First Posted: 2/2/2015
NEW BREMEN — GJD farm in New Bremen has applied to renew its permit to operate.
The farm, located at 00143 Southland Road in the Upper Wabash River watershed, is owned and operated by Garrett Dorsten and raises pigs.
The farm has four shallow pit swine barns that can host 4,000 swine that weigh over 55 pounds, according to a notice from the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
The barns have concrete pits underneath them to drain pig waste into a lagoon where the liquid manure is treated and up to 2.5 million gallons, or a year’s worth, can be stored.
The facility generates about 10 tons of composted mortality material each year, according to the notice. Once generated, the material is applied to 71 acres of cropland, which includes corn, soybeans and alfalfa.
GJD provided a manure management plan, insect and rodent control plan, mortality management plan, emergency response plan and operating record with its submission of the permit to operate. The farm plans to keep using composting as the primary mortality management method.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture is accepting comments on GJD’s permit to operate renewal, which, if issued, would be valid for five more years. Comments may be written or a public meeting can be requested in writing.
Those interested can get copies of the draft at the Division of Livestock Environmental Permitting office in Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
