Love Thy Neighbor-But Does that Include a Six Hundred Eighty-Four Cow Dairy Operation? A Survey of Community Perceptions

The juxtaposition of nonfarming residences to operating dairy farms often precipitates conflict over appropriate land use. This was the situation facing the residents of the town of Charlotte, Vermont, in 2002 when a local dairy farmer proposed expanding from 225 to 684 cows with the construction of a new dairy facility and manure storage lagoon. The proposal raised considerable concern within the community and presented a unique opportunity for extension researchers to examine and analyze the attitudes and concerns of local residents toward the planned expansion, including their reasons for supporting or opposing the expansion, and to develop recommendations for farm operators considering future expansions. A survey instrument was developed and inserted in a local newspaper that was delivered to all households of Charlotte to identify important concerns of the community and explanatory factors differing between supporters and nonsupporters. Of those responding to the survey, 44.3% opposed the proposed dairy facility, 30.6% supported it, 17.9% needed more information to make a decision, and 7.2% had no opinion or were unaware of the proposal. There were no significant demographic (age, gender, educational attainment) differences between supporters and nonsupporters. Yet, the closer the proximity of the respondent's residence to the farm, the more likely he or she was to oppose it (β = 1.018). The concerns of greatest importance were water quality (4.42/5), effect on property values (3.07/5), and animal welfare (3.58/5). Responses to the open-ended questions on the survey revealed strong views toward the farmer personally as well as concentrated animal feeding operations in general. The results indicate that farmers and extension need to take proactive steps to provide education and information relevant to the facts and issues surrounding new dairy facilities for 500 to 700 dairy cows.