A Class II Air Quality Permit for Rose Acre Farms has been approved The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) for Rose Acre’s Lone Cactus Egg Farm and Feed Terminal, in La Paz County, Arizona.
The permit was issued November 19, and is good for one year, reported the Parker Pioneer.
ADEQ stated that Rose Acre Farms met all applicable state and federal requirements in order to obtain the permit.
Prior to the issuance of the permit, a public hearing process was held. Among concerns voiced by area citizens were odors, dust, increased traffic and noise, pesticide use, and airborne pathogens.
As part of the permitting process, a public hearing was held Oct. 18 at the Bouse Booster Club to hear concerns from local residents. ADEQ issued a report documenting responses to these concerns.
Rose Acre’s Lone Cactus Farm, located near the community of Bouse, is believed to be the biggest economic development initiative that La Paz County has ever seen. The first phase of the egg facility alone is expected to employ 80 to 100 people. According to ADEQ, Rose Acre presently has five egg-laying houses for almost 2 million chickens. The company is also building a feed terminal, while other buildings and facilities are planned.
On more than one occasion, officials from Rose Acre Farms have praised the people of La Paz County and called them a great fit for the company.
Rose Acre Farms -- which is headquartered in Seymour, Indiana, and is the second largest egg company in the United States and third largest egg company in the world – broke ground on the Lone Cactus Farm in June 2015. Plans for the farm, according to the WATTAgNet Top Poultry Companies Database, included housing for about 3 million hens. As of December 31, 2017, the company had 26.9 million layers in its entire flock.