Dear editor,

I will start by saying, sometimes I don’t understand people. As I have been getting filled in on the situation arising behind the White family building a hog production facility this has become astoundingly more apparent; the amount of hatred and slander that has been generated is amazing. Starting with the topic of slander; there has been individuals in your own community spreading rumors that don’t even resemble truth and can not merely pass for misunderstanding. Obviously, anyone who resorts to slander doesn’t have a good enough case otherwise. I will not give the names of these select individuals. These individuals have scoured the countryside and local communities and there is a good chance that you have heard some of the garbage that they have told your friends, family or seen petitions they have handed out. To show the insanity of those claims I will list and defeat some of these for public knowledge:

Myth: There will be illegal immigrants running the swine facility

Truth: The chores of a production facility of this size would take the Whites about three hours a day to accomplish and would leave plenty of time for a second job or farming, not warranting illegal help.

Myth: The Whites building this facility down by Exline will somehow keep the Super Wal-Mart from building.

Truth: This site is near Exline, enough said, it will have no impact as I have seen many Wal-Mart stores closer than 15 miles from a hog facility.

Myth: You will be able to smell the hog barns throughout the county.

Truth: You will be able to smell it up to a mile away a few days a year, taking into account knifing of the manure and the ventilation, this barn style is very odor restrictive

Myth: Land prices in the county are going to plummet as a result of building this facility.

Truth: These facilities are dotted throughout the state, very heavily in some counties that are selling land and housing at $6,000/acre adjacent to these facilities. Extra manure from the barns is a blessing to any local farmers wanting to save money on crop inputs. Some farmers give the land to people to build sites with the condition that they get the manure.

These are merely a few of the rumors that I have verified were spread by select individuals, they are at best unbelievable. The Whites are a homegrown family with strong morals and do nothing but improve the community. These barns are a great opportunity to keep young adults in the community to raise families and kids and contribute to the area. This construction will, in time, raise enough capital for the younger Whites to expand their farming operation, and hopefully live their dream of being able to farm full time. Based on high capital investments of land, machinery and livestock, name another way that young adults can transition into agriculture and are guaranteed a fixed income month after month and year after year. It also keeps young farmers from being crushed during bad markets, there is no doubt that raising pigs during 1998 and now 2008 would send many people into bankruptcy without a guaranteed contract. This facility is a blessing to the community in numerous ways, also. Unless you live within a mile of the site it will never affect you. If you do, it may but a few times a year. In nearly every case they are extremely well maintained and research has been done for decades to make them as ecologically and neighbor friendly as possible. It is excellent for the economy of Appanoose county, it would astound most readers to know the amount of money generated through property taxes, utilities, propane, construction, and last I heard they were planning on having the feed made locally which would have great implications.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Centerville and the surrounding communities. I have been continually impressed with the people that I have met, the landscape and everything that the area offers since meeting my wife. The community though has not acted responsibly in allowing the White family to be thrown under the bus by activist individuals that keep backing up to run them over again. This stems from lack of education. I challenge everyone that reads this to do some research and see that confinement facilities are not what activists will have you believe. From talking to the White family, I know that they are more than willing to talk through any concerns that locals have. I also encourage those people that support this family to make it known, not only to others but to them.

Finally, I hope you will allow yourself to understand both sides, and realize the good intentions and positives of this situation. It is right to question these actions as long as it is done in an unbiased manner; I think you will find this will clear the air of misconception. As for those select individuals, I hope you will cease efforts to hurt the White’s reputation, spend some time helping your own and may God have mercy on you.