By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Warmer weather has a way of getting people outdoors. Rise in temperatures means increased farm activity. Similarly, non-farm families spend that time outdoors where farm odors and noises are ever present. And that, some say, is a recipe for conflict.

“Citizen complaints against farmers most often stem from odors, but many times relate to surface water, ground water or a combination of the three,” said Nicole Olynk, Purdue University agricultural economist. “Recent times have seen debates surrounding livestock production practices and related animal welfare and  humane treatment concerns. 

Citizens also worry about the environmental impact of agricultural practices. And while traditionally most complaints have related to animal agriculture, crop farmers are not exempt.”

According to Olynk, farmers can reduce friction by being mindful of the ways non-farm neighbors perceive on-farm practices. Small acts of neighborly kindness such as helping neighbors after snowstorms or inviting them to visit the farm may build goodwill. Slight modifications to farming practices can also help ease tension.
Where urban sprawl of housing developments meet the rural community poses the most problems. And nowhere in Ohio is that more evident than in Warren County, which has seen the most development in the agricultural community.

“I do hear these complaints once in a while and most people realize they have to take the good with the bad,” said Greg Meyer of Ohio State University Extension service. “People migrate into the country to have open fields around them, but they soon realize that farming is not an eight-to-five occupation. The rattling of machinery at odd hours can be unsettling to those who didn’t think they had to deal with it. And there’s the livestock problems as well. New residents soon discover there’s the smell of manure and flies are more prevalent.”

Meyer adds that slow-moving farm vehicles contribute to the headaches of non-farm residents, as does late-night planting.
“Farmers are oftentimes out in the fields late at night in order to get planting in before bad weather arrives,” Meyer said. “Most farmers do have an understanding that they need to be good stewards of the land, as well as good neighbors. Similarly, most new neighbors realize what they bargained for when they moved out into the country. These people just hope the farmer doesn’t decide to apply manure on the Fourth of July weekend.”

A 2009 survey conducted by experts at Michigan State University found that odor and surface water complaints were by far the most common and that all complaints were highest in spring and summer months when farm work is at its highest and non-farm families spend the most time outdoors.

“But ask anyone living next to a working farm and most will say the good outweighs the bad,” Meyer said.