First Posted: 1/14/2015
CONTINENTAL — Wezbra Dairy in Continental is requesting permission to expand its dairy farm by more than 400 cows.
The dairy, located at 15257 Road C, is operated by Jeroen and Jose van Wezel, Bram Bontruo and Rene van Bakel.
The dairy has a design capacity for 1,250 mature dairy cows and 116 heifers, according to a news release from the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
The farm had a Permit to Install approved in 2004 to expand its mature dairy cow capacity to 1,540 mature dairy cows, but the construction approved with this PTI was never completed. The owners now want to follow up with that expansion because the PTI has expired.
If approved, this would bring the design capacity of the facility to 1,540 mature dairy cows, according to the ODA. In addition to expanding its dairy cows, the dairy farm would also add 39 stalls to its heifer barn, increasing its capacity to 155 heifers.
The farm also has a draft Permit to Operate, which includes a complete manure management plan.
The facility will produce an estimated 16.9 million gallons and 2,435 tons of manure annually. There are three existing liquid manure storage structures with a combined capacity of 31.4 million gallons and a stacking pad to store 135,000 feet to the third power, of separated solids and solid manure, according to the ODA.
All manure produced will be applied on roughly 2,107 acres of crop land to recycle nutrients as a replacement for commercial, synthetic fertilizers. The planned crops for all the acreage include corn silage, corn grain, wheat and soybeans.
For mortality management, the farm intends to use rendering as the preferred method of disposal.
Those interested can review the draft at the Division of Livestock Environmental Permitting office in Reynoldsburg. People can also submit written comments or request a public meeting.
Comments and meeting requests must be received by 5 p.m. Feb. 13.
