The Oregon Department of Agriculture and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality have issued a confined animal feeding operation permit for J-S Ranch, a planned large chicken farm near Scio.

But opponents say the lengthy battle over the farm apparently will continue.

‘Unfortunate’ delays

Owner Eric Simon said he hopes to start construction on the farm next spring and begin operating J-S Ranch in 2026.

“If it wasn’t raining today, we’d be out there moving equipment,” Simon said on Nov. 1.

He added that delays have been unfortunate and costly.

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“You can’t take four or five years to get this done,” Simon said. “This has been such a hard process.”

Return to court

A lawyer for opponents, who include local farmers and environmental groups, said they’ll return to court to fight.

“The newly issued permit requires only minor improvements to the operation and minimal additional monitoring, failing to address most of the issues that brought farmers and community members to court,” states a news release from the Center for Food Safety, a nonprofit seeking to stop the chicken farm.

“ODA’s decision today demonstrates that factory farms won’t be held accountable for their pollution,” said Amy van Saun, senior attorney with the organization, in the news release.

Permit details

J-S Ranch was given a national pollutant discharge elimination individual permit by the ODA and DEQ.

The farm is a dry waste confined animal feeding operation that has proposed raising up to 566,400 broiler chickens at a time. Over the course of a year the farm would raise as many as 3.5 million chickens.

The agencies’ permitting decision followed a review and consideration of public comments.

The newly issued CAFO permit will regulate the manure, litter and processed wastewater generated by the farm to ensure that its activities don’t harm water quality.

J-S Ranch had been previously permitted under a general water pollution control facility permit in May 2022.

The initial CAFO permit for J-S Ranch was withdrawn by the state in April as ODA and DEQ were being sued over the potential for pollution.

The state had given itself a deadline of Oct. 31 to affirm, modify or reverse the initial permit decision.

Chicken and nutrients

According to the Center for Food Safety, J-S Ranch will collect, store and export about 4,500 tons of chicken litter each year and operate a quarter-mile from the North Santiam River.

Simon, who has raised chickens for nearly 25 years, said he’s also in the nutrient business as farmers will buy the litter for fertilizer.

“This is not something we want to go to waste. This is a high value commodity,” Simon said.

He added that the litter will be contained inside a building with concrete floors and isn’t stockpiled.

“Once I’m there and established, nobody’s going to even know that I’m there, just like they don’t have problems with existing ranches. … Mine is going to be a brand new, modern facility with all the bells and whistles. We’re not going to disturb people. We’re not going to ruin the community,” Simon said.