Oklahomans are still grappling with a sudden uptick in poultry farm operations, especially in the northeastern part of the state.
Oklahoma Conservation Commission Director Trey Lam said they’re trying out a community conservation program that brings farmers, residents and elected officials together.
"They’ll identify and prioritize whether it’s dust, smell, runoff, water wells. One of our agencies will have some expertise — even work with county commissioners on traffic," Lam said.
The program is funded by a $500,00 grant.
"We’ve already begun to meet with those poultry growers, those farmers and with their neighbors. We’re doing the investigating, finding out what their priorities are, and we’ll be able to put some actual conservation on the ground this spring," Lam said.
Most of the poultry boom has been in Delaware County, where roughly 100 new houses were licensed in 2018 alone.
Proposed rules requiring new or expanded operations be certain distances from homes, schools and water wells were not enacted last year.
