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Hog Farm Permit will be Delayed

The Illinois Department of Agriculture is holding up a proposed large-scale hog farm in northeast Hancock County.

Junction Acres would be home to up to 18,000 pigs a year. It would be built near LaCrosse.

The deadline for the permit was March 3rd. The department instead requested the construction plans and the animal waste-handling plan.

Walter Goetsch is the Ag Department's Bureau Chief of Environmental Programs. He said the information is often not part of the original notice of intent to construct.

He said, “I think what happens with, certainly the larger facilities, is that an applicant wants to see whether or not their site is truly viable and once that happens they invest additional resources to get those plans and specifications.”

The department does not have a deadline for the owner to supply the information.

Goetsch said, if the project is approved, the owners must begin construction within 12 months of the notice of intent to construct. For Junction Acres, the date is September 30 of this year.

Dr. Joe Connor of Carthage Veterinary Service is the owner. Professional Swine Management would run the day-to-day operation of the facility.