(4-2-26) The Ohio Department of Agriculture has issued a final Permit to Operate renewal for Heartland Dairy, located at 3101 Tama Road, Rockford.

The final PTO may be appealed. The notice of appeal and the filing fee as may be required must be sent to: The Environmental Review Appeals Commission, 30 E. Broad St., 4th Floor, Columbus, Ohio 43215, by 5 p.m. on May 4, 2026. Questions regarding the appeal process may be directed to ERAC. A copy of the appeal must be served on the director of agriculture within three days after filing the appeal.

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August, 2017 – Dairy met with strong opposition

Keith Canary lives across from Heartland Dairy Holdings LLC, 3101 Tama Road, a 1,200-head operation southwest of Rockford. He told the crowd that he and many other community members fought against the dairy’s application for state permits more than 10 years ago, but it did no good.

Canary said Hopewell Township roads near the dairy have been “destroyed” due to the constant truck traffic to and from the dairy. When manure is irrigated onto farmland, he and his family must stay in their home for days afterward. Canary said he brought a spray bottle with manure in it. Crowd members chuckled when he offered to retrieve it from his car so he could spray it on Kevin Elder, director of the ODA’s Division of Livestock Environmental Permitting, who facilitated the meeting.

Canary said he believed Tuesday’s meeting would not change MVP’s plan to build the dairy.

January, 2023 – Officials say Rockford dairy behind creek pollution

Heckler contacted Andy Ety with ODA Division of Livestock Environmental Permitting (DLEP), telling him he believed the discharge was coming from Heartland Dairy Holdings LLC.

Heckler, Fullenkamp and Springer reportedly traveled to the facility, located at 3101 Tama Rd., Rockford, and found a pump was placed in the silage leachate collection system with a hose. The hose ran over the wall of the collection system, and leachate was pumped into the clean water swale on the north side of the facility, he said.

Silage leachate is a byproduct of corn that is high in nutrients and can be land applied, according to Heckler. Its high nutrient load also makes it one of the worst potential pollutants.

The clean water swale allowed the leachate to flow to the outlet tile because it is connected to Little Black Creek, Heckler said after the meeting.