Seaboard seeks to open new hog farm in western Kansas

Seaboard Foods, based in Shawnee Mission, has registered its intention to open a large new hog finishing operation, Ladder Creek West, in Greeley County, near the Colorado border.

The operation would have 110 buildings, containing a total of about 132,000 pigs. Waste from the operations would go into a lagoon for treatment and then be spread on fields, according to the filing with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

The facility has not been approved by KDHE, according to the agency. Seaboard will have to submit an application which includes engineering plans, nutrient management plan and various other plans. The plans would need to be reviewed to ensure they meet all state and federal requirements. No plans have been submitted yet.

The company already has a large hog finishing operation, Ladder Creek, in the county. That operation opened in 2010 and is in the process of expanding. If the new operation opens, Seaboard could house up to 330,000 hogs in the county.

The county has a population of just 1,300 people, according to the Census Bureau.

Jack Arnold, a supervisor for Greeley County, said the new project would have supporters who applaud the roughly $2 million in new taxes it would bring in, and some oppostion from nearby farmers who dislike having to compete with the hog operation for water.

This story was originally published October 23, 2014 at 5:16 PM with the headline "Seaboard seeks to open new hog farm in western Kansas."