Farm-residential conflict

One of the persistent (and prepelxing) problems in exurban development is the conflict that occurs when suburbanites move to new housing in farm country, so that they can enjoy the scenery. But, after moving to a farmstead or a 3-acre lot adjacent to a farm, they discover that farmwork often starts before 6am, pigs smell, tractors make big dirt clouds, and that pesticides often don't respect property lines.

But the AP has picked up a story from the Herald-Leader that reports on a conflict over noise on a farm in Nicholasville. Saying that they were just saving their livelihood, a farm there has installed a propane cannon to scare off birds. Neighbors 500 yards away say that it is still very loud:

"It's been so bad all summer we've never even had a cookout on our deck because it was going to go off every couple of minutes," said Palmgreen, a University of Kentucky communications professor. Even with the windows closed and the TV and air-conditioning on, Palmgreen said, "you could hear the noise."

It has gotten to a point that there is a lawsuit by the neighbors trying to stop this practice. In some places the local governments protect the farmers with right-to-farm ordinances, but it isn't clear to me whether Jessamine County, which is fairly suburban for Kentucky, has
such protections in place.

In farmland protection, it shows very clearly why clustering of contiguous farms helps with preservation. This story illustrates how these conflicts can undermine long-term efforts to create these attractive working rural landscapes.