C&H Hog Farms is a family-owned farm in Mount Judea, Arkansas. Richard and Phillip Campbell, brothers, and their cousin, Jason Henson – the “C” and “H” – are ninth-generation farmers in Newton County. Richard and Phillip owned C&C Hog Farms in the same county. In 2012, Jason joined his cousins and they started C&H Hog Farms. Phillip’s wife, Julie Ann sums up their farm, “We love feeding the world. We love the idea of having a part in the everyday lives of people. We are their local farmer.”
The hogs are raised in barns that are climate-controlled, weatherproof and comfortable and offer access to fresh food and water. Since C&H Hog Farms expanded their farm, some have expressed concern about the impact of raising hogs near the Buffalo National River. The farm is six miles from the Buffalo National River and just under half a mile from Big Creek, a tributary to the Buffalo National River. Acknowledging public concern over the hog farm, C&H welcomed extensive testing and monitoring of the farm and the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture developed the Big Creek Research Team to study potential impact of the farming operations. Since 2013, they have monitored upstream and downstream of the farm. The Environmental Protection Agency, Harbor Environmental and Safety’s Pond Integrity Study and the governor’s Beautiful Buffalo River Action Committee have taken steps to ensure the safety and quality of the farm and the river. To date, there have been no violations or problems found. You can download a report on some of the research here.
“We are true environmentalists ourselves. Therefore, we don’t want to endanger the environment whatsoever. That is one of the reasons we went above and beyond engineering this. The environment is very important to us.” – Jason Henson of C&H.
What is done with the manure from the hogs?
As part of C&H’s nutrient management system, hog waste is captured through slats on the floor of the barn. The waste moves to two nearby settling lagoons, where microbial organisms break it down to fertilizer. The lagoons were developed by professional engineers. C&H designed their lagoons to hold 50% more manure than recommended. The lagoons are recommended to hold 180-day supply of manure and the C&H lagoons have the capacity to hold a 270-day supply of manure. A 12-inch clay liner is recommended to keep the contents from leaking before they are broken down, however C&H chose to have an 18-inch clay liner to be more environmentally friendly. After the manure is stored in the lagoons, it is applied as organic fertilizer to the surrounding agricultural fields. The fields total approximately 630 acres within 2.5 miles of the farm. This fertilizer supplements the nutrients already present in the soil.
C&H Hog Farms is a "farrow-to-wean" operation, focusing raising piglets from birth to weaning. They have approximately 2,500 sows (mature female pigs) and can have up to 4,000 piglets. The sows and piglets are housed in a climate-controlled, weatherproof and comfortable living environment with food and water. Once the piglets are old enough to be weaned, they are delivered to another farm that specializes in growing the hogs to maturity. They are processed for consumption at a facility in the U.S. In 2017, the U.S. had a trade surplus of over 4.5 million pounds of pork. The US produces more pork than we can consume, so after feeding citizens here, hogs from across the U.S. help feed people around the world.
Who regulates C&H Hog Farms?
C&H Hog Farms had to obtained a permit from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality before expanding their farm. C&H Hog Farms has gone above and beyond the standard for operating a farm in Arkansas. “My partners and I are environmentalists at heart,” said Jason Henson about himself and his cousins who own the farm. In addition, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture developed the Big Creek Research Team to study potential impact of farming operations. Since 2013, they have monitored upstream and downstream of the farm. The Environmental Protection Agency, Harbor Environmental and Safety’s Pond Integrity Study and the governor’s Beautiful Buffalo River Action Committee have taken steps to ensure the safety and quality of the farm and the river. To date, there have been no violations or issues discovered. For more detailed information, visit the Science page.
Does C&H Hog Farms care for the soil, air and water quality?
Yes. The family has taken extra steps to ensure that their family farm is going above and beyond to protect the soil, air and water. They do this because they want the best environment for their family to live in, breath and enjoy and to provide the best experience for their animals. They have welcomed additional testing and monitoring of their farm and the environment. They looked at the standard and worked with professional engineers to go above and beyond what is required of a normal hog farm.
Arkansas Farm Bureau is a nonprofit, private advocacy organization with more than 190,000 families throughout the state working to improve farm and rural life representing over 90% of the farmers and ranchers in the state. The Arkansas Farm Bureau’s support for C&H Hog Farms lies firmly in the organization’s foundational support for private property rights and right-to-farm laws, as defined by its grass-roots, member-developed policy. The owners of C&H Hog Farms are Newton County Farm Bureau members. Newton County Farm Bureau requested that Arkansas Farm Bureau become engaged in this issue. Randy Veach, Arkansas Farm Bureau President explains, “We are to advocate the interests of agriculture in the public arena; disseminate information concerning the value and importance of agriculture; and provide products and services that improve the quality of life for our members.”
While many may not see how the C&H case relates to them specifically, it reveals the potential for harmful government intervention that could impact any Arkansas business or property owner in the future. C&H Hog Farms has been put through more environmental scrutiny than any other property in the state, without a single citation for violation. Yet, their permit is apparently being denied on a technicality, including non-merits-based reasons and not on matters of science. Farmers, ranchers and property owners should be able to use their land in compliance with the law. The position of the Arkansas Farm Bureau is that the decision by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality to deny their application for an operating permit for insufficient information is unfair. The actions taken against C&H Hog Farms could provide an avenue and precedent for how the government can function to the detriment of a citizen, private property owner or small business.