Not In My Backyard (NIMBY) is alive and well in Scio, OR. where local residents are opposing the establishment of three broiler grow-out farms that would supply Foster Farms. Opposition was initiated in August 2021 when J&S Ranch announced the project that would be located in proximity to the North Santiam River.
Opposition is based on the usual expressed factors including dust, water pollution, and traffic. Actual motivation is based on perceived loss of property value, resistance to progress and in some cases financial envy.
Farms must receive approval for construction in addition to obtaining state permits to operate. In their application to the Oregon Department of Agriculture, J&S Ranch confirmed that broiler litter would be composted on site and would be converted to high-value fertilizer. This would negate the argument that the project would degrade water quality in the Santiam River.
Scio has a population of approximately 850 and is located in Linn County in Northwest Oregon. Linn County extends eastward from I-5. Corvallis, location of Oregon State University is in neighboring Benton County.