms," said Jan Jarrett, PennFuture's outreach director, who is attending the summit of environmental leaders, farmers, rural community leaders, restaurant owners and chefs.
Jarrett said proposed state legislation that would limit or prohibit local county or municipal control of factory-farm locations would take away any control communities have over the massive meat factories.
"Rural communities need the ability to enact common-sense regulations to protect residents' health, peace of mind, quality of life and property values," she said.
In Pennsylvania, there are 1,000 high-density pig, cow or chicken farms, also known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, already operating in 25 counties.
The biggest is in Perry County, and the most can be found in Lancaster, Lebanon and Berks counties. More than 135 are big enough to require their own water-quality pollution permits.
One hog excretes nearly 3 gallons of waste per day, or 2.5 times the average human's daily total. A 3,000-sow hog factory will produce about 25 tons of raw manure a day.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, hog, chicken and cattle waste has polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and contaminated groundwater in 17 states.
Big hog farms can also produce dangerous levels of such noxious gases as hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and methane, and intense odors that have been detected more than four miles from the site.
The study found that open space -- including forested acreage and grass, pasture and cropland -- located within a quarter-mile of a house had the largest positive effect on the value of that property.
The summit in Gettysburg is being held to promote sustainable farming and farm-to-market family farm initiatives, and to discuss the impacts of industrial-scale hog confinement and production practices on rural communities, human health, animal health and the environment.
Don Hopey can be reached at dhopey@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1983.
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