The above map shows the location of 88 confined feeding operations holding current Indiana Department of Environemental Management permits in Jay County. The county contains 43 Confined Feeding Operations (CFO) and 45 Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO), which are larger operations. The locations of the points in the map are approximate and based on information provided by the IDEM. (The Commercial Review graphic/Steve Garbacz)
The above map shows the location of 88 confined feeding operations holding current Indiana Department of Environemental Management permits in Jay County. The county contains 43 Confined Feeding Operations (CFO) and 45 Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO), which are larger operations. The locations of the points in the map are approximate and based on information provided by the IDEM. (The Commercial Review graphic/Steve Garbacz)
Animals by the numbers
Total IDEM permitted capacities for each type of animal are as follows:

Nursery pigs — 47,365
Finishers — 209,941
Sows — 6,807
Beef cattle — 1,121
Beef calves — 230
Dairy cattle — 825
Dairy heifer — 235
Layers — 5,104,320
Pullets — 1,615,400
Turkeys — 49,500
Ducks — 50,400
It’s hard to find a region of Jay County not touched by confined feeding.

Jay County is the site of 88 Indiana Department of Environmental Management permitted confined feeding operations, including 43 Confined Feeding Operations (CFO) and 45 larger Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO).

An operation is classified as a CAFO when it exceeds certain animal limits — 2,500 swine above 55 pounds; 10,000 swine less than 55 pounds; 30,000 laying hens with a liquid manure handling system; or 82,000 laying hens with a solid manure handling system. These numbers do not include smaller operations unregulated by IDEM.
While Penn and Pike townships have lower confined feeding densities than other townships, a significant number are located near the Ohio border.

More than a quarter of the county’s operations — 24 of 88 — are located within 2 miles of the Indiana-Ohio border, including seven chicken CAFOs within one mile. Several are also located in Wabash Township near Ind. 67

Several hog CAFOs are also located near Ind. 26 on the western side of the county in Knox Township.

Hogs and chickens dominate the county, with capacity for 264,113 nursery pigs, finishers and sows and 6,719,720 layer and pullet chickens.

The majority of the layers are housed by Hoosier Pride Farms LLC (2,013,984) and Minnich Poultry LLC (1,329,000).

Jay leads the region in confined feeding with its 88 operations.

Among Jay County’s neighbors, Adams County follows with 72 IDEM-permitted operations, Randolph County is third with 44 operations and Wells County is fourth with 38 operations.
Delaware County has a mere nine operations and Blackford County has eight.

Jay is also among state leaders in terms of confined feeding operations, although information provided by IDEM by this morning could not pinpoint whether Jay holds the No. 1. County officials and members of the public have anecdotally claimed at recent meetings that Jay is No. 1 overall.
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