Cathy McKee
ERINSVILLE - Some day, 10-year-old Tristen Sagriff will be the seventh generation to own the family farm ơn Erinsville, but his parents worry that the land by then could be worthless.
If an application for a permit to build a factory hog farm is approved, Mike and Kathy Sagriff fear that air and water pollution will drive the family off the land they love.
The Sagriffs are proud of their 39 hectares of rolling hills on Highway 41, on the north side of the hamlet. Kathy's ancestors cleared the land and built the 200-year-old farmhouse, now being restored.
They point out the original beams Kathy is stripping of paint, and they reminisce about the cellar that was always full of harvest bounty. A photo of the farmhouse in its prime is a cherished possession and motivates the Sagriffs to bring back its glory.
"Our concern would be just what are we leaving Tristen?" Kathy says. "A beautiful farm in what is a lovely area with lakes and parks and lots of wildlife - or an area that people will no longer live in or come to visit because it is unhealthy to do so?"
The Sagriffs know something about family farming. They have eight head of cattle and plans to increase the herd to 20. Mike says that his cows, plus a job in town, provide his family with a good income.
He says it's easy for neighbours to see that the animals are well-fed and cared for, and therefore better for people to eat.
A 50,000-square-foot barn with 1,400 hogs is not a family farm, they believe. "This is different," Kathy says.
"[He] could feed his hogs doughnuts and you wouldn't know."
Kathy Sagriff adds that the farm proposed by Mark Slack and his family would ruin the area's tourist trade.
"His farm will be right in the middle of the village. When we open our windows it's all we'll smell.
"We won't be able to hang our clothes on the line because they'll smell of pig manure."
The Sagriffs' roots in this area are solid. Mike grew up on Marlbank Road. He and Kathy were married in the Church of the Assumption in Erinsville almost 12 years ago. Kathy drives a school bus and is a volunteer firefighter. He commutes two hours each way to work for General Motors in Oshawa.
Their home represents those roots. They pride themselves on their good stewardship of what was passed to them by their ancestors.
The Sagriffs say they plan to continue opposing the building permit application for the factory farm.
"A lot of people are just sitting back on the fence waiting to see what's going to happen," Kathy Sagriff said. "They should get out and get educated before it's too late."
Family versus factory: Concerns grow on the land is reprinted from this URL: www.thewhig.com/news/010331/5010544.html