Sturgis farm plans hog operation

A longtime Sturgis Township farm operation plans to launch a 4,000-head, commercial hog-raising operation next fall in cooperation with a Constantine feed mill.
Two 420-by-40-foot commercial barns are planned for a 500-acre section of the 2,500- acre Fairgrove Farms, located between Shimmel and Stubey roads, with a three quarter-mile access road off Stubey.
Jennifer Bennett and Bill Pueschel, representing Fairgrove Farms, and Chris Kenyon, of Michiana Agra in Constantine, provided details about the proposed operation Monday to the Sturgis Township Planning Commission.
Officials said the location is already in an agricultural zone and the Michigan Department of Agriculture will ultimately review development plans to ensure they meet state regulations for commercial livestock operations, including odor and pollution control.
Fairgrove Farms is one of about 70 in southern Michigan and northern Indiana that will raise hogs destined for a new Coldwater pork processing plant. Clemens Food Group is building a $255 million, 550,000-square-foot facility in Coldwater Township.