Proposed CAFO Wins Case Against Indiana Summer Camp

A concentrated animal feeding operation — or CAFO — has won a legal battle against a religious summer camp in Rush County. The Indiana Supreme Court decided not to hear the case last week.

The dispute started about two years ago when the Rush County zoning board decided to approve County Line Dairy’s permit for a CAFO next to Harvest Christian Camp in Lewisville. The farm will be able to house 1,400 cows and store more than 17 million gallons of waste.

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Leaders with House of Prayer Ministries, which operates the camp, worry the smell would cause health issues for kids with asthma and make the camp less appealing.

“It’s a real unfortunate situation for this camp that may now be forced to close down,” says Kim Ferraro of the Hoosier Environmental Council, the attorney that represented House of Prayer in the suit.

Ferraro says the farm will be half a mile from the summer camp, though it’s required to be at least a full mile from any school.

Attorney Todd Janzen of Janzen Agricultural Law LLC represented County Line Dairy. He says it will be a modern farm where no waste will leave the site except in legal applications on crops.

“It’s going to bring jobs, it’s going to bring tax revenue, and more than anything it’s going to provide a new farm for a new family in Indiana,” says Janzen.

Though there are some animals on-site, it’s unclear when the farm will be fully operational.

Read more about the lawsuit: