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Show _ SEPTEMBER 30, 1994 PAGE 12 Badge City Netus | Circe Four Farms Progress Report The First in a Series of Public Information Reports from CIRCLE FOUR FARMS One year ago, the Circle Four Farms integrated pork production project was only a concept. Circle Four Farms (referred to then as Smithfield of Utah) had no employees, no hog barns and no hogs in Utah. Today, Circle Four Farms provides jobs to the 24 residents of Beaver will form the nucleus of a_ farm Four now employees direct 50 construction has 24 and workers ll the The 5,400 hogs now on primary associates from Beaver County will soon finish an intensive training program at parent company farms in head each on a custom-built, controlled water environment systems. Midwest hog farms operated natural immunity. They were transported directly to the new Milford facilities to insure a high health status for the herd. When the dispose of hog waste directly on cropland. This practice creates serious odor problems and raises the ire of neighbors. The parent company hog farms in North Carolina and _ Virginia developed and anaerobic farms are established, pig for its combination of hog production and for other managers for the four parent companies have spent time "on the ground" listening to local and state regulators, local residents, contractors Joe North returned and to Carolina staff, advisors. Warsaw, this by the Circle Four managers intend to use the state-of-art NPD Carroll's Foods, - treatment The pigs were | trailer. weaned early to retain their — of growth is expected in the following years. Circle Four hopes to build its work force through local hiring. Twenty of the 24 direct employees and many of the construction workers are long-time competitive with locations in other states. According to Barban and Sower, the biggest change has been the decision to use total containment extremely lean meat and excellent growth characteristics. Company officials have used the first year of experience to adapt their industry leading technology to the Beaver County area. Joe Barban, vice president subcontractors on site come from southwest Utah and employ workers from this area. The company expects to staff about 100 farm and office jobs in the Milford and Minersville area in the next year. Additional Beaver County residents. Four Fifteen Circle Beaver on site form the breeding stock nucleus for a high quality commercial herd. Theses piglets were brought to Milford from North Carolina in loads of 600 site. Larry Sower, a Milford — resident and construction manager for Circle Four, predicts that a total of 100 construction workers will be on site by this time next year. be--hired | trained at the County farms. Utah hogs. More hogs and the jobs that come with them are on the way. The company expects major job growth Circle staff to through the local_office and | County who care for 5,400 over the next year. "One big difference in Milford," Barban observed, "is 60 inches of evaporation at Milford." He said several design changes have been made to make the farms compatible to local conditions and to make company operations North Carolina. When they ° return home, these workers past Tuesday after spending the past two weeks working on farm design, budgets and other aspects of the project. — competitors _ often lagoon technology over the past 20 years that tames most of the odor problem. The treated water from the anaerobic lagoons is dispersed on croplands at rates that allow corps to absorb the nutrients. The companies intended to use this system on the Utah project. After careful evaluation, however, company officials have decided to use _ total containment lagoons. Total containments lagoons work on a simple principal made possible by the high annual evaporation in the Milford area. Excess water from the lagoons is rather than - evaporated dispersed on crops. Solids collect in the bottom of the lagoon to be harvested after 20 to 30 years as a high grade commercial fertilizer. The municipal lagoons such a the Minersville and Milford City systems have used this principle for years, but in an aerobic rather than anaerobic —_ configuration. The hog farm lagoons, however, have liner requirements 10 time tighter than the municipal lagoons and have monitoring wells not currently required for municipal systems. costs of Sower says that this as _ residences. "By separating from the need for . irrigated cropland, we can substantially reduce the risk of interfering with other he __ said. landowners," Sower said this change also substantially reduces the land and water needs for this project. He said the large water and land scale acquisitions initiated two years ago are substantially Barban completed. e as chang the described "just incredible." He said the redesign allows much environmental better significantly protection, and l capita reduces operation costs and places the Beaver County farms in competitive stronger a position. Company officials believe this design also helps high the offset nce complia mental environ more regulatory stringent ‘standards. Another change brings no surprises to long time Milford residents. Ventilation fans on the buildings have been reduced to a minimum in favor of the "natural ventilation" of western Beaver County. The buildings, lagoons and wells constructed to date represent design change allows the farms to be located at greater distances from incompatible land uses such Utah's over $4 million dollars invested in capital facilities. Engineering studies for the feed mill will be completed in time for construction to begin in 1995 at a projected cost of over $8 million. Several potential locations have been considered for the Milford office complex. A final decision should be made by the end of this year. Larry Sower emphasizes his instructions to assure that Circle Four becomes a positive force in Beaver County's future. He reports that a top quality management team is being assembled to live in and become part of Beaver County. Larry said, "We recognize that local residents have many questions and concerns about the project. We are open to any questions. Please call our office. We are committed to listen to community concerns and provide __ straightforward answers." |
