First Posted: 3/3/2015
MARIA STEIN — A farm in Maria Stein is waiting on public comment to learn if it can continue to operate.
A. J. Evers and Sons, at 1105 Goettemoeller Road, currently has 108,500 laying hens in one barn and is seeking to renew its permit to operate for five more years through the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
The farm — owned and operated by Gene, Sharon, Ricky and Brenda Evers — has submitted a draft permit to operate, according to a release from the ODA.
The draft included a manure management plan, insect and rodent control plan, mortality management plan, emergency response plan and operating record.
The approximate yearly manure production for the facility is about 1,154 tons, according to the ODA release, and the farm stores more than a year of manure in a pit beneath the hens.
The owners plan to apply about 15 percent of the manure on 216 acres of cropland and sell the rest to local farmers.
The farm will dispose of dead livestock through composting.
Those interested may obtain a copy of the permit or review it at the Division of Livestock Environmental Permitting office in Reynoldsburg. Anyone can submit written comments or request a public meeting no later than 5 p.m. April 2.
