Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation: Arrow Rock proposal/Part 2:The farmer/Hog farmer tells his side of story/'We try to keep (odor) under control the best we can,' man says

Dennis Gessling describes his current hog operation, located about six miles northwest of Arrow Rock. Gessling's proposal to expand his operations on a site about two miles west of Arrow Rock is opposed by a number of residents of the village. [Click to enlarge]

Dennis Gessling expected his proposal to expand his family's hog operation near Arrow Rock to generate some concern from neighbors, but he is surprised by the intensity and size of the opposition that has risen in recent weeks.

"I expected some controversy, but I never thought it would be this bad," he said.

Gessling has been through this process before, he said. About eight or nine years ago, when the family's current hog operation was proposed, residents in the area raised questions.

Dennis Gessling with his five-month-old son, Cody. Gessling says one factor in his plans to expand his hog operation is his desire to create a thriving business that he can pass on to his children some day. [Click to enlarge]

But since then Gessling hasn't heard many complaints and isn't aware of anyone who has problems with the current facility, he said, which is similar to what he's proposing to build nearer Arrow Rock.

Both operations qualify as concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs. The current facility, on their farm about six miles northwest of Arrow Rock, has a capacity of 3,800 hogs.

The new facility, planned for a site about two miles west of the village, will have a capacity of 4,800 hogs.

Gessling said the permit application for the new facility has been submitted to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and assuming the agency approves the permit, he plans to proceed with the construction as soon as possible.

Arrow Rock residents, some of whom have just formed an organization devoted to opposing the placement of CAFOs near state historic sites and parks, have said they are worried that harmful water runoff and strong odors will affect their health and damage the tourist trade that is the lifeblood of the village economy.

Gessling is not ignoring the concerns of Arrow Rock residents, he said. He just doesn't think their fears will be realized.

"I really don't think odor would be a problem," he said. "We are very conscious of the community. We try to keep (odor) under control the best we can."

He said odor will not be as big a problem as people think. For example, one area resident told him that until the recent flap over his new facility, he hadn't realized the Gesslings already ran a CAFO.

He outlined some of the measures he takes with the current operation to control odor. One is to avoid agitating the water in the waste storage lagoon on weekends and holidays when more people might be outside.

The lagoon also has a buffer of trees surrounding it. The new facility will have a similar buffer. Trees absorb some of the odor as they drink the carbon dioxide that escapes as the waste decays, he said, and they help force odor into the air rather than allowing it to spread along the ground.

The four containment buildings in the current operation have two-foot pits that are pumped out periodically with recycled water from the lagoon pumped back in immediately, he said.

And the new facility is designed to do even more to control odor. There will be no open lagoon, for one thing, Gessling said. The waste will be stored in eight-foot pits beneath the building.

Another opportunity for odor to escape is during application of the waste to the family's pastures and cropland. Currently, Gessling only spreads the waste on pasture land, but on cropland he knifes it into the soil, which reduces runoff and odor.

Gessling said the family uses 100 percent of the waste produced by the hog operation in their fields, which nearly eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers on their 850-acre farm.

As for water contamination, he said the lagoon has a two-foot clay lining and DNR tests for waste runoff near the lagoon and in nearby waterways. Gessling's mother, Gladys Gessling, said that in the eight years the facility has been in operation there has never been a problem with contamination.

"We pride ourselves on being good environmentalists," Dennis Gessling said. "We're not out to harm anybody."

And he said he watches for new products and technologies that will make odor control even more effective.

The main purpose of the new facility is to keep the family farming operation growing. Gessling suspects some area residents may misunderstand the nature of his business.

Some CAFOs are operated by large corporations that own the whole production process "from conception to consumption," as Gessling put it, in what's known as "vertically-integrated" businesses.

The Gesslings are associated with a company that consists mostly of farmers and does not own the entire production process. The Gessling's own the buildings and the company owns the stock, which is gilts that are being raised for breeding, he said.

"We're not going anywhere. I love farming," he said. "We're here for the long haul. It's a precious gift to take something God has given you and see it nurture and grow."

Contact Eric Crump at

marshallfaith@socket.net